48% of Data Deletion Requests Go Unresolved, New Report Finds
Consumer privacy study shows the hidden cost of convenience
Accounts deleted and mailing lists unsubscribed in 2025
Common issues preventing account deletion
New findings from the Yorba report echo large-scale consumer advocacy efforts & raise questions about whether companies are truly honoring consumer data rights
Read the full 2025 State of Clutter report
“There’s a disconnect between what consumers are told should work and what actually happens,” says Chris Zeunstrom, CEO of Yorba. “People assume that if they submit a request correctly, their personal information will get deleted. Our data shows that’s far from guaranteed.”
Nearly Half of Data Removal Requests in 2025 Remain Unresolved
Analyzing nearly 22,000 formal data deletion attempts submitted across thousands of companies in 2025, Yorba finds:
- Only 48% resulted in verified deletion by year’s end, despite proper submission and documentation
- Stalled requests are estimated to have consumed 1,226 hours of professional labor
- Barriers range from repeat identity verification and delays from redundant documentation requests to companies refusing to engage with legally authorized consumer representatives
Consumer Reports Confirms Similar Observations
Yorba’s analysis mirrors patterns observed by Consumer Reports, whose Permission Slip program has submitted more than 4.5 million opt-out-of-sale and data deletion requests.
“Ultimately, the reason boils down to a lack of operational consistency in how companies across industries handle requests,” says Houman Saberi, operations lead for the Permission Slip team at Consumer Reports’ Innovation Lab.
Data Removal At Odds with Market Incentives
Market incentives for data retention remain strong. The global data monetization market is estimated to be around $5 billion in 2025, with projections exceeding $40 billion by 2034, according to market research firm Precedent Research.
The new findings from Yorba are available in their 2025 State of Clutter report, which analyzes activity from nearly 7,000 active Yorba members to assess how effectively consumers can reduce digital clutter and exposure of personal data online.
AI’s Rise Reflected in Report Findings
Also noted in the report is OpenAI’s presence among the most common paid subscriptions observed in Yorba’s 2025 cohort.
“We’re seeing evidence of the rapid normalization of AI tools as recurring, account-based services rather than one-time or experimental technologies,” says Zeunstrom.
Full report findings can be found at stateofclutter.org.
About Yorba
Yorba, a Public Benefit Corporation, is a consumer data-management platform that helps people manage their digital footprint. Originally launched as a research project in 2021, it has been used by over 10,000 members across more than 130 countries to avoid surprise charges, delete old accounts, and stop unwanted marketing emails. Learn more at yorba.co.
Chris Zeunstrom
Yorba
yo@yorba.co
Yorba helps consumers to manage their accounts, subscriptions, and inbox easily.
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