BrokerScan

Data broker exposure scanner. Checks 30 data broker sites for your personal information and logs opt-out URLs so you can act fast.

Built for privacy-conscious users who are tired of re-opting out of the same sites every few months.

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What it does

• Scans 30 known data brokers (people-search, B2B/recruiter, background check, aggregator)
• Detects whether your name + city appear in listings
• Logs results to a local SQLite database with timestamps
• Surfaces direct opt-out URLs for any site where you're found
• Re-scan scheduler: flags brokers due for re-check after 90 days
• Exports results to CSV

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Files

File	Purpose
brokerscan.py	Core scanner — Playwright-based, CLI
index.html	Dashboard UI — demo mode, works offline
brokerscan.db	Auto-created SQLite database

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Setup

pip install playwright rich sqlite-utils
playwright install chromium

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Usage

Basic scan:

python brokerscan.py --name "John Doe" --city "Miami" --state "FL"

Full profile scan:

python brokerscan.py \
  --name "John Doe" \
  --city "Miami" \
  --state "FL" \
  --email "john@example.com" \
  --phone "3055550000"

High-priority brokers only:

python brokerscan.py --name "John Doe" --city "Miami" --state "FL" --priority HIGH

Export to CSV:

python brokerscan.py --name "John Doe" --city "Miami" --state "FL" --export results.csv

Only scan sites due for re-check (>90 days since last scan):

python brokerscan.py --name "John Doe" --city "Miami" --state "FL" --due-only

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Status values

Status	Meaning
FOUND	Your info detected on this broker site
CLEAN	No listing detected
BLOCKED	Site returned CAPTCHA or rate-limit response
ERROR	Timeout or navigation failure

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Broker priority tiers

Priority	Examples	Why it matters
HIGH	ZoomInfo, Spokeo, Whitepages, Acxiom, Intelius	Recruiter-facing, widely scraped
MED	FastPeopleSearch, Pipl, Epsilon, CoreLogic	Moderate reach
LOW	ClustrMaps, AnyWho, Xlek, Classmates	Lower traffic but still aggregate

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Limitations

• CAPTCHAs: Many high-priority brokers (ZoomInfo, Spokeo) will block automated requests. BLOCKED status means you need to check manually.
• Email verification: Most opt-out flows require email confirmation — automation gets you to the form, not through it.
• Re-listing: Brokers routinely re-add removed data. Re-scan every 90 days. Use --due-only to skip already-checked sites.
• False negatives: If a broker restructures their HTML, selectors may miss a listing. Treat CLEAN as "not detected," not "definitely not listed."

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Legal notes (Florida)

Florida's Digital Bill of Rights (FDBR) (effective July 2024) gives you:

• The right to request deletion of your personal data
• The right to opt out of data sales
• Enforcement via the Florida AG's office

If a broker ignores a verified deletion request, file a complaint at myfloridalegal.com.

For unwanted calls/texts, file with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and register at donotcall.gov.

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Roadmap

• Phase 2: Auto-fill opt-out forms for non-CAPTCHA sites
• Phase 3: Email watcher — detect "your opt-out was processed" confirmations
• Phase 4: Scheduled re-scan via cron + email digest
• Web UI: Connect dashboard to live Python backend via Flask/FastAPI

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Stack

• Python 3.10+
• Playwright — browser automation
• Rich — terminal output
• SQLite — local scan history
• Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS — dashboard UI