How to Remove Yourself from Data Broker Sites (The Complete Guide)

Let me be straight with you: getting your personal information off data broker sites is one of the most effective things you can do to reduce spam calls, scam texts, and the general creepiness of having your life available to anyone with a search engine. It is also tedious, confusing, and deliberately designed to be difficult.

I have done it myself. Multiple times. And I eventually got annoyed enough to build a tool that does it automatically. But whether you go the manual route or the automated one, this guide covers everything you need to know.

First: understand what you are dealing with

Data brokers are companies that collect, aggregate, and sell your personal information. They scrape public records, buy commercial data sets, and harvest social media profiles to build a dossier on nearly every adult in America. Then they sell that data to telemarketers, advertisers, background check companies, and anyone else willing to pay.

There are at least 18 major data broker sites that feed the robocall and spam text pipeline. Sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, Radaris, Intelius, MyLife, and more. Each one has your name, phone number, address, and a bunch of other details you never gave them permission to have.

The bad news: every broker has a different opt-out process. The worse news: they re-list you every 30 to 60 days. The only-slightly-good news: you do have legal rights, and they are required to comply with removal requests.

The DIY approach: step by step

Step 1: Find out where you are listed

Google your full legal name plus your city and state. Click through the first few pages of results. You will see listings on sites you have never heard of, showing information you never shared with them.

Then go directly to each of these major broker sites and search for yourself:

• Spokeo.com
• BeenVerified.com
• Whitepages.com
• TruePeopleSearch.com
• FastPeopleSearch.com
• Radaris.com
• Intelius.com
• MyLife.com
• PeopleFinder.com
• USSearch.com
• ThatsThem.com
• Nuwber.com
• InstantCheckmate.com
• TruthFinder.com
• PeopleLooker.com (ClustrMaps)
• Addresses.com
• CyberBackgroundChecks.com
• Pipl.ai

Take screenshots of every listing. You will want proof of what they had on you, and it helps when you verify removals later.

Step 2: Submit opt-out requests

Each broker has its own process. Here is the breakdown:

Web form opt-outs (find your listing, click remove, verify by email): Spokeo, BeenVerified, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, PeopleFinder, ThatsThem, Nuwber, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder, Addresses.com, CyberBackgroundChecks. These are the straightforward ones. Budget 2 to 3 minutes per site.

Phone verification required: Whitepages calls you with a code. Annoying but manageable.

Account creation required: Radaris makes you create an account before you can request removal. Yes, you have to give them more data to remove your existing data. The irony is not subtle.

Email-based opt-outs: USSearch ([email protected]), Pipl ([email protected]), PeopleLooker ([email protected]). Send an email with your name and the URL of your listing. Response times vary from days to weeks.

Phone call required: MyLife. You have to actually call (888) 704-1900 and talk to a person. In 2026. To remove data they collected without your permission. I know.

ID upload required: Intelius may ask for identity verification. Proceed with caution — use a redacted version of your ID if possible.

Step 3: Track everything

Keep a spreadsheet. Track which sites you submitted to, the date, the method, and whether you received a confirmation. Some brokers process removals in 24 hours. Others take up to 45 days. You will want to know which ones to follow up on.

Use a dedicated email address if possible. Some brokers will send you marketing emails after you opt out, because apparently the irony is lost on them.

Step 4: Verify the removals

Wait 30 days. Then search yourself on every site again. Compare what you see now to the screenshots you took in step 1. Did they actually remove you? Some will have. Some will not.

For any site that still lists you, resubmit your request and reference your original submission date. If you are in California, Virginia, Colorado, or another state with privacy laws, mention that you are exercising your rights under CCPA/CDPA/CPA. That tends to speed things up.

Step 5: Repeat forever

This is the part nobody warns you about. Data brokers re-list you. Constantly. They buy new data sets, scrape new databases, and rebuild your profile within weeks. Your one-time opt-out has a shelf life of about 30 to 60 days.

To stay removed, you need to repeat this entire process every month. That is not an exaggeration. Every month. For as long as these companies exist.

It is like mowing the lawn. The grass does not care that you cut it last week.

The easier way: let Unlisted handle it

I went through the manual process twice before I decided to automate it. Every step — the scanning, the form submissions, the legal demands, the screenshots, the monthly re-checks — could be handled by code.

That is what Unlisted does:

• Scans all 18+ major data broker sites in about 60 seconds
• Shows you exactly what was found, with screenshots
• Submits removal requests and legal deletion demands automatically
• Takes before-and-after screenshots so you can verify it yourself
• Re-scans monthly and catches re-listings before your data gets resold

The pricing: free scan, $0.99 for a one-time removal, $9.99 per year for ongoing protection. Other services like DeleteMe charge $10 to $15 per month — $120 to $180 per year — for essentially the same thing. I think that is absurd. If I can automate 95% of the work, I can charge less. So I do.

Tips that apply either way

Whether you go DIY or use Unlisted, here are some things that help reduce your exposure going forward:

• Lock down your social media. Set profiles to private. Brokers scrape public profiles automatically.
• Use a secondary email for sign-ups. Keep your primary email out of commercial databases.
• Get a Google Voice number. Use it for forms, loyalty cards, and anything that is not personal. Keep your real number private.
• Opt out of voter registration data sharing where your state allows it.
• Read the privacy policybefore you fill out a form. I know, nobody does this. But the ones that say "we share your information with third parties" are the ones feeding data brokers.

The bottom line

Removing yourself from data broker sites works. It reduces spam calls, scam texts, junk mail, and your overall digital footprint. The trade-off is that it requires ongoing effort — either yours or an automated service's.

The fact that this burden falls on you instead of the companies profiting from your data is infuriating. But until regulation catches up, it is the reality. The good news is that the tools exist to fight back.

Start with a free scan to see who has your data. What you do next is up to you.