Reader-supported: we may earn a commission from links on this page.
Quick answer: You can remove yourself from data brokers for free. Start with the biggest people-search sites (Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified and the PeopleConnect sites), using the opt-out links below. If you live in California, one free request through the state’s DROP portal reaches every registered data broker. Then use Google’s free Results about you tool to remove your address and phone number from search results. In a Consumer Reports study, doing it yourself removed 70% of profiles in four months, twice as many as paid removal services did on average.
Data brokers collect your name, address, phone number, relatives and more from public records, apps and online purchases, then sell or publish it. People-search sites are the most visible part of that industry, because anyone can look you up. This guide walks you through removing yourself step by step, with the exact opt-out pages, and explains when a paid service is worth it.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Find Out Where Your Information Shows Up
Before you opt out of anything, see what’s out there. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Search Google for your full name plus your city, and then your phone number and home address in quotes.
- Search your name on the people-search sites in the table below. Note the URL of every listing that’s really you, because most opt-out forms ask for it.
- Use an email address you don’t mind sharing. Some opt-out forms send a confirmation link, and you don’t want to hand brokers your main inbox.
Step 2: Opt Out of the Biggest People-Search Sites
These sites are where strangers usually find your address and phone number. All of them offer a free opt-out.
| Site | Opt-out page | What you’ll need | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spokeo | spokeo.com/optout | Your listing URL and an email | Confirm through the email link |
| Whitepages | whitepages.com/suppression-requests | Your listing URL and a phone number | Whitepages verifies by phone |
| BeenVerified | beenverified.com/app/optout/search | Your name, state and an email | Find your record, then confirm by email |
| Intelius, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder, US Search | suppression.peopleconnect.us | An email, your date of birth and full name | These sites share one parent company, PeopleConnect, so one request covers all four |
| TruePeopleSearch | truepeoplesearch.com/removal | Your name and an email | Free, no account |
| FastPeopleSearch | fastpeoplesearch.com/removal | Your name and an email | Free, no account |
| InfoTracer | infotracer.com/optout | Your name and contact details | Uses a privacy request form; replies within 45 days, per its policy |
| PeopleFinders | peoplefinders.com/opt-out | Your listing URL and an email | Confirm through the email link |
| MyLife (also covers Reunion) | mylife.com/privacyrequest | Your profile URL, name, address and an email | Confirm by email. Don’t upload your driver’s license if it asks |
| USPhoneBook | usphonebook.com/removal | Your name and an email | Two-step form; the confirmation email often lands in spam |
| ClustrMaps | clustrmaps.com/bl/opt-out | Your listing URL and your address exactly as listed | One request per listing |
| ThatsThem | thatsthem.com/optout | Your name, address, phone and email | Asks for your full details so it can match your record |
Need more help with one site? Our step-by-step Whitepages opt-out guide walks through the phone verification and what to do when the opt out isn’t working.
Opt-out pages change from time to time. If a link stops working, look for “Do Not Sell,” “Opt Out” or “Privacy” in the site’s footer.
Don’t Forget the Marketing Data Brokers
Some of the biggest data brokers never show up in a people search, because they sell profiles to advertisers. Acxiom, one of the largest, has its own opt-out page. LexisNexis, which sells data to businesses, has a consumer opt-out request page too.
What Happened to Radaris?
Radaris was long one of the hardest people-search sites to get off. In 2026, a New Jersey court ruled that it violated Daniel’s Law, a state law that protects the home addresses of judges, police officers and other covered people, and ordered the radaris.com domain transferred to Atlas Data Privacy Corporation, the company that sued. The notice now posted on radaris.com explains the judgment. Copies of its data may still circulate elsewhere, so keep checking your name.
For the full timeline, whether your data is really gone and what to do now, see our explainer on the Radaris opt out after the seizure. We also have step-by-step guides for the Spokeo opt-out and the Whitepages opt-out.
Step 3: If You Live in California, Use DROP
California’s Delete Act created the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), a free state-run portal. You verify that you’re a California resident once, and your deletion request goes to every data broker registered with the state’s privacy agency. According to the California Privacy Protection Agency, registered brokers must check DROP and process deletion requests at least once every 45 days, starting August 1, 2026.
- Who can use it: California residents. You confirm residency through the state’s identity check.
- What it covers: data brokers on California’s data broker registry. It deletes non-exempt personal information they collected about you from other sources.
- Tip: the more details you add (old addresses, phone numbers, emails), the easier it is for brokers to find your records.
Outside California, you still have options. The privacy group IAPP counted 19 states with comprehensive privacy laws in early 2026, and almost all of them give residents a right to ask companies to delete their data. If you live in one of them, use the “Do Not Sell or Share” or privacy request link in a broker’s footer and say which state you live in. If your state has no such law, the free opt-outs in Step 2 still work, because most people-search sites accept them from anyone.
Step 4: Remove Your Contact Details From Google
Google’s free Results about you tool lets you ask Google to remove search results that show your phone number, home address or email. You add the details you want Google to watch for, it alerts you when new results appear, and you can request removal in a few clicks.
One limit to know: this removes the result from Google Search, not the page itself. That’s why it works best together with the opt-outs in Step 2.
Step 5: Check Again Every Few Months
Opting out isn’t one and done. Brokers keep buying fresh data and re-scraping public records, so a profile you removed can come back. A simple routine keeps it under control:
- Every three months: search your name on Google and on the sites in the table above, and redo any opt-out that reappears.
- After you move or change your number: run Step 1 again, because new records usually appear within a few months.
- Keep a simple log: the site, the date you opted out and the confirmation email. If a listing comes back, you can show you already asked.
- In California: DROP keeps working in the background, because registered brokers must check it at least every 45 days.
It gets faster each time, because you’ll know exactly where to look.
Should You Pay a Data Removal Service?
Removal services like Incogni, DeleteMe and Optery send opt-out requests for you and repeat them over time. The convenience is real, but the results vary a lot. The biggest independent test is a Consumer Reports study published in August 2024, which signed volunteers up for seven services and then checked 13 people-search sites.
| Method | Profiles removed after 4 months |
|---|---|
| Doing it yourself (manual opt-out) | 70% |
| Optery | 68% |
| EasyOptOuts | 65% |
| IDX (Privacy tier) | 40% |
| Kanary | 34% |
| DeleteMe | 27% |
| ReputationDefender | 6% |
| Confidently | 4% |
| All 7 services combined | 35% |
Figures from the full Consumer Reports report. Incogni was not part of this test.
- Do it yourself if you have a couple of hours and want the best results. It’s free, and it worked best in the test.
- Pay for a service if you don’t have the time, or you want requests repeated automatically. Choose one with independent results or an outside audit.
- Considering Incogni? Read our investigation, Is Incogni worth it?, which covers its Deloitte audit and what it can’t remove. Incogni is also included in the Surfshark One+ bundle.
There’s also a free app worth knowing: Permission Slip, which started at Consumer Reports and is now run by DeleteMe. It sends “do not sell” and deletion requests to well-known companies for you, though it isn’t a people-search removal service.
Data Removal Services Compared
Here is how the options stack up. Results are from the Consumer Reports test above; coverage details are what each company says about itself.
| Option | Consumer Reports result (2024) | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Doing it yourself | 70% of profiles removed | Free. Takes a few hours, plus a check every three months |
| Optery | 68% (top plan) | Its free scan shows where you’re listed so you can opt out yourself. Optery says custom removal requests are only on its highest plan |
| DeleteMe | 27% | One of the longest-running services; it now also runs the free Permission Slip app |
| Incogni | Not tested | Had its broker coverage checked by Deloitte (see our Incogni investigation). Included in Surfshark One+ |
Prices change often, so check the current price on each service’s site before you buy.
If You’re Escaping Abuse or Stalking
If you’re hiding your address from an abuser or stalker, opt-outs alone aren’t enough, because your address keeps showing up in new public records. Most states run an Address Confidentiality Program: you get a free substitute address to use on public records such as your voter registration, and the program forwards your mail. The National Association of Secretaries of State list (January 2026) shows which office runs the program in each state, usually the Secretary of State or Attorney General.
A substitute address protects future records. It doesn’t erase what brokers already have, so do the opt-outs in Step 2 as well. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) can connect you with a local advocate who can help you enroll.
More Ways to Shrink Your Digital Footprint
- Use email aliases. Apple’s Hide My Email or SimpleLogin give each site a different address, so your real email isn’t linked across databases.
- Delete old accounts. Every unused account is another copy of your data that can leak or be sold.
- Check app location permissions. Location data is widely sold. On your phone, turn off location access for apps that don’t need it.
- Freeze your credit. A credit freeze is free and stops anyone opening new credit in your name, which matters if your details are already out there. The FTC explains how.
- Consider a VPN for public Wi-Fi. A VPN like Surfshark hides your browsing from your internet provider and the network you’re on. It won’t remove anything brokers already have, so do the opt-outs first.
- If someone already used your details, report it and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
The PrimeDigger Verdict
You don’t need to pay anyone to get most of your information off the internet. Spend an hour on the Step 2 opt-outs, add Google’s Results about you, and if you live in California, submit one DROP request. Then check again every three months. If you’d rather not do the upkeep, a removal service can help, but the best independent test found that doing it yourself still worked better.
Want the deeper investigation? Our ebook The Online Predator Bible covers how scammers use data broker profiles, AI voice cloning and fake dating profiles, and how to lock down your privacy. Get the ebook ($19) → See all our ebooks →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove myself from data brokers for free?
Opt out of the biggest people-search sites one by one using their free opt-out pages, starting with Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified and the PeopleConnect Suppression Center. California residents can send one free request to all registered brokers through the state’s DROP portal. Then use Google’s Results about you tool to remove your contact details from search results.
Does opting out of data brokers really work?
Yes. In a 2024 Consumer Reports study, manual opt-outs removed 70% of profiles within four months, more than any of the seven paid services tested. Profiles can come back, so check your name again every few months.
How long does it take to remove yourself from data brokers?
Most people-search opt-outs take effect within a few days to a few weeks. Under California’s Delete Act, registered brokers must process DROP requests at least every 45 days starting August 1, 2026.
Can I remove my personal information from Google Search for free?
Yes. Google’s Results about you tool lets you request removal of results showing your phone number, home address or email. It removes the result from Google Search, but not the page itself, so also opt out of the site.
Can I use DROP if I don’t live in California?
No. DROP is for California residents, who must verify residency. People in other states can still opt out site by site, and many states give residents a right to request deletion.
How do I remove myself from InfoTracer?
Use InfoTracer’s opt-out and privacy request page at infotracer.com/optout. Its policy says it responds to requests within 45 days.
Are paid data removal services worth it?
They save time, but results vary. In Consumer Reports’ 2024 test, the seven services removed 35% of profiles on average after four months, while doing it yourself removed 70%. Optery scored best at 68%. If you pay, choose a service with independent results or an outside audit.
Which data removal service is best?
In Consumer Reports’ 2024 test, Optery’s top plan removed the most profiles of the paid services, at 68%, close to doing it yourself (70%). Incogni wasn’t tested, but its broker coverage was checked by Deloitte. Whichever you choose, check its current coverage and price first.
What is an Address Confidentiality Program?
It is a free state program for survivors of domestic violence, stalking and similar crimes. You get a substitute address for government records, and the program forwards your mail. Most states run one through the Secretary of State or Attorney General.
Sources
- Consumer Reports: Services that delete your data from people-search sites don’t work very well (August 2024)
- Consumer Reports and Tall Poppy: Data Defense, Evaluating People-Search Site Removal Services (full report)
- California Privacy Protection Agency: Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP)
- California DROP consumer portal and terms
- California Data Broker Registry
- Google Search Help: Find and remove personal contact info in Google Search results
- Notice on radaris.com: Atlas Data Privacy Corporation v. Radaris.com
- PeopleConnect Suppression Center
- FTC: What to know about credit freezes and fraud alerts
- FTC: IdentityTheft.gov
- IAPP: US State Privacy Laws Overview
- NASS: Voting and State Address Confidentiality Programs (January 2026)
- Permission Slip app (now part of DeleteMe)
