Companies making opt-out option harder: Difference between revisions

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Laws such as [https://gdpr-info.eu/ GDPR] for Europeans, and [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa CCPA] for California, have started to a law to let consumers take more control over their data. However, some companies have made it harder for consumers to opt-out their data, though federal US law has not been implemented yet. There has been reports of companies making their opt-out option hidden from search engines [https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-data-broker-opt-out-pages/blob/main/data/data-broker-opt-out-pages.csv], some say it is unintentional in their code though there still is a problem with consumers having to scroll across their website to finally opt out [https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/]. There are also companies who do not respect the consumers' choice to opt-out and still provide targeted ads [https://innovation.consumerreports.org/Mixed-Signals-Many-Companies-May-Be-Ignoring-Opt-Out-Requests-Under-State-Privacy-Laws.pdf]. As well as other instances which will be mentioned in the examples.

Laws such as [https://gdpr-info.eu/ GDPR] for Europeans, and [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa CCPA] for California, have started to a law to let consumers take more control over their data. However, some companies have made it harder for consumers to opt-out their data, though federal US law has not been implemented yet. There has been reports of companies making their opt-out option hidden from search engines [https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-data-broker-opt-out-pages/blob/main/data/data-broker-opt-out-pages.csv], some say it is unintentional in their code though there still is a problem with consumers having to scroll across their website to finally opt out <ref>{{Cite web |last=Lecher |first=Colin |last2=Apodaca |first2=Tomas |date=2025-08-12 |title=You have a right to delete your data. Some companies are making it extra difficult |url=https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250817151106/https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/ |archive-date=2025-08-17 |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Calmatters}}</ref>. There are also companies who do not respect the consumers' choice to opt-out and still provide targeted ads [https://innovation.consumerreports.org/Mixed-Signals-Many-Companies-May-Be-Ignoring-Opt-Out-Requests-Under-State-Privacy-Laws.pdf]. As well as other instances which will be mentioned in the examples.

==How it works==

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==Why it is a problem==

=== Data Rights Being Violated ===

===Data Rights Being Violated===

Consumers' right for their data to be opted out is part of many data protection laws. The instance of companies violating consumers' data would be in direct violation of these rights.

==Examples==

* Meta requiring consumers' to send an email to opt out of their AI-training data, for them to review the reason 'in accordance to relevant data protection law' [https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-opt-out-of-instagram-and-facebook-using-your-posts-for-ai/].

*Meta requiring consumers' to send an email to opt out of their AI-training data, for them to review the reason 'in accordance to relevant data protection law' [https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-opt-out-of-instagram-and-facebook-using-your-posts-for-ai/].

* Google removing the option to opt-out from third-party vendors from buying their ad-slots, reason being it 'no longer provides publishers with useful privacy or brand safety functionality' [https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/16309527].

*Google removing the option to opt-out from third-party vendors from buying their ad-slots, reason being it 'no longer provides publishers with useful privacy or brand safety functionality' [https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/16309527].

==References==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Laws such as [https://gdpr-info.eu/ GDPR] for Europeans, and [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa CCPA] for California, have started to a law to let consumers take more control over their data. However, some companies have made it harder for consumers to opt-out their data, though federal US law has not been implemented yet. There has been reports of companies making their opt-out option hidden from search engines [https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-data-broker-opt-out-pages/blob/main/data/data-broker-opt-out-pages.csv], some say it is unintentional in their code though there still is a problem with consumers having to scroll across their website to finally opt out [https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/]. There are also companies who do not respect the consumers' choice to opt-out and still provide targeted ads [https://innovation.consumerreports.org/Mixed-Signals-Many-Companies-May-Be-Ignoring-Opt-Out-Requests-Under-State-Privacy-Laws.pdf]. As well as other instances which will be mentioned in the examples.
+Laws such as [https://gdpr-info.eu/ GDPR] for Europeans, and [https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa CCPA] for California, have started to a law to let consumers take more control over their data. However, some companies have made it harder for consumers to opt-out their data, though federal US law has not been implemented yet. There has been reports of companies making their opt-out option hidden from search engines [https://github.com/the-markup/investigation-data-broker-opt-out-pages/blob/main/data/data-broker-opt-out-pages.csv], some say it is unintentional in their code though there still is a problem with consumers having to scroll across their website to finally opt out <ref>{{Cite web |last=Lecher |first=Colin |last2=Apodaca |first2=Tomas |date=2025-08-12 |title=You have a right to delete your data. Some companies are making it extra difficult |url=https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250817151106/https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2025/08/companies-make-it-hard-to-delete-personal-data/ |archive-date=2025-08-17 |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Calmatters}}</ref>. There are also companies who do not respect the consumers' choice to opt-out and still provide targeted ads [https://innovation.consumerreports.org/Mixed-Signals-Many-Companies-May-Be-Ignoring-Opt-Out-Requests-Under-State-Privacy-Laws.pdf]. As well as other instances which will be mentioned in the examples.
 ==How it works==
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==Why it is a problem==
-=== Data Rights Being Violated ===
+===Data Rights Being Violated===
 Consumers' right for their data to be opted out is part of many data protection laws. The instance of companies violating consumers' data would be in direct violation of these rights.
 ==Examples==
-* Meta requiring consumers' to send an email to opt out of their AI-training data, for them to review the reason 'in accordance to relevant data protection law' [https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-opt-out-of-instagram-and-facebook-using-your-posts-for-ai/].
+*Meta requiring consumers' to send an email to opt out of their AI-training data, for them to review the reason 'in accordance to relevant data protection law' [https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/how-to-opt-out-of-instagram-and-facebook-using-your-posts-for-ai/].
-* Google removing the option to opt-out from third-party vendors from buying their ad-slots, reason being it 'no longer provides publishers with useful privacy or brand safety functionality' [https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/16309527].
+*Google removing the option to opt-out from third-party vendors from buying their ad-slots, reason being it 'no longer provides publishers with useful privacy or brand safety functionality' [https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/16309527].
 ==References==