Consumer Data Giants
The backbone of the data broker ecosystem
The Consumer Data Giants
These are the largest and most powerful data brokers in the world. They maintain profiles on hundreds of millions of consumers and serve as the backbone of the data broker ecosystem.
Acxiom / LiveRamp
What they are: One of the oldest and largest data brokers in the world, founded in 1969 as Demographics Inc. in Conway, Arkansas.[1] In 2018, Acxiom sold its Marketing Solutions division to Interpublic Group (IPG) for $2.3 billion[2] and renamed the remaining company LiveRamp.[3] The Acxiom name continues under IPG ownership.
What data they have: Consumer data on approximately 260 million individuals across more than 162 million U.S. households,[4] encompassing demographics, purchase behavior, interests, financial indicators, and health data segments. LiveRamp operates an identity graph using its RampID identifier (formerly IdentityLink, renamed 2021)[5] connecting online and offline identifiers across channels.
Where the data comes from: Consumer surveys, loyalty programs, purchase transaction data, public records, and partnerships with thousands of data providers.
Who buys it: Advertisers, marketing agencies, financial institutions, insurance companies, political campaigns, and virtually every major brand conducting targeted marketing.
Name history: Demographics Inc. (1969) → CCX Network (1983) → Acxiom Corporation (1988) → LiveRamp (parent, 2018) + Acxiom (marketing division, sold to IPG)[1]
Experian
What they are: One of the "Big Three" credit bureaus, but also a sprawling data broker conglomerate. Publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 100), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.[6]
What data they have: Credit histories and financial data on approximately 1.4 billion people and 191 million businesses worldwide.[7] Their "Behavior Bank" product contains behavioral information on tens of millions of households, including health problems, as documented in a 2013 U.S. Senate Commerce Committee investigation.[8] They also operate Experian RentBureau (the largest rental payment database with 26+ million residents[9]), AutoCheck (vehicle history reports), and Tapad (cross-device identity data, acquired 2020 for $280 million[10]).
Where the data comes from: Banks, credit card companies, lenders, landlords, property managers, auto dealerships, auction houses, court records, and public records.
Who buys it: Lenders, insurers, landlords, employers, marketers, advertisers, government agencies, and other data brokers.
Key acquisitions: Clarity Services (alternative credit data, 2017[11]), Tapad (cross-device identity, 2020[10]), AutoCheck (vehicle history).
Equifax
What they are: Another Big Three credit bureau, founded in 1899 as the Retail Credit Company.[12] Publicly traded (NYSE: EFX). Infamously suffered one of the largest data breaches in history in 2017, exposing personal data of approximately 147 million Americans.[13]
What data they have: Credit data on hundreds of millions of consumers. Through its subsidiary The Work Number (acquired via TALX Corporation for $1.4 billion in 2007[14]), Equifax holds over 700 million employment records from millions of employers.[15] Collected data includes job title, salary, pay history, healthcare coverage, and unemployment claims.[16] The database has grown dramatically from 159 million records at the time of the TALX acquisition in 2007[17] to its current scale.
Where the data comes from: Employers (who submit payroll data to The Work Number), lenders, credit card companies, landlords, public records, and court records.
Who buys it: Lenders, landlords, employers, insurers, government agencies, debt collectors, background check companies.
Key acquisitions: TALX Corporation/The Work Number (employment data, 2007[14]), DataX (alternative credit data, 2018[18]).
TransUnion
What they are: The third Big Three credit bureau. Publicly traded (NYSE: TRU, since 2015). Has aggressively expanded into data brokerage through acquisitions.
What data they have: Credit data on hundreds of millions of consumers. Through TLOxp (acquired December 2013[19]), they hold over 100 billion public and proprietary data points covering more than 95% of the U.S. population,[20] used by law enforcement for investigations. Through iovation (acquired July 2018[21]), they have device intelligence data on nearly 5 billion unique devices across 50+ countries. Through Tru Optik (acquired 2020[22]), they hold audience data on 80+ million U.S. homes for connected TV, streaming, and gaming. Through Neustar (acquired December 2021 for $3.1 billion[23]), they have communications data and identity resolution capabilities.
Where the data comes from: Lenders, telcos, device signals, streaming platforms, publishers, public records.
Who buys it: Lenders, insurers, landlords, marketers, law enforcement agencies, streaming platforms, advertisers.
Key acquisitions: TLO (law enforcement data, 2013[19]), FactorTrust (alternative credit data, 2017[24]), iovation (device intelligence, 2018[21]), Tru Optik (streaming audience data, 2020[22]), Neustar (identity resolution, 2021, $3.1 billion[23]).
Epsilon
What they are: One of the largest marketing data companies, acquired by Publicis Groupe for approximately $4.4 billion in 2019.[25]
What data they have: Data on 250 million U.S. consumers across 125 million households.[26] Collects health-related information through its "Shopper's Voice" consumer surveys; Epsilon's data categories include healthcare segments used for marketing purposes.[26]
Where the data comes from: Consumer surveys, purchase transactions, loyalty programs, public records, and data partnerships.
Who buys it: Brands, advertising agencies, healthcare marketers, financial services companies, political campaigns.
Oracle Data Cloud (BlueKai / Datalogix / AddThis)
What they are: Oracle built one of the largest advertising data platforms through acquisitions: BlueKai (2014), Datalogix (2014), AddThis (2016), and Moat (2017).[27] The combined platform featured two billion global consumer profiles across over 30,000 targeting attributes.[28]
What happened: In 2024, Oracle announced it was shutting down its advertising business entirely.[29] Advertising revenue had fallen from $2 billion in 2022 to approximately $300 million by fiscal year 2024, driven by the decline of third-party cookies, GDPR compliance challenges, and the broader erosion of cross-site tracking.[30] This is one of the most significant retreats in data broker history, a tech giant with a multi-billion-dollar data operation concluding the business was no longer viable.
Why it matters: Oracle's exit demonstrates that the data broker business model based on third-party cookies and massive cross-site tracking is under existential pressure. However, the data Oracle collected over a decade hasn't simply vanished.
RELX Group / LexisNexis Risk Solutions
What they are: RELX (formerly Reed Elsevier) is the parent company of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, one of the most pervasive data brokers in America. They operate across insurance, law enforcement, government, and commercial sectors.
What data they have: The C.L.U.E. database (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) contains up to 7 years of auto and home insurance claims history with 99.6% auto industry participation.[31] They have driving behavior and telematics data from connected car partnerships with automakers including Kia, Mitsubishi, and Subaru.[32] (A prior partnership with GM was terminated in March 2024.[33]) They provide identity verification, vehicle history, and people-search data. Through Accurint and ThreatMetrix, they serve law enforcement with comprehensive investigation tools. LexisNexis also offers access to over 140 million jail booking records from 2,800+ law enforcement databases covering approximately 80% of U.S. incarcerations.[34]
Where the data comes from: Insurance companies, automakers, court records, arrest records, public records, property records, DMV records, and data from partner jails.
Who buys it: Insurance companies, landlords, employers, law enforcement agencies (including ICE, which uses jail booking data to track individuals in custody[35]), financial institutions, and government agencies.
Key acquisitions: ChoicePoint (public records, 2008[36]), ThreatMetrix (fraud prevention, 2018[37]), ID Analytics (identity risk, 2020[38]), IDVerse (identity verification, 2025[39]).
CoreLogic (now Cotality)
What they are: Taken private by Stone Point Capital and Insight Partners in June 2021 for approximately $6 billion.[40] America's largest property data company, with databases covering more than 99% of U.S. properties.[41] The company rebranded to Cotality in March 2025.
What data they have: Property data on virtually every U.S. property, tenant screening reports, insurance analytics, and real estate analytics. Claims to be the nation's single largest aggregator of tenant screening data with access to hundreds of millions of records.
Who buys it: Real estate companies, landlords, property managers, insurance companies, mortgage lenders, government agencies.
Data Axle (formerly infoUSA / Infogroup)
What they are: One of the largest direct marketing data brokers. Has changed names multiple times to distance itself from controversies.
What data they have: Comprehensive business and consumer databases used for direct mail, telemarketing, email marketing, and digital advertising.
Name history: American Business Information → infoUSA (1998) → Infogroup (2008) → Data Axle (2020)[42]
Nielsen
What they are: Historically the dominant audience measurement company. Taken private by a consortium led by Elliott Management's affiliate Evergreen Coast Capital and Brookfield Business Partners for $16 billion in 2022.[43]
What data they have: Television viewership data and audience measurement metrics. (Nielsen's consumer purchase behavior and retail scanner data division was sold to Advent International in 2021 and now operates separately as NielsenIQ.[44])
Who buys it: TV networks, advertisers, brands, media agencies, retailers.
Thomson Reuters (CLEAR)
What they are: Through its CLEAR platform, Thomson Reuters operates one of the most powerful law enforcement and government investigation tools. ICE contracts with Thomson Reuters total over $54 million in potential value across six agreements.[45]
What data they have: CLEAR provides access to billions of public and proprietary records including addresses, phone numbers, criminal records, court filings, property records, vehicle registrations, and utility connections. Used by law enforcement to locate, identify, and build profiles on individuals.
Who buys it: ICE, CBP, DHS, law enforcement agencies at all levels, financial institutions, legal professionals.
Controversy: Subject of a class-action lawsuit (Brooks et al. v. Thomson Reuters) alleging privacy violations affecting approximately 40 million Californians, settled for $27.5 million in February 2025.[46] ICE uses CLEAR in combination with Palantir and LexisNexis to build comprehensive surveillance profiles for immigration enforcement operations.[47]