Data Broker Opt-Out Guide 2026: Removing Your Personal Information From the Industry

#Why this matters

Before we go further. A lot of what gets published on this topic is wrong or oversimplified. The real picture is messier.

If you Google yourself right now, some of the first results are probably data broker "people search" sites. Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, Intelius, PeopleFinder, MyLife, and dozens more. Each one compiles:

• Your full name
• Home addresses (current and past)
• Phone numbers (current and past)
• Email addresses
• Age / birthdate
• Relatives' names
• Employer
• Court records
• Social media profiles
• Estimated income
• Home value
• Political affiliation
• Religious views (inferred)
• Medical conditions (inferred from purchases)
• Location patterns (from adjacent data sources)

Much of this data is public in some form. Court records, voter registrations, real estate transactions. But the brokers compile and cross-reference, producing detailed personal profiles trivially available to anyone with a credit card.

The industry includes:

• People search sites. Consumer-facing, cheap access
• Data brokers (Acxiom, Oracle Data Cloud, Experian Marketing Services, LexisNexis, Equifax, etc.). Massive, B2B-focused, billions in revenue
• Specialty brokers. Medical, financial, political, etc.

This post covers the practical approach to removing yourself from these platforms. The manual opt-out process, the commercial removal services. And the ongoing monitoring required because brokers re-add you continuously.

Note: data brokers ≠ advertising trackers (which we covered in our online profiling post). This is the separate consumer-facing "people search" industry.

#Why the data exists

Data broker compilations draw from:

#Public records (legally accessible)

• Court records (civil suits, criminal records, divorce filings, bankruptcy)
• Property records
• Voter registrations
• Business filings
• Marriage/divorce licenses
• Some government directories
• Drivers license records (in some states)

#Commercial data (legally sold)

• Credit header data (from credit bureaus)
• Marketing lists
• Survey responses
• Warranty registrations
• Magazine subscriptions
• Loyalty card purchases
• Phone book data (where still available)

#Social media scraping

• Public LinkedIn profiles
• Public Facebook information
• Public Twitter/X profiles
• Instagram (what's public)
• Professional association directories

#Web scraping and enrichment

• Website visits (via ad trackers that sell to brokers)
• Email opens (via tracking pixels)
• App data
• Various web data sources

Cross-referencing these inputs, brokers build detailed profiles. They update continuously as new data becomes available.

#The major consumer-facing sites

The ones most people find when Googling themselves:

Large multi-service brokers:

• Whitepages (whitepages.com)
• Spokeo (spokeo.com)
• BeenVerified (beenverified.com)
• Intelius (intelius.com)
• Instant Checkmate (instantcheckmate.com)
• PeopleFinder (peoplefinder.com)
• MyLife (mylife.com)
• Radaris (radaris.com)
• TruePeopleSearch (truepeoplesearch.com)
• FastPeopleSearch (fastpeoplesearch.com)
• ZabaSearch (zabasearch.com)
• PeekYou (peekyou.com)
• Nuwber (nuwber.com)

Specialty / niche:

• Mylife (reputation scoring, particularly aggressive)
• Spydialer (phone number lookup)
• USPhoneBook (phone number lookup)
• Public Records Now (public records compilation)

Harder to find:

• Many smaller brokers exist with obscure names
• Broker networks where multiple sites pull from same underlying data
• "Reverse phone lookup" sites that overlap with people search
• Background check services accessible to B2B customers

Massive data brokers (less consumer-facing but comprehensive):

• Acxiom (Interpublic Group)
• Oracle Data Cloud
• Experian Marketing Services
• LexisNexis
• Equifax Information Services
• LiveRamp
• Epsilon

These don't typically provide free consumer-facing lookups but have comprehensive profiles sold B2B.

#The manual opt-out process

For each data broker, opt-out typically requires:

1. Find the opt-out page (sometimes buried deep in footer links)
2. Verify your identity (often requires personal information or ID)
3. Submit the removal request
4. Wait (processing takes 1-2 weeks typically)
5. Verify removal (check the site again)
6. Repeat when data re-appears (brokers re-add from fresh data sources)

#General process for most brokers

Step 1: find yourself on the site. Search your name + city/state.

Step 2: note your profile URL. You'll need it for the opt-out form.

Step 3: find the opt-out page. Common locations:

• Footer link ("Opt Out", "Privacy", "Do Not Sell My Information")
• Dedicated URL (like spokeo.com/opt_out)
• Support/contact page

Step 4: complete the form. Typically requires:

• Name
• Email
• Profile URL to remove
• Sometimes: ID verification (driver's license photo)

Step 5: confirm via email. Most send confirmation emails requiring click-through.

Step 6: wait and verify. Check back in 1-2 weeks.

#Site-specific guides

Spokeo:

• https://www.spokeo.com/optout
• Enter profile URL, email, complete CAPTCHA
• Confirm via email within 30 minutes
• Processing: 1-3 days typically

BeenVerified:

• https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/search
• Search for yourself, click "Proceed to Opt-Out"
• Enter email for confirmation
• Confirm via email
• Processing: 1-2 weeks

Whitepages:

• https://www.whitepages.com/suppression_requests
• Enter profile URL
• Provide email for verification
• Processing: 24-48 hours typically

Intelius (and Instant Checkmate, PeopleFinder. Shared platform):

• https://www.intelius.com/opt-out
• Multi-step process with identity verification
• May require uploading partial ID
• Processing: 3-7 days

MyLife:

• Historically one of the most aggressive and hardest to remove from
• https://www.mylife.com/ccpa/index.pubview
• Requires detailed identity verification
• Known to re-add profiles more frequently than others

Radaris:

• https://radaris.com/control/privacy
• Has both opt-out and control-your-data options
• Processing: 1-2 weeks

TruePeopleSearch:

• https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/removal
• Simple form, email confirmation
• Processing: 1-3 days typically

FastPeopleSearch:

• https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
• Similar to TruePeopleSearch (same underlying data)

PeopleFinders:

• https://www.peoplefinders.com/opt-out
• Form with multiple verification steps

Nuwber:

• https://nuwber.com/removal
• Form with email verification

#Large data brokers

Acxiom:

• https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx
• Covers multiple Acxiom products
• Processing: 30-90 days

Oracle Data Cloud (DataLogix):

• https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/advertising-privacy-policy.html
• Opt-out via Oracle Privacy Portal
• Must be done per-product for comprehensive removal

Experian Marketing Services:

• https://www.experian.com/privacy/opting-out.html
• Covers marketing-related Experian data
• Note: this is different from Experian Credit (which has its own opt-out rights)

LexisNexis Accurint:

• https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request
• Primarily for people on the Accurint consumer version
• Requires specific California/State law invocation for mandatory removal

#The California / state law use

California residents have specific rights under CCPA/CPRA to require data brokers to delete their information. Similar rights exist in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut. And other states (see our state privacy law matrix).

The process:

1. Identify yourself as a California (or other state) resident
2. Request "Deletion" or "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" under the relevant law
3. Cite the specific law (CCPA, CPRA) in your request
4. Provide identity verification as required
5. Expect response within 45 days

Advantages over standard opt-out:

• Legally enforceable (opt-out is voluntary; CCPA is mandatory)
• Must result in data deletion, not profile suppression
• Non-compliance is grounds for complaint to state AG

Limitations:

• Only covers data brokers doing business in your state
• Some brokers claim exemptions (B2B, small business, etc.)
• Doesn't prevent re-collection from public sources

Using state law rights produces more durable results than voluntary opt-out but requires effort to assert.

#Commercial removal services

For those who don't want to spend tens of hours on manual opt-outs, commercial services automate the process.

#DeleteMe (Abine)

Price: ~$129/year for 1 person, $229/year for family of 2, $329/year for family of 4.

What they do:

• Remove from 50+ data brokers
• Quarterly re-checks and re-removals
• Custom request submissions
• Reporting on removals
• Detailed progress tracking

Pros:

• Most established service (10+ years)
• Broad broker coverage
• Good customer service

Cons:

• Pricing adds up over years
• Can't catch all brokers
• Some brokers make DeleteMe's work harder than others

Who should use it: anyone who doesn't want to spend the time manually.

#Optery

Price: ~$240-$1,188/year depending on tier.

What they do:

• Remove from 300+ brokers (more coverage than DeleteMe)
• Monthly scans
• Detailed dashboards

Pros:

• Broadest broker coverage
• Modern UX
• Scales well

Cons:

• Newer (less history)
• Pricing higher tiers

Who should use it: individuals wanting maximum coverage. Higher budget.

#IncogniHQ (Surfshark)

Price: ~$94/year (often discounted with Surfshark VPN).

What they do:

• Remove from 180+ data brokers
• Monthly scans
• Family plans

Pros:

• Competitive pricing
• Surfshark bundle options
• Growing rapidly

Cons:

• Less broker coverage than Optery
• Newer product

#PrivacyDuck

Price: Enterprise-focused. Contact for pricing.

What they do:

• White-glove removal
• Custom broker targeting
• Legal requests with attorney cover

Pros:

• Highest-effort removal
• Good for executives / high-risk individuals
• Handles difficult brokers

Cons:

• Expensive
• Not for typical consumers

Who should use it: executives, public figures, stalking survivors, individuals with specific threat models warranting professional help.

#Kanary

Price: ~$29/month ($348/year).

What they do:

• Remove from 300+ brokers
• Ongoing monitoring
• Attorney-drafted takedowns for difficult cases

Pros:

• Good middle-tier option
• Modern product

#Privacy Bee

Price: ~$115/year.

What they do:

• Remove from ~150 brokers
• Monitoring

#Comparison at a glance

| Service | Annual Cost | Broker Coverage | Notes |

|---|---|---|---|

| DeleteMe | $129 | ~50 | Most established |

| Optery | $240-$1,188 | ~300 | Widest coverage |

| IncogniHQ | $94 | ~180 | Cheapest, Surfshark-affiliated |

| Kanary | $348 | ~300 | Modern, mid-tier |

| Privacy Bee | $115 | ~150 | Value |

| PrivacyDuck | Enterprise | Custom | White-glove |

#The DIY vs commercial decision

Go DIY if:

• You have time (budget 20-40 hours for initial round)
• You want to learn the ecosystem
• You can't justify $100-300/year
• You're comfortable with process-heavy tasks

Use a commercial service if:

• You value your time
• Budget allows
• You want ongoing protection (brokers re-add you)
• You'd outsource the tedium

Combined approach:

• Use commercial service for ongoing coverage
• DIY for specific high-priority brokers the service doesn't cover
• DIY for state law (CCPA) requests for strongest compliance

#The other removals worth doing

Beyond data brokers specifically:

#Search engine removal

Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo can remove specific results under certain conditions:

• Personal information in search results (phone, address, government IDs)
• Non-consensual intimate imagery
• Financial / medical information about you
• Doxxing content

Google form: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730

Removes from search results (doesn't delete the underlying site). Useful but limited.

#LinkedIn profile adjustments

Profile visibility settings:

• Who can see your profile
• Whether non-connections can contact you
• Whether your profile shows in search engines
• Public profile URL

Setting your LinkedIn profile to not appear in public search makes it harder for data brokers to scrape.

#Social media audit

• Facebook privacy settings → friends only
• Instagram to private
• Twitter to private (or limit who can reply/DM)
• Remove birthdate from profile
• Review photos with location metadata
• Delete old posts with personal information

#Voter registration data

Many states allow confidential voter registration:

• California (for domestic violence survivors)
• Colorado (Address Confidentiality Program)
• Most states have similar programs for specific categories

Address Confidentiality Programs provide substitute addresses for public records.

#Driver's license records

Some states sell drivers license information to data brokers. Opting out varies by state:

• Check your state DMV's privacy opt-out options
• Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) provides some federal baseline

#Credit reports

Three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) have:

• Credit freezes (prevent new accounts being opened)
• Fraud alerts (require additional verification)
• Opt-out of "prescreened offers" (reduces marketing use of credit data)

Credit freezes are free under federal law. Highly recommended for identity theft prevention.

Https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ for free annual reports + information on freezes.

#Political data

Political data brokers (i360, NGP VAN, TargetSmart, etc.) compile voter data. Opt-out varies:

• Voter registration tagging
• Some brokers have opt-out processes
• State-specific voter privacy protections

#Medical data brokers

IQVIA, LexisNexis Health, others compile health-related data (prescription records, hospital admissions where legally disclosed). Opt-out processes are obscure and sometimes non-existent.

For most consumers, medical data brokers are the hardest to remove from.

#Ongoing maintenance

Data brokers re-add your information continuously from new data sources. Removal isn't permanent.

Recommended cadence:

• Quarterly: check major brokers, re-submit opt-outs if reappeared
• Annually: comprehensive audit including smaller brokers
• Event-triggered: after buying property, getting married, changing jobs, moving. Major life events often produce fresh data broker entries

Commercial services handle this automatically. DIY approach requires calendar reminders and discipline.

#For specific threat models

#Domestic abuse survivors

High priority for comprehensive removal:

• Commercial service (DeleteMe / Optery) strongly recommended
• Address Confidentiality Program enrollment
• Social media lockdown
• Court-ordered address confidentiality for legal filings
• National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) has specific technology resources

#Public figures / journalists

• Commercial service (PrivacyDuck or Optery high tier)
• Separate work identity from personal identity (different phone, email, address for each)
• Regular search engine result monitoring
• Professional OSINT assessment periodically

#High-net-worth individuals

• Commercial service
• Dedicated privacy consultant
• Corporate structures for asset ownership (LLCs that don't trace back to personal name)
• Estate planning with privacy provisions

#Executives at sensitive companies

• Executive protection-level privacy programs
• Separate personal and corporate digital footprints
• Regular OSINT assessments

#Stalking survivors

• Immediate high-tier commercial service
• Law enforcement coordination
• Address Confidentiality Program
• Court orders for specific information suppression

#What's changing in 2026

#FTC enforcement

The Federal Trade Commission has increased data broker enforcement:

• Data broker registry requirements being debated federally
• Specific enforcement actions against brokers selling sensitive data
• Increased scrutiny of broker practices

#State registration requirements

Several states now require data broker registration:

• California (via data broker registry)
• Texas (various disclosure requirements)
• Vermont (first state to require registration)

Registered brokers are easier to opt out from (known list, standardized processes).

#Federal legislation

Various federal bills proposed but not passed:

• DELETE Act (Data Elimination and Limiting Extensive Tracking and Exchange Act). Would require easier consumer removal
• Comprehensive federal privacy (would likely include data broker provisions)

Neither has passed as of April 2026.

#AI-enabled reassembly

Concern: even if you successfully remove from current brokers, AI systems can increasingly reassemble personal information from disparate public sources. The "removed" data may be reconstructable.

Why ongoing source-level privacy (minimizing what's public in the first place) is becoming as important as active broker removal.

#For small businesses

If you're a small business owner:

• Your business registration is public (state corporate filings)
• Your personal info may be linked if you're the registered agent
• UCC filings, tax liens, court records all public

Options:

• Use a registered agent service (shields your personal address)
• Keep business address separate from home address
• LLC / corporate structures for privacy
• Don't combine personal and business social media

#The practical action plan

If you're starting from scratch:

#Week 1: Initial audit

• Google yourself (try multiple search terms: name, name+city, name+employer)
• Note which brokers appear
• Take screenshots for records

#Week 2-3: Major brokers manual removal

• Submit opt-outs to top 10 brokers
• Track progress

#Week 4: Commercial service decision

• Evaluate DIY time vs commercial cost
• Sign up for chosen service if using one

#Month 2-3: Secondary brokers

• Target smaller brokers not covered in initial round
• State AG requests for non-compliant brokers

#Month 3+: Ongoing

• Quarterly Google searches
• Annual comprehensive audit
• Event-triggered re-checks after major life events

#For Valtik clients

Valtik's consumer privacy consultations include data broker removal planning:

• Initial OSINT audit (what's publicly available about you)
• Custom removal plan based on your specific threat model
• Commercial service selection guidance
• State law request assistance (CCPA/CPRA/state equivalents)
• Ongoing monitoring setup

For executives, public figures, or individuals with specific threats, we offer confidential consultations with customized removal strategies. Reach out via https://valtikstudios.com.

#The honest summary

Data brokers are a structural feature of the current internet ecosystem. Your information is legally compiled and sold whether you like it or not. Removal is possible but requires ongoing effort or paid services.

Most people benefit from:

1. A one-time commercial service signup (DeleteMe or Optery) for ongoing coverage
2. Manual removal from high-priority sites the service misses
3. State law requests for difficult brokers
4. Regular verification that removals hold

The cost is $100-300/year or 20-40 hours of your time annually. For most people, the commercial service is the better investment.

For high-risk individuals (stalking survivors, public figures, executives), a comprehensive professional program is worth the investment. The stakes justify it.

The industry isn't going away in 2026. Federal legislation is stalled. State laws help but don't solve the problem. The practical defense is active removal, maintained continuously.

#Sources

1. Abine DeleteMe
2. Optery
3. IncogniHQ
4. California CCPA/CPRA
5. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
6. National Domestic Violence Hotline Safety Net
7. Federal Trade Commission Data Broker Reports
8. California Data Broker Registry
9. Vermont Data Broker Registry
10. DELETE Act Proposed Legislation