How to Remove Your Personal Information from Data Brokers

Google your own name. There is a good chance you will find your address, phone number, age, relatives, and even estimated income listed on websites you have never visited. These sites are run by data brokers — companies that collect, package, and sell personal information.

Removing yourself from these databases is tedious but absolutely worth the effort. This guide explains what data brokers are, walks you through the opt-out process for the biggest ones, and covers automated services that can do the work for you.

What Are Data Brokers

Data brokers are companies that collect personal information from public records, social media, purchase history, app data, and other sources, then sell it to advertisers, employers, landlords, or anyone willing to pay.

What Data Brokers Collect

Data Type	Examples
Identity	Full name, age, gender, aliases
Contact	Phone numbers, email addresses, home address
Relationships	Family members, roommates, associates
Financial	Estimated income, credit range, property records
Behavioral	Purchase habits, interests, browsing patterns

How They Get Your Data

• Public records: Property deeds, court filings, voter registration, business licenses
• Social media: Public profiles, posts, likes, check-ins
• Apps and websites: Data sharing clauses buried in terms of service
• Data breaches: Leaked databases from hacks
• Loyalty programs: Purchase history from rewards cards

How to Opt Out from Major Data Brokers

Spokeo

Spokeo is one of the most widely used people search engines. It aggregates public records and social media data.

Opt-out steps:

1. Go to spokeo.com/optout
2. Search for and select your listing
3. Copy the URL of your profile page
4. Paste the URL on the opt-out page and enter your email
5. Click the confirmation link in the email Spokeo sends you

Processing time: 24-48 hours

Whitepages

Whitepages is the largest online directory in the US, listing names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Opt-out steps:

1. Search for yourself at whitepages.com
2. Copy the URL of your listing
3. Go to whitepages.com/suppression-requests
4. Paste your listing URL and follow the verification steps
5. You may need to provide a phone number for a verification call

Processing time: 24-48 hours

BeenVerified

BeenVerified provides background check reports including criminal records, address history, and social media profiles.

Opt-out steps:

1. Visit beenverified.com/faq/opt-out
2. Enter your name and state to find your listing
3. Submit the opt-out request
4. Confirm via the email they send

Processing time: 24 hours to several days

More Data Brokers to Remove Yourself From

Site	Opt-Out Page
Intelius	intelius.com/opt-out
TruePeopleSearch	truepeoplesearch.com/removal
FastPeopleSearch	fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
PeopleFinder	peoplefinder.com/optout
Radaris	radaris.com/control/privacy
MyLife	mylife.com/ccpa/index.pubview
Nuwber	nuwber.com/removal/link
USPhoneBook	usphonebook.com/opt-out

Automated Removal Services

Manually opting out of dozens of data brokers is time-consuming and repetitive. Automated services handle the process for you and continue monitoring for re-listings.

Top Automated Removal Services

Service	Coverage	Price
DeleteMe	750+ brokers, quarterly reports	$129/year
Incogni	180+ brokers, by Surfshark	$7.49/month
Kanary	Real-time monitoring, family plans	$89/year
Privacy Duck	Premium manual removal	$500+/year
Optery	Tiered plans, free scan	$39-$249/year

Limitations of Automated Services

• No service covers every data broker
• Data may reappear from new sources after removal
• Ongoing subscription required (not a one-time fix)
• Some brokers have slow or unresponsive opt-out processes

Remove Yourself from Google Search Results

Google offers a tool to request removal of search results containing personal information like phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses.

Steps:

1. Go to support.google.com/websearch
2. Find the "Request to remove personal information" form
3. Provide the URLs of the search results you want removed
4. Google reviews the request and removes qualifying results

This does not delete the information from the source website — only from Google's search index. You still need to contact the source directly.

Protect Your Information Going Forward

Lock Down Social Media

• Switch all profiles to private
• Remove your phone number and email from public view
• Review and delete old posts with personal details
• Audit app permissions and revoke unnecessary access

Use Aliases for Non-Essential Signups

When signing up for newsletters, loyalty programs, or free trials, use an email alias and a slight variation of your name. This makes it harder for data brokers to link data back to you.

Share Sensitive Information Safely

When you need to send someone a password, account credentials, or any sensitive text, avoid pasting it directly into iMessage or Messenger where it stays in chat history forever.

LOCK.PUB lets you create a password-protected memo link with an expiration time. The recipient opens the link, enters the password, reads the content, and the memo self-destructs when the timer runs out. No permanent record in anyone's chat history.

Maintenance Schedule

Frequency	Action
Monthly	Google your name and check for new listings
Quarterly	Search yourself on major data broker sites
Biannually	Delete unused online accounts
Annually	Review automated removal service reports

Start Removing Your Data Today

Every day your personal information sits on data broker sites, it can be accessed by advertisers, scammers, stalkers, or anyone with a few dollars. Start the opt-out process today. When you need to share sensitive information without leaving a permanent trail, create a self-destructing memo on LOCK.PUB.

Create a Secret Memo -->