California Privacy Regulator Fines and Bans DataMasters for Unregistered Sale of Sensitive Personal Data

California’s Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) announced a settlement action against Texas-based Rickenbacher Data (doing business as DataMasters), fining the company and banning it from selling Californians’ personal information as part of a broader enforcement crackdown on data brokers. The action was brought by the agency’s enforcement division and its Data Broker Enforcement Strike Force, following CalPrivacy’s stated intent to increase investigations into data broker privacy violations.

Regulators said DataMasters traded in data tied to sensitive health conditions—including lists associated with Alzheimer’s disease, drug addiction, and bladder incontinence—and also bought and sold lists segmented by demographics and inferred attributes such as “Seniors,” “Hispanic,” political affiliation, grocery purchases, banking activity, and health-related purchases for targeted advertising. CalPrivacy stated the company conducted these activities in 2024 without registering with the California Data Broker Registry, a requirement under California’s data broker rules.