Data broker opt-out checklist: track every removal requestWork through people-search sites and data brokers one at a time, tick each opt-out as you send it, and know when to look again.
Your opt-out list
Ticks saved on this device only0 of 34 sent. Tick a site once you have sent its opt-out.
People-search sites
Copy your listing URL from a Whitepages search first, and keep your phone nearby because the site calls you with a four digit code to confirm the removal. Open the opt-out page for Whitepages
Spokeo gives every listing its own URL, so search your name variations and past cities and opt out each listing you find. Open the opt-out page for Spokeo
The opt out page sits behind a browser security check and needs JavaScript, and nothing on it says it also covers sister brands such as PeopleLooker, NeighborWho, Ownerly or PeopleSmart, so check those sites too. Open the opt-out page for BeenVerified
Click the emailed link within 24 hours, then fill in the second form exactly as your record appears so the right listing comes down. Open the opt-out page for FastPeopleSearch
If the form will not load, the site's privacy notice also lists a phone opt out at 888 838 4803 and says new records can bring you back, so check again every few months. Open the opt-out page for TruePeopleSearch
The form is embedded from Jotform and needs JavaScript, and adding your profile URL helps MyLife remove the right record when several people share your name. Open the opt-out page for MyLife
Search for yourself on PeopleFinders, open your profile and copy the full URL from the address bar before you start the request. Open the opt-out page for PeopleFinders
The form requires a full address, email and phone number, so enter the details already shown in your listing rather than new ones. Open the opt-out page for That's Them
Remove each listing separately, then reopen the old listing URL after two days, because a 410 error page means it is gone. Open the opt-out page for Nuwber
It uses the same two step email process as FastPeopleSearch, yet each site needs its own request. Open the opt-out page for USPhonebook
The site also takes opt outs by phone at 877 838 4889, and its privacy notice warns that new public records can bring you back, so search again every few months. Open the opt-out page for FamilyTreeNow
The emailed link opens a 30 minute removal session, so be ready to find and remove your record as soon as you click it. Open the opt-out page for Search People FREE
ClustrMaps builds pages around addresses as well as names, so look up your current and past addresses too. Open the opt-out page for ClustrMaps
Give the same details your record shows on the second form, since the site says missing or mismatched details slow the removal. Open the opt-out page for Advanced Background Checks
Open the emailed link within 24 hours, or you will have to request a new one and start over. Open the opt-out page for CyberBackgroundChecks
Search your name with each city you have lived in, because older addresses often sit on separate records that each need removing. Open the opt-out page for PeopleSearchNow
You can flag up to five records in one session, and the tool needs cookies and JavaScript turned on to work. Open the opt-out page for SmartBackgroundChecks
Spy Dialer is built around reverse phone lookups, so search each of your current and old numbers before you start the removal wizard. Open the opt-out page for Spy Dialer
Each record you select is removed on its own, so review every result under your name and submit the others separately. Open the opt-out page for InfoTracer
PeopleWhiz asks for proof of identity before it finishes, so send only what it requests and note what you shared in your removal log. Open the opt-out page for PeopleWhiz
One request hides your name search results on Intelius, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder and US Search, though phone, address and email lookups may still show you. Open the opt-out page for PeopleConnect Suppression Center
This works as a suppression center for every people search site CheckPeople owns, so confirm your email first and then hide your record in one place. Open the opt-out page for CheckPeople
Marketing data brokers
Pick the US individual option in the form, which needs JavaScript, answer the confirmation email, and expect data already sold to marketers to keep circulating for a while. Open the opt-out page for Acxiom
The form accepts one request type per submission, so file separate requests to stop sale, stop sharing and delete your data. Open the opt-out page for Epsilon
Email optout@experian.com and say which lists you want off (mail, phone or online ads); the do not mail flag lasts five years and needs redoing after a move or name change. Open the opt-out page for Experian (marketing lists)
The online opt out stops prescreened credit and insurance offers for five years, a signed form returned by mail makes it permanent, and the site only opens from US internet connections. Open the opt-out page for OptOutPrescreen.com
Data Axle says it cannot find you without your name, email, address and phone, so use the details it is most likely to have on file. Open the opt-out page for Data Axle
Use the consumer form with your name and email for a full opt out, since the device and browser options cover only one phone or browser, and pause strict ad blockers if the JavaScript form stays blank. Open the opt-out page for LiveRamp
The Request Removal tool, which needs JavaScript, finds your profile by email, so use the work address ZoomInfo is most likely to hold. Open the opt-out page for ZoomInfo
It charges a small fee for ten years of registration and only cuts mail from companies you have not bought from, so ask your own stores and charities to stop their mailings directly. Open the opt-out page for DMAchoice
One DROP request goes to every data broker registered in California, and since more detail helps brokers match you, add past addresses and name variations. Open the opt-out page for California DROP (residents only)
Risk and identity data
Anyone can opt out of the LexisNexis prescreen and direct marketing lists, while hiding public records is reserved for officials and people facing safety threats. Open the opt-out page for LexisNexis Risk Solutions
CLEAR usually deletes records only for officials, police, people facing threats or identity theft victims, but residents of states with privacy laws can still ask it to stop selling their data. Open the opt-out page for Thomson Reuters CLEAR
Pipl mainly serves investigators and businesses, so choose Deletion as the request type and watch your inbox for a verification email. Open the opt-out page for Pipl
Opt-out pages were checked on Oct 15, 2026 or later; sites move their forms, so look for a "Do not sell" or "Privacy" link in the footer if one has moved.
Removing yourself from data brokers is not hard, just tedious, and tedium is why people stop halfway. This checklist keeps your place: the sites in a sensible order, each opt-out page linked, and a record of what you have done.
Working through the list
Before you start, set up an email address used only for opt-outs, and write down every version of your name and every address you have lived at in the last ten years or so. Our opt-out guide explains why both help and what never to send.
Each entry in the checklist shows:
- The site's name and, where one company runs several sites from the same data, the sister sites the same request covers.
- How the opt-out works (a web form, an email, a confirmation link), what it asks for, and how long removal usually takes.
- A short tip, and a link that opens the site's opt-out page in a new tab.
Send the opt-out, come back, and tick the box. The checklist records the date you ticked it and shows it next to the entry. A counter and a progress bar show how many you have sent. Once you have ticked at least one, the line under the bar shows the date of your latest opt-out and a date 90 days later, when it is worth checking your listings again.
Print my log prints the list with your ticks and dates, which makes a good paper record. Clear all ticks wipes them, after asking you to confirm. At the bottom you will see the date we last checked the opt-out pages.
Why the list runs in this order
The sites are grouped by what they do with your data.
- People-search sites come first, and the biggest of them lead the group. These are the sites anyone can search by name, so they do the most immediate harm, and smaller sites often draw on the same data.
- Sister sites are marked within that group. Several people-search brands are often run by one company from one database, and a single opt-out may cover all of them. The checklist names them so you do not repeat the work, and so you know which brands to look at when you check again.
- Marketing data brokers sell lists and profiles to advertisers and mailers. They do not show up when you search your name, but they feed junk mail, targeted ads and other brokers.
- Risk and identity data brokers supply the records companies use for fraud checks and identity verification. Their opt-outs tend to be narrower, but where one exists it is worth sending.
The 90-day reminder is there because listings come back. Brokers keep buying fresh data, and a new address or a new spelling of your name can produce a new listing weeks after the old one went away. Our piece on why opt-outs don't stick goes into the reasons and a simple maintenance routine.
An example evening
Jane Example (a made-up person) sets aside an evening, March 10. She opens the first people-search entry, uses her opt-out email address, follows the confirmation link the site sends, and ticks the box. The next entry notes that it also covers two sister sites, so one request handles three brands. One site asks for the web address of her listing, so she copies it from the search result before filling in the form. By the end of the evening she has finished the people-search group.
A week later, on March 17, she sends the marketing broker opt-outs. The line under the bar now gives her latest date and suggests checking her listings again around June 15. She prints the log. In June she searches the big sites again. One listing has returned under an old address, so she sends that opt-out again, then unticks and reticks the entry to record the new date.
What a tick does not prove
- It records that you sent a request, not that the listing is gone. Check the site after the usual wait.
- It does not search for you. The checklist cannot tell whether a site lists you, and it never contacts a broker on your behalf.
- It cannot cover every broker. California's registry alone lists more than 600. If you live in California, the state's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform sends one deletion request to every registered broker, and brokers must check it every 45 days. People-search opt-outs are still worth doing directly.
- Opt-out pages move. If a link no longer leads to a form, look for a "Do not sell" or "Privacy" link in the site's footer.
Where your ticks are kept
Your ticks and dates are saved in your browser's local storage, on this device only. Nothing is sent to us, and we cannot see your list. A private window, a different browser or clearing your browsing data starts you from an empty list. The opt-out links take you to the brokers' own sites, and whatever you give them is covered by their policies, not ours.
Questions
Do I need to finish in one sitting?
No. Your ticks stay in this browser until you clear them, so you can do a few sites a night. If you only have one evening, spend it on the people-search group.
What should I give an opt-out form?
As little as it will accept: usually your name, the listing's web address and an email for the confirmation link. Do not send a Social Security number or a photo of an ID unless there is no other way and you trust the site.
Why check again after 90 days?
Removed listings often return when a broker loads new records. Every three months is often enough to catch them without turning removal into a weekly chore. If you want a quick read on how exposed you are before you start, try the exposure quiz.
Can I use the checklist on my phone and my laptop?
You can, but each keeps its own ticks, because nothing is stored on our side. Pick one device for your log, or print it after each session.
Are paid removal services worth it?
They send the same kinds of requests for you, on a schedule, which saves time. The FTC suggests checking how many sites a service covers, whether it gives you a report of what it removed, and how often it checks again. The work in this checklist is free, just slower.