How to Remove Your Personal Information from Data Broker & People-Search Sites in 2025

If your home address, phone number, age, and family members are all visible in a single Google search, data brokers and people-search sites are usually to blame.

These companies (like Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, MyLife, and hundreds more) quietly scrape public records, social media, and marketing databases, then resell detailed profiles about you to anyone willing to pay.

In 2025, there are two realistic strategies to get your data removed:

1. Do a systematic DIY opt-out campaign (free but time-consuming)
2. Hire a specialized removal service to manage it at scale and keep it gone

This guide breaks down both paths step-by-step.

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What Data Brokers Actually Know About You

People-search and data broker sites typically expose:

• Full name and past names
• Current and previous home addresses
• Phone numbers and email addresses
• Age and date of birth
• Relatives and associates
• Possible income range and property details
• Court, criminal, or bankruptcy records in some cases

This information is a gold mine for:

• Stalkers and abusers
• Identity thieves and scammers
• Aggressive marketers and robocallers

Removing yourself from these sites significantly reduces your attack surface and day-to-day harassment.

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Step 1: Find Where Your Data Is Exposed

Start by identifying which sites hold your profile.

1. Google your name + city + state (e.g., "John Smith Denver CO")
2. Look for results from sites like:
   • Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, Intelius, MyLife, FastPeopleSearch, Radaris, InstantCheckmate, TruthFinder, PeopleFinders, etc.
3. Click into each result and confirm:
   • It is definitely you (not someone with the same name)
   • The profile includes sensitive details (address, phone, relatives)

Compile a spreadsheet or simple list of:

• Site name
• Profile URL
• What data is exposed
• Opt-out URL (to fill in later)

This becomes your removal roadmap.

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Step 2: Use Each Site's Opt-Out Process (DIY Route)

Almost all major people-search sites offer some type of opt-out pathway, often due to laws like CCPA/CPRA and other state privacy statutes.

Major Sites and Their Opt-Out Process:

Whitepages

• Start: whitepages.com/suppress/remove
• Verify removal via SMS/phone call
• Time to process: 24–48 hours

Spokeo

• Start: spokeo.com/opt_out
• Confirm via email link
• Time to process: ~7 business days

BeenVerified

• Start: beenverified.com/app/optout/search
• Submit form and confirm via email
• Track confirmation emails

MyLife

• Start: mylife.com/ccpa
• May require ID upload (redact sensitive fields)
• Only leave name and address visible on any ID

FastPeopleSearch

• Start: fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
• Response time: 24–72 hours

Privacy & Safety Tips When Opting Out

• Only provide the minimum data required to verify your identity
• If an ID upload is requested:
  • Cross out license numbers and SSN
  • Keep only your name and address visible
• Use a separate email address dedicated to opt-outs to avoid marketing spam

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💡 Pro Tip: There are 100+ data broker sites. Use a free opt-out directory or spreadsheet to track your progress across all of them.

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Step 3: Understand the Big Catch — Relisting

Data broker opt-outs are not one-and-done.

• Many brokers periodically re-sync from public records, credit headers, and marketing databases
• Even after a successful removal, your profile can quietly reappear months later
• New broker sites launch all the time, instantly populating with your info

Consumer Reports and other privacy experts recommend:

• Planning to recheck major brokers every 3–6 months
• Keeping a list of sites you've opted out of, so you can re-verify them later
• Expecting to repeat the process periodically — this is normal, not a failure

This is where DIY efforts usually break down: time and consistency.

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Step 4: Combine Free DIY Tools with Strategic Help

A practical hybrid strategy is:

1. Use free lists and scans to discover where your data is
2. Manually opt out of the biggest, most visible brokers (Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, MyLife)
3. Let a specialized service handle:
   • The long tail of 100+ smaller brokers
   • Ongoing re-scans and repeat removals over time

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🛡️ Tired of Playing Whack-a-Mole? We handle the ongoing battle with data brokers so you don't have to. Learn about our data broker removal service →

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Where Professional Help Fits In

Most data removal SaaS products focus on automated opt-outs only. We specialize in tying data-broker removals to search reputation and Google visibility.

1. Prioritizing What Actually Shows in Google

Not all data brokers rank equally well.

• Some sites never appear on page 1 of Google for your name — they're low-priority
• Others (Whitepages, MyLife, Spokeo, FastPeopleSearch) dominate page 1

We:

• Audit which broker profiles actually rank for your name
• Prioritize those that directly impact what employers, landlords, and clients see first
• Use Google's own tools in combination with broker opt-outs to minimize exposure in search

2. Bulk Opt-Out Campaigns Across Dozens of Sites

Instead of you spending weekends filling out forms, a professional campaign:

• Submits opt-out requests to dozens or hundreds of broker sites at once
• Tracks which requests succeed, which fail, and which require extra verification
• Maintains a centralized log of confirmations and deadlines

3. Continuous Monitoring and Re-Removal

The biggest value is persistence:

• Automated periodic scans to detect re-listings
• Immediate re-submission of opt-out requests when your data reappears
• Coverage expansion as new broker sites launch

This turns privacy protection from a one-time project into an ongoing service.

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DIY vs. Professional Help: Which Should You Choose?

You can likely stay DIY if:

• You appear on fewer than ~15 people-search sites
• You're comfortable sharing limited ID copies and tracking everything in a spreadsheet
• You have time every few months to re-audit and re-opt-out

You should consider professional help if:

• You're on dozens of broker sites across multiple pages of Google results
• You've been doxxed, stalked, or harassed, and want to minimize the chances of being easily found
• You run a business or hold a sensitive job (doctor, lawyer, executive) and need a consistently low exposure profile
• You want your Google presence cleaned up end-to-end, not just data brokers

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Pricing for Data Broker Removal

| Service | Standard | Priority | |---------|----------|----------| | Personal Information Removal | $299 | $449 | | Comprehensive Data Broker Cleanup | $499 | $699 |

All plans include:

• Major data broker opt-outs
• Google Results monitoring
• Re-listing detection
• Money-back guarantee

Get Started Now →

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Action Plan for 2025

1. Scan yourself: Google your name and identify key people-search results
2. Opt out of the big players: Use each site's opt-out process for the worst offenders
3. Use free tools: Leverage opt-out lists and Google's "Results about you" feature
4. Decide your tolerance: If you're willing to keep doing this every few months, great—stick with DIY
5. If not, offload it: Let a professional run a structured, ongoing removal program so your personal information stops resurfacing in Google every few months

Cleaning up data brokers won't erase you from the internet—but it will dramatically reduce how easy it is for strangers, scammers, and abusers to find and target you.

Start Your Removal Request →

View All Services →

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Your privacy is worth protecting. We'll tell you honestly what can be removed and what it takes.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Data broker opt-out processes and effectiveness vary by site. Some data may reappear over time as brokers re-acquire information from public sources. Results cannot be guaranteed.