| Symbols | Meanings |
|---|---|
| ☠ | high priority |
| 🎫 | requires driver’s license (cross out your ID #!) |
| 📞 | must pick up a (gasp!) phone |
| 📠 | must go back in time and find a fax machine |
| 📫 | must use snail mail |
| 💰 | site charges money for access or removal (whaaaat?) |
*last updated 7/21/20: updated link for Addresses.com 6/17/20: Added SmartBackground Checks 6/14 update: Added BeenVerified property search, SearchPeopleFree address search, added ID True, NeighborReport, Persopo, TruePeopleSearch, US Phone Book, VoterRecords, Xlek, removed Veromi and VerifyThem, which appear to no longer exist.
Please send corrections or updates to yael.grauer@gmail.com.
Disclaimers: Some of these opt-outs take a long time to go through. Sometimes, information is pulled from other sources and you’ll need to opt out multiple times for the same site. Data brokers come and go (and are bought out by others), and they also often change their opt-out pages. I try to update this ~every six months, but it’s not always current. Finally, even opting out of these sites doesn’t mean that your address is secure. In many states, real estate data and voter registration information is public (or easy to obtain). And, of course, location data can be found by physical means (e.g., following you home) and through other people who know it (i.e., social engineering). That said, removing your home address from data broker sites can significantly lower your attack surface and make it harder for people to find it. 💕
See Whitepages.com below.
It is hard to find your own info for free, but you can opt out here:
https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx#section8 (U.S.)
https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx#section7 (non-U.S.)
https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx (info)
If you don’t have an email address, call (877) 774-2094 and follow the prompts.
Find your information here:
http://www.addresses.com/white-pages
Opt out via Intelius here: https://www1.intelius.com/optout
Look up your address here: http://www.addresssearch.com/
Opt out via Intelius here: https://www1.intelius.com/optout/
Remove your data here:
https://www.advancedbackgroundchecks.com/removal
Find your information here: https://www.anywho.com/people/
Opt out here: https://www.anywho.com/help/privacy or here:
https://www1.intelius.com/optout (it’ll redirect you there).
To find your information, you must sign up for a free trial here:
https://www.archives.com/search/ancestor/checkout(and then cancel)
Opt out here: http://www.archives.com/?_act=Optout
Find your information and opt out here:
https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/search
Opt out of property search here:
https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/address-search
Find your information and opt out here:
https://www.checkthem.com/optout/. You will receive a link via email you’ll need to click on to complete the process.
Opt out or control information that’s posted here:
https://www.classmates.com/siteui/account/privacy, owned by Intelius.
You can also cancel your membership entirely here: https://secure.classmates.com/auth/removemember (for free versions).
See instructions for paid versions here:
https://help.classmates.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002224171-How-can-I-cancel-my-membership-
Find your information here:
https://www.dobsearch.com/people-finder/. Then hit "manage my records" and opt out. You will need to supply your number and email address and provide text or email confirmation. Info here: https://www.dobsearch.com/people-finder/pf_manage_help.php You can also find instructions here:
https://www.dobsearch.com/contact.php?nature=remove
Search for yourself and remove your information here:
https://www.familytreenow.com/optout
Look for and remove your information here:
https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
Find your information and out here: https://www.idtrue.com/optout/
Find your information here:
You will need to opt out by mail or fax by filling out this form: https://members.infotracer.com/tspec/shared/assets/data_opt_out_form.pdf
Find and remove your information here:
https://www.instantcheckmate.com/opt-out/
Find your information here:
https://instantpeoplefinder.com, remove listings from the sites it’s aggregating the data from, and try to opt out here, though you can’t provide requested URLs without paying.
https://www.instantpeoplefinder.com/optout.php. You can also email optout@instantpeoplefinder.com.
Find your information here: https://www.intelius.com. Opt out here: https://www.intelius.com/optout. (Intelius owns Classmates, DateCheck, iSearch, LookUpAnyone, Peopleconnect.us, PeopleLookup, Phonesbook, Publicrecords, Spock, USSearch, Zabasearch).
Find your information here: https://www.mylife.com. (You don’t need to sign up and pay for anything). Opt out by calling (888) 704-1900, press 2, ask to be removed from MyLife (and Wink.com, just in case). You’ll need to provide your name, age, date of birth, email address, current mailing address, and a previous mailing address. Another option to try is to email a link to your profile to removalrequests@mylife.com. (It also appears that you can sign up for a free membership to remove your reputation profile, though not your personal information such as your home address.)
Look for your name or search under your address at https://neighbor.report/. Try to get information removed at https://neighbor.report/remove.
Find your information here: https://nuwber.com/. Enter the URL of the profile page you found and your email address here: https://nuwber.com/removal/link.
Find your information here: https://www.peekyou.com/ , opt out here: https://www.peekyou.com/about/contact/optout. You will need the letters at the end of your profile’s URL in the "unique ID" field. Make sure to check "remove my entire listing." You can also remove your information from the sites that it says it has aggregated information from.
Type your phone number here: http://www.peoplebyname.com/. It may not give you information without you paying, but it will tell you whether there is data associated with your number. Opt out for each number here: http://www.peoplebyname.com/remove.php
Find your information here: http://www.peoplefinder.com/, opt out at http://www.peoplefinder.com/optout.php
: Find your information and opt out here:https://www.peoplefinders.com/opt-out (includes PublicRecordsNow)
PeopleLooker’s opt-out process is now managed by BeenVerified. The reports available on the PeopleLooker site require a paid trial. Instead, opt out here: https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/search.
Find your information here: https://peoplelookup.com/, follow opt-out instructions here, which include sending your name, address, date of birth, a notarized identity form and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 4145, Bellevue, WA 98009-4145, or faxed to 425.974.6194. https://peoplelookup.com/privacy-policy#updating-or-removing-your-information
Find your information and opt out here: https://www.peoplesearchnow.com/opt-out
Now owned by BeenVerified (see their opt-out instructions). Look for your info here: https://www.peoplesmart.com/
Persopo** Search for your information here: https://persopo.com/search. Cut and paste the text of it (which is hard to do because of the 1990s site format, but is required by the site) and email it along with your opt-out request tosupport@persopo.com. You can also mail your request to Persopo.com **,
Attention: Opt Out Dept., 848 N. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 20, Las Vegas, NV 89107. (Opt-out instructions are posted here: http://info.persopo.com/opt-out.html).
Now owned by BeenVerified (see their opt-out instructions). Do a search on your number here: https://www.phonedetective.com/PD.aspx.
Go to https://pipl.com to find your data. Opt out from Pipl at https://pipl.com/personal-information-removal-request. Then, remove your information from any sites it’s aggregated from.
Look for your info here: https://www.privateeye.com/ Opt out here: https://www.privateeye.com/static/view/optout/. You can also skip the first part and head to the second. This site will also take you to PeopleFinders, so you can opt out of that, too.
Owned by Intelius. Find your information here: https://www.publicrecords.com/.
To opt out, you need to mail or fax a **notarized form (available here: https://www.intelius.com/docs/notaryverificationform.pdf) along with your driver’s license or state-issued ID card, your full name, any nicknames or variations you want removed, address, and date of birth to the address and fax number listed under "How to Remove your Information from PublicRecords.com Public Records Databases" on https://secure.publicrecords.com/privacy.php. Unfortunately, that site appears to be down. The most recent contact information we have is a fax number, which is (425) 974-6194, and two mailing addresses: P.O. Box 4145, Bellevue, WA 98009-4145, and PublicRecords.com, Attn: Removal, 4607 Lakeview Canyon Rd. Suite 127, Westlake Village, CA 91361.
Appears to have merged with Truthfinder. Find your information here: https://www.publicrecordsnow.com/. Click "opt out" on this form https://www.publicrecordsnow.com/static/view/contact/ (or go to https://www.publicrecordsnow.com/static/view/contact/#), fill out the form, complete the captcha and send it in.
Find your information and opt out here: https://www.publicrecords360.com/optout.html, or go directly to https://www1.intelius.com/optout (processed by Intelius). You will also need to send identification (a driver’s license, U.S. passport, US military ID card, state ID card or employee ID card from a state agency) or a notarized ID verification form to custserv@publicrecords360.com.
Find your information here: http://radaris.com. Click on "control information" and "remove information" by clicking on the X next to it or by removing specific listings. You can also privatize your account. You unfortunately need to register to remove information, and are limited to removing six items at a time. (I recommend removing items even if you privatize your account because these settings don’t always stick.) Details are here: http://radaris.com/page/how-to-remove
Look up your number on https://www.reversephonelookup.com and opt out at https://www.reversephonelookup.com/remove.php.Unfortunately, the site’s opt-out page is broken and contact form is not accepting messages.
Unfortunately, you have to pay to search for your information athttps://www.searchbug.com, but you can email support@searchbug.com to ask them to block the display of your personal information from being listed.
FInd your information here: https://www.searchpeoplefree.com/, making sure to search by name, phone number, address and email address: Opt out here: https://www.searchpeoplefree.com/opt-out.
Find your information here: https://www.smartbackgroundchecks.com/. Opt out here: https://www.smartbackgroundchecks.com/optout
Find your information here:http://www.spoke.com/. Suppress it by clicking on the "Request Removal" link at the bottom of the page, enter the URL in the contact form it takes you to, and provide your email address. You can also email your removal request to feedback@readwritelabs.com. Unfortunately, Spoke’s opt-out page may not be working—its link from the FAQ page is dead.
Find your information here https://www.spokeo.com/searchand remove your information by entering the URL of the profile you want removed and your email address here: https://www.spokeo.com/optout
Opt out here: https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/removal.
Find your information here: https://thatsthem.com/, if it shows up, try to opt out here: https://thatsthem.com/optout.
Find and remove your information at https://www.truthfinder.com/opt-out/. Search for your name, click "remove this record," and fill out the information (your name and email address). You can also send your removal request in the mail to TruthFinder, attn: OptOut, 2534 State St., Suite 473, San Diego, CA 92101. If you find your information after you have opted out, contact Truthfinder at (800) 699-8081 or help@truthfinder.com. (More contact information here: https://www.truthfinder.com/about/#contact.)
Find and remove your information at https://www.usa-people-search.com/manage. The site asks you to wait four hours between opt-out requests.
Opt out here: https://www.usphonebook.com/opt-out/.
Go to VoterRecords.com, find your information, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "record opt-out" link. This will lead to an opt-out form, which you’ll need to submit. You may receive a verification link you’ll need to click on to verify your opt-out request.
Find your information here: https://www.whitepages.com/, and then opt out here: https://www.whitepages.com/suppression_requests
You will need to provide a phone number and enter an opt-out code when you receive the phone call. Opt-out information is available here: https://support.whitepages.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010106908-How-do-I-edit-or-remove-a-personal-listing-. You can also send a request here https://support.whitepages.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. (Including multiple options because these sites have a tendency to disappear.) Sometimes, information is removed from White Pages but not White Pages Premium, so make sure to double-check for your listing. Also, White Pages also owns 411.com, so check for your information there. The opt-out is the same.
(formerly Cubib?) Look up your information at https://www.xlek.com/. Opt out at https://www.xlek.com/optout.php. You’ll need to submit a separate opt-out request for each item you’d like removed
(now owned by Intelius): Find your information here: http://zabasearch.com. Opt out on Intelius: https://www.intelius.com/optout.
Check to see if your information is on ZoomInfo by filling out this form:http://www.zoominfo.com/lookupEmail. Opt out if it has an email on record—they will email you a code. ZoomInfo appears to have moved towards focusing primarily on business rather than individuals.
If you’re a victim of violent crime or identity theft, it’s often possible to opt out of information that others can’t opt out of. You may, however, need to provide court orders or other information. It may be worth checking more complete data broker lists which include those: https://www.privacyrights.org/data-brokers See this resource: https://nnedv.org/mdocs-posts/people-searches-data-brokers/
, which prevents creditors from accessing your credit report. (It also prevents credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name, but you will receive a pin to unfreeze your credit, if needed.) You will need to provide personal information such as your name, address, date of birth, and social security number to freeze your credit. While you can sometimes initiate this online, it’s better to do it by phone. Fees for freezing your credit vary by state. To freeze your credit, contact:
- Equifax: 1 (800) 349-9960, https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
- Experian: 1 (888) 397‑3742, https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html or https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/freeze
- TransUnion: 1 (888) 909-8872, https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze or https://service.transunion.com/dss/orderStep1_form.page
- Innovis: 1 (800) 540-2505, https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze or https://www.innovis.com/securityFreeze/index
offered by your state’s motor vehicle department.
to see if they offer privacy options, such as not listing your number on caller ID or allowing you to opt out of sales of phone numbers.
This list, compiled by Griffin Boyce, has a lot of information on doing so: https://github.com/glamrock/data-brokers/blob/master/data-brokers.md. A good place to start is to opt out at the Direct Marketing Association. https://dmachoice.thedma.org/register.php
Follow the instructions at https://www.optoutprescreen.com/
https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx
DeleteMe, PrivacyDuck, OneRep, Reputation Defender and Reputation.com all offer different opt-out services. However, these are not comprehensive, as some data brokers do not allow third parties to remove listings.
Here are the data brokers quietly buying and selling your personal information (Fast Company)
Personal Data Removal Workbook and Credit Freeze Guide (Michael Bazzell)
Preliminary results are in! CCPA testers provide important insights into the landmark privacy law (Medium/Consumer Reports)