Data brokers collect your name, address, phone, relatives and browsing habits — then sell them to anyone. Every legitimate broker is required (or pressured) to offer an opt-out; they just make the forms hard to find. Here they are, in one place. Set aside an evening, work top to bottom, and re-check quarterly — records regrow.
Before you start (5 minutes)
Use a burner or alias email for the opt-out forms (some ask you to confirm by email), search your own name + city in a private window so you know which brokers actually list you, and prioritise those. US-focused people-search sites matter even outside the US — they scrape globally.
People-search sites (highest visibility — do these first)
- Whitepages — search “Whitepages suppression request”; remove via their suppression tool.
- Spokeo — spokeo.com/optout: paste your profile URL, confirm by email.
- BeenVerified — beenverified.com/app/optout/search: find your record, opt out by email link.
- TruePeopleSearch — truepeoplesearch.com/removal: fastest of all, no email needed.
- FastPeopleSearch — fastpeoplesearch.com/removal.
- Radaris — radaris.com control page; persistent, may need repeat requests.
- MyLife — email removal requests; cite CCPA/GDPR for faster handling.
- Intelius / InstantCheckmate / TruthFinder / US Search — one shared opt-out portal: search “PeopleConnect suppression” (suppression.peopleconnect.us) covers all four.
- PeekYou, Nuwber, ThatsThem, ClustrMaps, CyberBackgroundChecks — each has a /removal or /optout page; same pattern: find your listing URL, submit it.
The big data brokers (less visible, more data)
- Acxiom — acxiom.com/optout: covers marketing databases used by thousands of companies.
- Oracle Advertising (BlueKai/Datalogix) — oracle.com privacy opt-out page.
- Experian, Equifax, TransUnion marketing lists — each has a separate marketing opt-out distinct from credit freezes; search “[bureau] marketing opt-out”.
- LexisNexis — consumer opt-out for at-risk individuals; anyone can request information suppression review.
- Epsilon — email optout@epsilon.com with your details.
- CoreLogic — property-data opt-out form.
Use your legal rights — they work
EU/UK (GDPR): any company must erase your data on request (“Article 17 erasure request” in the subject line moves you to the legal queue). California (CCPA/CPRA) and a growing list of US states: “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” links are mandatory. Everywhere: brokers honour these beyond their legal scope more often than you’d expect, because arguing costs more than deleting.
Should you pay a removal service?
Services like Incogni, DeleteMe and Optery automate exactly this list plus hundreds more, with quarterly re-checks. DIY costs 3–5 hours up front and an hour per quarter; services cost money and require trusting them with your identity. Reasonable rule: DIY the top people-search sites tonight (biggest visibility win), pay for a service if your name keeps resurfacing or you have safety concerns.
Stop refilling the pipeline
The brokers get data from public records, loyalty programs, apps and quizzes. Shrink the inflow: alias emails per signup, minimal fields on every form, no birthday/phone unless legally required, and ad-personalisation off in your Google, Apple and Meta accounts. Full walkthrough: our digital footprint guide.
FAQ
How long do removals take?
People-search sites: instant to 72 hours. Big brokers: up to 30–45 days (GDPR/CCPA deadlines). Records often reappear within 6–12 months — hence the quarterly re-check.
Is opting out risky? They ask for my details.
Give the minimum that identifies the record (name + listed city). Never provide ID documents to people-search sites; the big regulated brokers may legitimately verify identity for full suppression.
I’m not in the US — is this relevant?
Yes: the people-search sites scrape international data, and GDPR gives non-US residents the strongest removal stick of all. Work the same list, lead with erasure requests.
