How to Remove Your Personal Information From Data Brokers
Step-by-step guide to finding and opting out of the data brokers and people-search sites that sell your name, address, phone, and relatives.
Data brokers quietly compile your name, current and past addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and more, then sell or publish it on people-search sites. That profile is what fuels spam, scams, stalking, and doxxing. You can get most of it removed — it just takes a methodical process.
Step 1: Map where your data lives
Search your own name in quotes plus your city, and note every people-search result: Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, Radaris, Intelius, MyLife, TruePeopleSearch, and dozens more. These are the sites you will target. Keep a simple spreadsheet of each site and the status of your removal request.
Step 2: Find each site’s opt-out page
Almost every broker has a legally required opt-out or “suppression” page, usually buried in the footer under Privacy, Do Not Sell My Info, or Opt Out. Search “[site name] opt out” to find it fast. You will typically paste the URL of your specific listing, then confirm.
Step 3: Submit each removal
Most opt-outs require you to locate your exact profile, submit it, and then confirm by email — some also send a confirmation code by text or phone call. Use a dedicated email address you don’t mind sharing. Avoid uploading a photo of your ID unless the site clearly requires it and you trust the source.
Step 4: Use your privacy rights
If you live in California, Colorado, Virginia, Texas, or a growing list of states, you have a legal right to demand deletion under a state privacy law. Residents of the EU/UK can invoke GDPR. Citing the specific statute in your request often speeds up compliance and gives you leverage if a broker stalls.
Step 5: Recheck and repeat
This is the part most people miss: brokers re-list you. They pull from the same public and purchased sources, so a profile you removed in January can reappear by summer. Re-search your name every 1–3 months and re-submit. Removal is not one-and-done — it is ongoing maintenance.
Why it’s worth it
A clean data footprint reduces phishing, SIM-swap and account-takeover risk, unwanted contact, and the raw material a harasser needs to doxx you. Even removing the top 10–15 highest-traffic brokers dramatically shrinks your exposure.
Doing this yourself is slow and the sites make it deliberately hard. Novam Legal can send the removal demands and takedowns for you — and follow up until it’s gone. See plans and get started →