Texas Data Privacy & Data Broker Removal

Texas has both a comprehensive privacy law and a data-broker registry — putting it in the top tier of US states for privacy protections. Here is what that means for you and how to use it.

Your rights in Texas

Texas residents are protected by the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA).

• Right to Access & Know — Request a copy of the personal information a company holds about you.
• Right to Correct — Request corrections to inaccurate personal information.
• Right to Delete — Ask a company to delete your personal information.
• Right to Data Portability — Get your data in a portable format you can take to another service.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale — Tell a company to stop selling your personal information.
• Right to Opt Out of Targeted Advertising — Stop companies from targeting you with ads based on your personal data.
• Right to Opt Out of Profiling — Stop companies from building a behavioral profile about you.
• Right to Appeal — Challenge a company's decision to deny your privacy request.

Does this cover the company that has my data?

Most companies that collect or sell personal data in Texas are likely covered.

Broad: applies to a person that conducts business in Tx or produces products/services consumed by Tx residents, processes or engages in the sale of personal data, And is Not a small business as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (no numeric consumer/revenue threshold). Reaches far more businesses than threshold-based laws.

How to remove yourself from data brokers in Texas

Texas gives you more tools than most states. Here is how to use them, ordered from strongest to most practical.

1. Use the data-broker registry

Texas requires data brokers to register with the state. The public registry lets you see exactly which companies are collecting and selling your information — and gives you a starting point for individual opt-out requests. Unlike California, Texas does not yet offer a single-request deletion mechanism, so you will need to contact each broker separately.

2. Enable Global Privacy Control

Global Privacy Control is a free browser setting that automatically tells every website you visit not to sell or share your data. It takes two minutes to enable and works silently in the background on every site. Texas law requires covered businesses to honor it — so this is not just a request, it carries legal weight.

3. Submit direct opt-out requests

For brokers not covered by the registry or GPC, you can submit requests directly. Look for the "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link in each company's website footer — most major brokers have one. You can also submit formal access, deletion, or correction requests through each company's privacy policy page.

Under Texas's law, covered companies must respond within the statutory deadline. If they don't, you have grounds to file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General.

4. Automate ongoing removal

Here is the part nobody tells you: even after you complete every step above, brokers re-ingest your information from public records, data-sharing networks, and commercial databases. Within a few months, your profiles reappear. Staying removed from hundreds of brokers is not a one-time task — it is an ongoing commitment that most people cannot maintain manually.

Texas's data broker law: what it means for you

Texas requires data brokers to register with the state. The registry gives you visibility into who is collecting and selling your information — and a starting point for individual opt-out requests.

• Requirements: (1) register annually with the Texas Secretary of State (Form 4001) and pay a $300 fee ($300 annual renewal); (2) post a CONSPICUOUS notice on the broker's website/app disclosing that it is a data broker; (3) maintain a comprehensive information security program with 12 enumerated safeguards (§ 509.007/§ 510.007).
• Searchable registry maintained by the SOS at https://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/data-brokers.shtml (Data Broker Registry Search).
• The SOS is only the filing officer; the Texas Attorney General enforces (civil penalty of at least $100/day per violation plus unpaid fees; security-program violations are deceptive trade practices).

Other privacy protections in Texas

Beyond the comprehensive privacy law, Texas has additional protections that may apply to you:

• Address protection for officials — This state has enacted address-protection provisions for certain officials — verify the current citation with the state legislature.
• Biometric data — Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI), Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 503.001 — AG-enforced only (NO private right of action); civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation.

How to file a privacy complaint in Texas

Texas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division — https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection ; Data-broker registry: Texas Secretary of State — https://www.sos.state.tx.us/statdoc/data-brokers.shtml

Most state agencies enforce privacy laws in the aggregate — they investigate patterns of violations rather than resolving individual disputes. Filing a complaint still matters: it creates a record that helps trigger enforcement actions.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• statutes.capitol.texas.gov
• sos.state.tx.us
• texasattorneygeneral.gov
• statutes.capitol.texas.gov — Docs/BC