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EPIC researchers were unable to locate the opt-out process at all on Meta, X, OpenAI, and Tinder without logging in first. HireVue and monitoring supplier DataTrust position their opt-out instructions as only available to California residents, although 20 other states have passed laws granting opt-out rights.
Palantir, the defense and intelligence contractor, provides a privacy form on its website but does not include an option to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data — the same finding documented by EPIC for TikTok, Amazon and gunfire detection company SoundThinking. Palantir also doesn’t explicitly link the form from its homepage or privacy policy, and researchers were unable to locate any opt-out process on Palantir, Meta, X, OpenAI, or Tinder without logging in first.
Amazon disputed this finding. Adam Montgomery, a company spokesman, says Amazon does not sell customers’ personal information, so customers are opted out by default. Options to opt out of data sharing are available atYour advertising privacy options“and”Advertising preferences“, and through privacy settings on most Amazon devices. Montgomery says Amazon does not use the word “opt-in” in its opt-out options, but he said the options cover the same uses as defined by applicable law.
Shane Power, a spokesman for OpenAI, says the company does not sell user data, though it acknowledges sharing limited data with marketing partners for targeted and cross-contextual behavioral advertising. “We give people direct ways to control how their data is used right in our apps, so it’s easier to make those choices where people use our services,” Bauer says. “our Privacy Portal It’s another way for people to submit privacy requests, including individuals who don’t have an OpenAI account but still want to exercise their privacy rights. We believe that giving users multiple ways to exercise their rights is a good thing.
Jackie Quintana, a HireVue spokesman, disputes EPIC’s findings on the scope, saying the company’s overall privacy policy applies only to people who visit its marketing site, not to job applicants, whose data is processed through HireVue’s HR platform under consent controls configured by each employer. The company did not address EPIC’s finding that its general policy directs opt-out instructions only to California residents.
SoundThinking spokesman John Fisher says the company’s opt-out forms can be found at the bottom of its website. Privacy Policy Pagein addition to the customer help phone number.
Google, Meta, Spokeo, Whitepages, National Public Data, Bumble, X, DataTrust, Palantir, and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment. Tinder acknowledged the investigation but did not immediately provide a statement.
“Consumers cannot effectively protect their privacy by exercising opt-out rights,” EPIC says. Even a perfectly designed process — no hidden links, no predefined toggles, no paywalls — would still require people to find and submit a request to every company that holds, sells, or transfers their data. EPIC concluded that the real cure is not the better forms but collect less: Rules that prevent companies from collecting personal information they don’t need in the first place.
