Opt-out checklist: remove yourself from data brokers in the right order

Data removal. Updated 2026-09-13. About 4 minutes to read.

Do Tier 1 today, log every request with a date, and put a 90-day re-check in your calendar before you close the browser.

This checklist puts the data broker opt-outs in the order that removes the most exposure for the least effort. Tier 1 covers the people-search sites that show home addresses and mobile numbers. Tier 3 covers the upstream brokers that feed the rest.

Budget about an hour for Tier 1 if you have your listing links ready, and expect some confirmations to arrive a day or two later. Whatever you remove, plan to check again in 90 days, because listings return.

Before you start: set up three things

  1. Create an email alias used only for opt-outs, so brokers do not get your main address and confirmations are easy to find.
  2. Keep your phone nearby. Whitepages verifies by calling you, and some sites send a text code.
  3. Start a tracking sheet with columns for site, listing address, date submitted, confirmation received and a re-check date 90 days out. The free opt-out tracker does this for you.

Tier 1: do these today

  • Whitepages: whitepages.com/suppression-requests. Paste your listing address, choose a reason, then enter the code from an automated call. This also removes 411.com listings.
  • Spokeo: spokeo.com/optout. Paste the listing address and an email, then click the confirmation link. Each duplicate listing needs its own request.
  • PeopleConnect Suppression Center, reached from intelius.com/opt-out: verify by email, then set Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search each to suppressed.
  • BeenVerified: use the opt-out link in the site footer, then do PeopleLooker and NeighborWho separately.
  • FastPeopleSearch and TruePeopleSearch: use the removal link in each site's footer, find your record and confirm by email. The TruePeopleSearch link expires within 24 hours.
  • Radaris: use the privacy control page, claim the profile and choose to hide it. Radaris rebuilds profiles often.
  • ThatsThem: thatsthem.com/optout. No email verification, one submission per record.
  • USPhoneBook, Nuwber, CyberBackgroundChecks and ClustrMaps: use each site's opt-out link. ClustrMaps is indexed by address, so every past address needs its own request.

Tier 2: this week

  • MyLife: mylife.com/privacyrequest. Requests can take around two weeks and may need a follow-up email.
  • PeopleFinders and FamilyTreeNow: find the opt-out link in each footer. FamilyTreeNow shows relatives for free, so it matters more than its size suggests.
  • Spy Dialer: spydialer.com/optout.aspx. It can play the voicemail greeting on your number, so remove the number, not just the name.
  • Truecaller and Sync.me: truecaller.com/unlisting and sync.me/unsubscribe. Deactivate any Truecaller account first, or your number is added back.
  • PeekYou, InfoTracer, Social Catfish, SearchPeopleFree and PeopleSearchNow: each has its own opt-out form and email confirmation.

Tier 3: upstream marketing and risk brokers

  • Acxiom: acxiom.com/optout. Reply to the confirmation email or the request is not processed.
  • LexisNexis Risk Solutions: consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/opt. Separate choices cover marketing, prescreened offers and full suppression, and full suppression asks for supporting evidence.
  • Epsilon: legal.epsilon.com/dsr. Choose your country, then submit a consumer privacy request.
  • Experian marketing data: experian.com/privacy/opt-out-targeted-advertising. This is separate from your credit file.
  • Prescreened credit and insurance offers: optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). Online requests last five years, and a signed mail-in form makes it permanent. The site only loads from US internet connections.
  • Postal marketing: dmachoice.org removes you from participating direct mail lists.

One-shot levers that cover many sites at once

  • California residents: DROP sends a single deletion request to every registered data broker. Registered brokers must check it at least every 45 days from 1 August 2026.
  • Google Results about you, at myactivity.google.com/results-about-you, finds and delists search results that show your address, phone number or email.
  • UK residents: opt out of the open electoral register on GOV.UK, then ask 192.com to suppress your listing.
  • Canada: Canada411 has a removal link inside its help FAQ page.

Verification traps and how to get past them

  • Phone call codes: if the number on the listing is no longer yours, choose the site's alternative route or contact its privacy email.
  • Expiring email links: some links expire within 24 hours, so finish each site in one sitting.
  • Photo ID requests: a search listing removal rarely needs ID. If a site insists, cover everything except your name and photo.
  • Account walls: do not create a paid account to remove a free listing. Look for a Do Not Sell or privacy request link instead.
  • Duplicates: sites often hold several profiles for one person. Search variations of your name and remove each one.

Never upload a full, unredacted driver's licence or passport to a people-search site to prove who you are.

The 90-day re-check routine

  1. On the re-check date, open a private window and search your name on each Tier 1 site again.
  2. Mark each site as still removed, returned or new listing found.
  3. Resubmit any returned listing using the same process, and note the new date.
  4. Search your name and phone number on Google to catch sites that were not on your list.
  5. Set the next re-check for another 90 days out.

Frequently asked questions

How long does each opt-out take?

Most people-search forms take five to ten minutes each once you have the listing address. Removal usually happens within 24 hours to a week. Upstream brokers such as Acxiom can take about two weeks.

Do I need to opt out of every site?

No. Start with sites that show your home address and mobile number, because those create the real risk. Then work down the tiers as time allows.

Do data broker opt-outs expire?

Some do and many are undone by new data. The prescreened offer opt-out lasts five years online, and people-search listings often return within months. Re-check every 90 days.

Can I opt out on behalf of a family member?

Most people-search forms only ask for the listing address and an email, so you can help a parent or partner, with their agreement. California's DROP asks each person to verify their own residency.

Is there a single form that covers every data broker?

Only for California residents, through DROP, and only for registered brokers. Everyone else has to go site by site, or pay a removal service to do it for them.

Tools that help

Related guides

Sources