Two meanings of "data broker"
- List and data brokers buy, compile and sell personal data, for example marketing lists. That activity is regulated by UK GDPR and, for marketing, by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
- AI data intermediaries help a company license its own working records, de-identified, to AI developers. The company is the source and stays in control of every licence; the intermediary doesn't own the data.
Record Yield is an AI data intermediary that acts for the seller. We don't buy or sell lists of personal data, and we don't hold our clients' original records.
What a seller-side adviser does
- Inventories the systems and years a company holds.
- Checks rights and contracts, and agrees what's excluded.
- Coordinates de-identification inside the company's own systems, and testing.
- Prepares an unnamed profile and puts it in front of several buyers.
- Compares offers and licence terms, so the company can choose.
Other kinds of intermediary
- Buyer programmes that deal with companies directly, such as micro1, Handshake AI and Turing.
- Marketplaces that license data on the owner's behalf to many buyers; Troveo describes this model.
- Wind-down platforms that sell a closing company's code and workspace data as part of the closure.
Questions to ask any AI data intermediary
- Who do you act for: the company, the buyer, or both?
- How are you paid, and by whom? Get it in writing.
- Do you receive referral rewards from buyers, and are they disclosed to us?
- Do you ever hold or copy our original records?
- Do you have exclusive arrangements with particular buyers?
- Where will the data be used, and by whom?
Frequently asked questions
Is Record Yield a data broker?
Not in the list-broker sense. We don't buy or sell personal data. The only personal data we hold is business contact details for our own outreach, as our privacy notice explains. We act for companies that license de-identified copies of their own records to AI developers.
Do I need an intermediary to license data to AI companies?
No. Several programmes deal with companies directly. An adviser helps with preparation, rights checks and comparing several buyers' terms.
How do AI data intermediaries get paid?
It varies. Some charge the company, some are paid by buyers or through buyers' referral programmes, and some marketplaces share revenue. Ask any intermediary how it's paid and by whom, and get the answer in writing.
Related
Sources
- ICO, Direct marketing and privacy and electronic communications
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003
- micro1, Company data partnerships
- Handshake AI, employer data partnerships (Apr 2026)
- Turing, Project Lazarus
- Troveo, Business data
Figures are each buyer's own published wording, checked on 30 October 2026. Advertised ranges are not offers. Record Yield isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of the companies named. This page is general information, not legal advice.