Why This Matters
Right now, your name, home address, phone number, age, and likely the names of your relatives are sitting on hundreds of public websites. Anyone can Google your name and find them. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse estimates there are over 500 companies in the U.S. that collect and sell personal information. If your phone number is the main thing you want gone — spam calls, phishing texts, SIM-swap risk — jump to removing your phone number specifically below.
These sites — collectively called data brokers or people search sites — pull your information from public records (voter registration, property deeds, court records), social media, marketing databases, and even other data brokers. Then they make it searchable for free or for a small fee.
That exposure has real consequences:
- Identity theft: Scammers use your address and date of birth to open accounts in your name
- Stalking and harassment: A name is all someone needs to find your home
- Phishing and fraud: Personal details make scam calls and emails far more convincing
- Doxxing: Disagreeing with someone online can lead to your address being posted publicly
- Spam: Robocalls, junk mail, and targeted ads all flow from broker databases
The good news: you have legal rights to demand removal, and as of January 2026, California has launched a powerful new tool that handles hundreds of brokers with a single request. Here's everything you need to know.
Removing existing data is one half of privacy; preventing tracking is the other — see how to change your MAC address on Kali Linux or spoof it on macOS.
California's DROP Platform (2026)
If you're a California resident, you now have access to the most powerful privacy tool in U.S. history. As of January 1, 2026, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) launched the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) — a state-run website where you can submit one request to delete your personal information from every registered data broker in California.
What DROP covers
- All 500+ data brokers registered with California (the registry is at cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry/)
- Including major names: Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, Intelius, Radaris, MyLife, and hundreds more
- Enforced by the California Privacy Protection Agency with daily fines for non-compliance
Who can use DROP
The DROP is officially for California residents under the California Delete Act (SB 362). However, even non-Californians benefit indirectly because most data brokers operate nationally — when they remove California residents' data, they often update their entire databases.
Other states are moving in similar directions. Texas, Oregon, and Vermont have data broker laws on the books, though none yet match California's one-stop deletion platform.
Three Approaches to Removal
You have three options for getting your data off these sites:
| Approach | Cost | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| California DROP | Free | 30 min setup | Excellent (CA residents) |
| Manual opt-outs | Free | 40-80 hours | Best per-site results |
| Automated services | $8-25/month | 10 min setup | Hands-off, ongoing monitoring |
Many privacy-conscious people use a combination — DROP for California-registered brokers, manual opt-outs for the most visible sites, and an automated service for ongoing monitoring.
Step 1: Find Where Your Data Is Listed
Before opting out, find out which sites have your information.
Free scans
- Optery free scan — checks 350+ data brokers, shows screenshots
- Onerep free scan — checks 240+ sites
- Google your name: Search
"Your Name" your-cityin quotation marks. The first 5 pages of results will surface most major brokers. - Search variations: Try with your address, phone number, and email separately
Build a list
Create a tracking spreadsheet with columns for: Site name, Profile URL, Date submitted, Date confirmed, Notes. You'll need this — the process spans weeks and you'll forget where you are without it.
Step 2: Opt Out of the Top 10 Sites Manually
These 10 sites get the most traffic and appear most often in Google searches. Removing yourself from them eliminates the majority of your visible exposure.
1. Spokeo
- Search your name at spokeo.com
- Find your profile and copy the URL
- Go to spokeo.com/optout
- Paste the URL, enter your email, complete CAPTCHA
- Click the verification link in the email Spokeo sends you
2. Whitepages
- Search your name at whitepages.com
- Find your listing and copy the URL
- Go to whitepages.com/suppression-requests
- Paste the URL and request a phone call verification
- Use your keypad to enter the verification code displayed on screen
Tip: Use a Google Voice number if you don't want to give Whitepages your real number.
3. BeenVerified
- Go to beenverified.com/app/optout/search
- Search your name and find your record
- Click "Proceed to Opt Out"
- Enter your email and complete CAPTCHA
- Click the confirmation link in the email
4. TruePeopleSearch
- Search your name at truepeoplesearch.com
- Click your listing
- Click "Remove This Record" at the top of the listing
- Enter your email and verify
5. FastPeopleSearch
- Search at fastpeoplesearch.com
- Find your listing and copy the URL
- Go to fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
- Paste the URL, enter email, verify
6. Intelius
- Go to intelius.com/opt-out
- Click "Begin Suppression Request"
- Search for and select your record
- Enter email, complete CAPTCHA
- Click the confirmation link
Note: Intelius opt-out also covers Spokeo, ZabaSearch, and several PeopleFinders properties under the same parent company.
7. Radaris
- Search your name at radaris.com
- Click your profile, then "Control Profile"
- Verify ownership via phone or email
- Once verified, go to "Make Profile Private" and select "Make profile not visible"
Radaris is one of the more aggressive sites — it tracks your social media and adds new mentions automatically. Re-check periodically.
8. MyLife
- Call MyLife at (888) 704-1900
- Ask to speak to a representative about profile removal
- Provide the URL of your MyLife profile
- Request complete profile deletion (not just hiding)
MyLife is notorious — phone removal is the only reliable method. Be polite but firm. They'll often try to upsell you.
9. PeopleFinders
- Go to peoplefinders.com/opt-out
- Search and find your record
- Confirm the record matches you
- Verify via email
10. TruthFinder
- Go to truthfinder.com/opt-out
- Search for your record
- Click "Remove This Record"
- Enter email and verify
Step 3: Use a Paid Service for Ongoing Monitoring
Manual opt-outs handle the visible sites, but there are 200-600+ data brokers total, and your data reappears constantly. For complete coverage and ongoing monitoring, paid services are worth the cost.
Service comparison
| Service | Coverage | Price (annual) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optery | 635+ sites | $39-249/year | Best overall, screenshots prove removal |
| Incogni | 420+ sites (Deloitte-verified) | ~$78/year | Best budget, set-and-forget |
| DeleteMe | 85-750+ sites (tier-dependent) | $129-249/year | Human agents, established brand |
| Aura | Comprehensive | $144+/year | Bundles identity theft insurance |
| Kanary | 1000+ sites checked | $140/year | Largest scan database |
Which one should you choose?
- Optery — most transparent. Provides before/after screenshots proving removal happened. Free tier lets you scan before committing. Independently ranked #1 by Consumer Reports.
- Incogni — cheapest "real" option at around $7.99/month. Owned by Surfshark (the VPN company). 420+ data brokers verified by Deloitte.
- DeleteMe — longest-running (since 2011). Uses human agents. More expensive but well-respected.
Step 4: Remove Sensitive Info from Google Search
Even after removing yourself from broker sites, your name + address may still appear in Google search results from cached pages or other sources. Google has a removal tool for sensitive personal info:
- Go to Google's "Remove select personally identifiable info" tool
- Choose the type of info (address, phone, ID number, etc.)
- Submit URLs of search results showing your info
- Google reviews and removes within 24 hours to a few weeks
Google removes content meeting their criteria for: doxxing, financial info, medical records, government IDs, contact info that creates risk, intimate images, and minors' personal info.
Step 5: Stop Future Exposure
Removing your data is half the battle. Stopping new data from being added is the other half.
Public records
- Voter registration: Many states allow you to flag your record as confidential, especially if you've been a victim of stalking or domestic violence (programs vary by state — search "[your state] safe at home program")
- Property records: When buying property, ask about LLCs or land trusts to keep your name off public records
- Vehicle registration: Some states (like California) let you flag DMV records as confidential under certain circumstances
- Court records: Petition to seal civil court records that are no longer relevant
Online presence
- Use a P.O. Box or virtual mailbox for shipping, accounts, and any form requiring an address
- Get a Google Voice number for online forms instead of giving out your real cell phone
- Use email aliases (Apple Hide My Email, SimpleLogin, ProtonMail aliases) instead of your primary email for signups
- Lock down social media — remove your city, hometown, employer, and any address-revealing photos
- Don't post location-tagged photos publicly; geo-tags can pinpoint your home
- Use aliases or initials for non-essential online accounts
- Lock down the accounts themselves — a data leak often starts with a hacked account. Add a hardware security key for phishing-proof 2FA, and use a VPN on untrusted WiFi so your traffic isn't exposed in the first place.
Monitoring
- Set up Google Alerts for your name (google.com/alerts) — get email notifications when your name appears online
- Run a free Optery scan every 90 days to see if you've been re-listed
- Search yourself quarterly on Google with various combinations: name only, name+city, name+phone, name+email
Your phone number specifically
Your phone number deserves extra attention, because an exposed number is the first step in a SIM-swap attack — where an attacker convinces your carrier to move your number to their device and intercepts the two-factor codes sent by text. The broker opt-outs above already remove your number from people-search sites, but two extra steps lower your exposure further: register it with the national Do Not Call registry to cut legal telemarketing, and give out a separate Google Voice number for sign-ups so your real number stops landing in new databases. When you re-check each quarter, search your number in several formats — (415) 555-1234, 415-555-1234, and 4155551234 — because sites store it differently and one format can surface a listing the others miss.
Special Cases
If you've been stalked or harassed
Many states have Address Confidentiality Programs (ACPs) that let domestic violence survivors, stalking victims, and others use a substitute address for all government records. These programs override normal public records disclosure. Contact your state's Attorney General's office or victim services agency.
If you're a public-facing professional
Doctors, lawyers, judges, journalists, law enforcement, and politicians face elevated doxxing risks. Many states have specific protections for these professions — for example, judges can flag their address in many state databases. Check what's available in your state.
If you live with someone who isn't opting out
Data brokers list household members together. If your spouse or roommate isn't opting out, your address may still show up under their listing. Coordinate household-level opt-outs for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to remove all my data?
For the top 10 sites manually: about a week to submit all requests, plus 1-30 days for each site to process. For comprehensive removal across 100+ brokers manually: 40-80 hours of work over 2-3 weeks. Automated services typically achieve 70-80% removal within 3 months and continue monitoring after that.
Will my data come back after I remove it?
Yes, eventually. Data brokers continuously re-scrape public records, social media, and other sources. Without ongoing monitoring, expect partial re-listing within 3-6 months. This is why automated services are valuable — they re-submit removal requests automatically.
Is the California DROP available outside California?
Officially, no — DROP is for California residents under the California Delete Act. However, since most data brokers operate nationally, when they delete California residents' data, your record may be flagged or removed across their entire database. Other states (Texas, Oregon, Vermont) have similar laws but no equivalent one-stop platform yet as of 2026.
Are paid removal services worth it?
It depends on your goals. For removing your data from the top 10 high-traffic sites, doing it yourself is often more effective (Consumer Reports, 2024). For comprehensive coverage across 200-600 sites with ongoing monitoring, paid services save dozens of hours and are worth the $80-150/year for most people. The combination — manual top 10 plus a paid service — is usually optimal.
Can I opt out my family members?
Generally no — most data brokers require the listed person to submit their own opt-out. Exceptions: parents can opt out minor children under 18, and you can submit opt-outs for elderly parents or disabled relatives with their consent. For couples, each spouse must submit individual requests.
What if a site doesn't have an opt-out option?
Under California's CCPA, GDPR (if you're in the EU), and similar state laws, you have a legal right to deletion. Cite the relevant law in writing to the company. If they refuse, you can file a complaint with your state Attorney General or the California Privacy Protection Agency. As of 2026, ignoring valid deletion requests carries significant fines for any business meeting "data broker" definitions.
Is removing my info from data brokers really necessary?
For most people: yes, at least for the top sites. Even if you're not a public figure, your address being one Google search away makes you vulnerable to package theft, identity fraud, harassment, and stalking. The marginal cost of the top-10 manual opt-out (about 2 hours of work) is small compared to the marginal privacy benefit. For high-risk individuals (DV survivors, journalists, public figures), comprehensive removal is essential.
