macOS Node.js/Playwright script that automates monthly opt-out submissions to 500+ data broker sites with CAPTCHA solving via CapSolver and state tracking.
Key Takeaways
Covers 30+ brokers with named strategies (Spokeo, WhitePages, Acxiom, LexisNexis, ZoomInfo) plus ~494 from The Markup’s dataset via generic-runner.js.
State stored in state.json with a 90-day re-check window; completed opt-outs are skipped until brokers likely re-add your data.
CapSolver handles reCAPTCHA at ~$0.001/solve; $1-2 of credits covers months of use. Without it, CAPTCHA-protected sites fall to the manual list.
Personal info never leaves your machine; config.json and state.json are gitignored. launchd schedules a monthly run on the 1st at 9am.
Author recommends pairing with paid services (Incogni, Optery) for coverage; this targets gaps like Acxiom, LexisNexis, and ZoomInfo those services miss.
Hacker News Comment Review
Skeptics question whether opt-out submissions confirm active emails/addresses to brokers rather than removing data, and whether shady operators honor removals at all.
The Streisand Effect concern surfaces: opting out may flag you as an outlier or active target on secondary, less visible broker lists.
Non-US users hit immediate friction: Canadian ZIP codes break form logic, Apple Mail dependency assumes a homogeneous setup, and many sites returned 404s in testing.
Notable Comments
@ramon156: launchd is the only macOS-specific dependency; systemd support would be straightforward and worth documenting.
@lacewing: The real broker industry is largely hidden; the visible “look up your neighbor” sites rotate constantly, making opt-out lists stale within a year.
