CalPrivacy Continues Enforcement Blitz with Action Against Virginia Data Broker

September 1, 2026

SACRAMENTO, CA — Adding to a string of recent enforcement actions, the California Privacy Protection Agency Board has issued a decision requiring a Virginia-based data broker, SalesIntel Research, Inc., to pay a $36,400 fine and change certain practices after failing to register timely with the Agency’s Data Broker Registry.

SalesIntel Research sells consumers’ personal information and offers more than 200 million professional contacts, 54 million mobile phone numbers, and inferences about individuals’ career changes to facilitate targeted advertising. One of its products “de-anonymizes your website traffic to reveal which accounts are actively researching you” and produces a corresponding person’s “contact data, direct dials, [and] verified emails, ready for outreach.” The Enforcement Division alleged that SalesIntel Research operated as a data broker without registering by the 2025 deadline.

In addition to paying the fine, the decision requires SalesIntel Research to post metrics about privacy rights on its website, access the Agency’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), and process future deletion requests through that system.

“If you’re operating in the AdTech ecosystem, these recent enforcement actions are reminders to review whether you engaged in data broker activity and properly registered,” said Michael Macko, CalPrivacy’s head of enforcement. “California’s other privacy laws can also come into play, evidenced by the case against LocateSmarter.”

“This ongoing enforcement activity shows that CalPrivacy takes seriously the failure to register by the deadline,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “As a reminder, exposure to potential enforcement action is increasing now that data brokers have started processing requests through DROP.” The Delete Act requires data brokers to register with CalPrivacy annually in January and pay a fee that funds the Data Broker Registry and DROP. DROP is a first-of-its-kind deletion mechanism that allows consumers to direct all data brokers to delete their personal information in a single request.

Attorneys Angie Jin and Alex Berger handled the matter for the Enforcement Division, working in conjunction with the Data Broker Enforcement Strike Force.

CalPrivacy’s Recent Enforcement Actions to Protect Californians

CalPrivacy is actively enforcing California’s cutting-edge privacy laws. Recent actions include:

• Bringing more than a dozen enforcement actions against additional unregistered data brokers, including two more in the past few weeks.
• Partnering with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and state District Attorneys to hold General Motors accountable for data sharing practices from connected vehicles, resulting in a $12.75 million civil penalty and injunctive terms.
• Issuing a decision requiring PlayOn Sports, the provider of digital ticketing platforms for high school sporting events, to pay a $1.10 million fine and change its practices to remedy privacy violations.
• Requiring Ford Motor Company to pay a $375,703 fine and change its practices to remove unnecessary friction in the opt-out process for Californians.
• Securing a settlement requiring Datamasters, a data broker, to pay a fine and stop selling lists of Californians who have Alzheimer’s disease and other health conditions.
• Issuing a decision requiring Tractor Supply Company, the nation’s largest rural lifestyle retailer, to pay a $1.35 million fine and change its business practices for California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) violations.
• Issuing a decision requiring a nationwide clothing retailer, Todd Snyder, Inc., to change its business practices and pay a $345,178 fine for CCPA violations.
• Issuing a decision requiring American Honda Motor Co. to change its business practices and pay a $632,500 fine for CCPA violations.
• Securing a settlement agreement requiring data broker Background Alert — which promoted its ability to dig up “scary” amounts of information about people — to shut down or pay a steep fine.
• Bringing more than a dozen enforcement actions against additional unregistered data brokers.
• Launching the bipartisan Consortium of Privacy Regulators to collaborate with states across the country to implement and enforce privacy laws nationwide.
• Partnering with the data protection authorities in Korea, France, and the United Kingdom to share information and advance privacy protections for Californians.

About Us

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) is committed to promoting the education and awareness of consumers’ privacy rights and businesses’ responsibilities under the California Consumer Privacy Act, Delete Act, and Opt Me Out Act.

Consumers can visit Privacy.ca.gov to access helpful and up-to-date information and tips on how to exercise their rights, protect their personal information, and learn about the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP). In addition, CalPrivacy’s website provides important information about Board Meetings, announcements, and the rulemaking process.