Data Broker Opt-Out Guide (2026): Remove Your Info from 30+ Sites
Updated March 2026 · Silent Security Research Team
This guide walks you through manually opting out of the highest-traffic data broker sites that publish your name, address, phone number, relatives, and more. All methods listed are free. Expect the full process to take 2–4 hours if done in one sitting, or 30 minutes across several sessions if you spread it out.
Data brokers are companies that collect your personal information from public records, social media, and commercial sources — then sell it to anyone willing to pay. Your name, home address, phone number, employer, relatives, and even photos may be listed on dozens of sites you've never heard of. Here's how to systematically remove it.
Why This Matters
Data broker listings are the #1 resource for stalkers, doxxers, debt collectors, scammers, and marketers who want to contact you. If someone searches your name and finds your home address in seconds, you have a real privacy problem — regardless of how careful you are online. Removing yourself from these sites is one of the highest-leverage privacy actions you can take.
Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, Radaris, Intelius — highest traffic, most scraped, most used by scammers and stalkers. Removing from these stops most harm.
PeopleFinder, PeopleSmart, FastPeopleSearch, USSearch, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate — secondary aggregators that pull from the same underlying sources.
Zabasearch, PeopleLookup, PublicRecordsNow, MyLife, Pipl, and 20+ smaller aggregators. Less traffic but still carry your data.
Tier 1: High-Priority Opt-Outs
Start here. These sites get the most traffic and are most commonly used by people trying to find your information.
Spokeo is one of the most-searched people-finder sites. Your listing likely includes your address history, phone number, and relatives.
- Search your name at spokeo.com to find your listing
- Copy the full URL of your specific listing
- Go to spokeo.com/optout
- Paste the URL and enter your email
- Confirm the opt-out via the email Spokeo sends
- Allow 24–48 hours for removal. Repeat for each listing you find.
Difficulty: Easy · Time: 5 min per listing · Recurrence: Re-check every 3–6 months
Whitepages is the largest people-search site by traffic. It also powers many third-party lookups. Removing here has broad downstream impact.
- Search your name at whitepages.com and locate your listing
- Scroll to the bottom of your listing and click "View Free Profile"
- Copy the profile URL
- Go to whitepages.com/suppression_requests
- Paste the URL, submit your phone number for a verification call
- Answer the robocall and press 1 to confirm the removal
Difficulty: Medium · Time: 5–10 min · Recurrence: Every 6 months
BeenVerified is widely used for background checks and is frequently cited in doxxing cases.
- Go to beenverified.com/opt-out/
- Search your name and state
- Select your record from the results
- Enter your email and submit
- Confirm the opt-out via email link (check spam folder)
Difficulty: Easy · Time: 5 min · Recurrence: Every 6 months
Radaris aggregates from hundreds of public sources and often shows more detailed address histories than other sites.
- Search your name at radaris.com
- Find your listing and click the three-dot menu
- Select "Control information" or "Opt out"
- Create a free Radaris account (required for opt-out)
- Submit the removal request — allow up to 72 hours
Difficulty: Medium (requires account) · Time: 10 min · Recurrence: Every 3 months
Intelius owns several other people-search brands including PeopleLookup and US Search — opting out here may remove you from their network.
- Go to intelius.com/opt-out
- Search your name and find your listing
- Click "Opt out this record"
- Enter your email and solve the CAPTCHA
- Confirm via the email link
Difficulty: Easy · Time: 5 min · Recurrence: Every 6 months
Tier 2: Important Secondary Sites
| Site | Opt-Out URL / Method | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PeopleFinders | peoplefinders.com/opt-out — search, select, verify email | Easy | 5 min |
| FastPeopleSearch | fastpeoplesearch.com/removal — enter profile URL, confirm | Easy | 3 min |
| TruthFinder | truthfinder.com/opt-out/ — email verification required | Easy | 5 min |
| Instant Checkmate | instantcheckmate.com/opt-out/ — same process as TruthFinder (same company) | Easy | 5 min |
| PeopleSmart | peoplesmart.com/optout — email required | Easy | 5 min |
| USSearch | ussearch.com/consumer/ux/optout — email required | Easy | 5 min |
| Pipl | pipl.com/personal-information-removal — form submission | Medium | 10 min |
| MyLife | Email [email protected] with "Remove my profile" + your name and state | Medium | 5 min |
| Spokeo (repeat) | Check again 30 days after first opt-out — new records often re-appear | Easy | 5 min |
Tier 3: Smaller Aggregators
| Site | Opt-Out Method |
|---|---|
| Zabasearch | zabasearch.com/public_optout.php — submit name and address |
| PublicRecordsNow | publicrecordsnow.com/optout — email verification |
| PeekYou | peekyou.com/about/contact/optout/ — form submission |
| Addresses.com | Email [email protected] with removal request |
| 411.com | 411.com/privacy — follow the suppression request form |
| Clustrmaps | clustrmaps.com/bl/opt-out — enter email linked to your listing |
| PrivateEye | private-eye.com/opt-out.php — enter name and state |
| Anywho | anywho.com/suppress — enter profile URL |
| Cubib | cubib.com/optout — email verification required |
| ArrestFacts | Email [email protected] — may require ID verification |
Create a free Gmail or ProtonMail address specifically for this process (e.g., [email protected]). Data brokers may share your opt-out email with other brokers or use it to update your record. Using a dedicated address keeps your primary email clean and lets you manage all confirmation emails in one place.
Credit Bureau Opt-Outs
Beyond people-search sites, your information is also sold through the credit bureau marketing pipelines. These opt-outs stop pre-screened credit card and insurance offers from using your data:
- OptOutPrescreen.com — official site to opt out of Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis pre-screened offers
- DMAchoice.org — opt out of catalog and direct mail lists from the Data & Marketing Association
- NAI opt-out (networkadvertising.org/choices) — opt out of online behavioral advertising from major ad networks
Google & Search Engine Removal
Even after opting out of data brokers, your information may still appear in Google search results if Google has it cached. Use Google's removal tools:
- Google's "Results about you" tool (available in Google account settings) flags search results containing your name, address, or phone
- Submit a removal request at google.com/webmasters/tools/legal-removal-requests for specific cached pages
- Bing has a similar content removal form at bing.com/webmaster/tools/contentremoval
The Maintenance Problem
Data brokers continuously re-acquire your information from public records, voter registration databases, and commercial sources. An opt-out today does not mean permanent removal — many sites will re-list you within 3–12 months. You need a maintenance schedule.
- Month 1: Complete all Tier 1 and Tier 2 opt-outs
- Month 2: Complete all Tier 3 opt-outs, verify Tier 1 removals took effect
- Every 3 months: Re-check Radaris, Spokeo, Whitepages, and BeenVerified for new listings
- Every 6 months: Full sweep of all Tier 1 and Tier 2 sites
- Annually: Full sweep including Tier 3, plus check Google "Results about you"
Automated Services (Paid)
If the manual process feels overwhelming or you want continuous removal coverage, privacy services automate the opt-out process and monitor for re-listings. See our reviews of Aura, LifeLock, and Identity Guard — all three include some form of data broker removal or monitoring. Specialized services like DeleteMe (starting around $129/year) focus exclusively on broker removal and run quarterly sweeps automatically.
Special Cases: Stalking or Doxxing Victims
If you are experiencing active stalking, harassment, or doxxing, the standard opt-out process is too slow. See our dedicated guide on responding to stalking and doxxing response — these include expedited removal contacts, law enforcement reporting templates, and platform-specific emergency options. Some data brokers have priority removal processes for verified victims of domestic violence or stalking — call them directly rather than using web forms.
If you live in California (CCPA), Colorado (CPA), or Virginia (CDPA), you have additional legal rights including the right to know what data is collected, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale of your data. Data brokers operating in these states must honor opt-out requests within 45 days. You can also file a complaint with your state attorney general if a broker fails to remove your data after a valid request.