In one sentence: To opt out is to tell a company that you do not want it to use your data in a certain way.
Why it matters: Some services offer an opt-out setting, for example to stop your chats from being used to train AI. In the UK, you can ask an organization to stop using your personal information. It only has to agree in some cases. In the US, most people-search sites let you opt out one site at a time.
One thing to do: Find one opt-out setting in an app you use and decide if you want to turn it on.
Related terms: data broker, training data, privacy settings
Checked: 25 Oct 2026.
