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Practical security for real people & small teams

How to remove your personal information from people-search sites for free

By , ICT engineer Published

Guide type
Step-by-step + tracker
Risk if skipped
Medium
Time
1–2 hours, then 15 min every 3 months
Cost
Free
Works for
US residents (most sites)
Last verified
2026-10-05

The short answer

  • People-search sites sell your address, phone number, relatives and age to anyone. Scammers use them to make calls and texts sound convincing.
  • You can opt out of each site for free. Start with the largest ones in the tracker below, then use Google's Results about you to remove what remains from search results.
  • In California? One request through the state's free DROP platform reaches every registered data broker, and since 1 August 2026 they must act on it.
  • Listings come back. Set a reminder to check again every three months.

Why this matters for your security

A people-search report is a scammer's script. It gives them your full name, current and past addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and the names of relatives, often for a few dollars or for free. That is how a fake "grandson in trouble" call knows the right names, how a fake bank text knows your town, and how a fraudster answers security questions about where you used to live. Removing it does not make you invisible, but it makes you a less convenient target.

The FTC is clear about the limits: opting out does not remove public records held by governments, your details may still appear in a relative's report, and listings can reappear when your records change.

Before you start

  • Use a separate email address for opt-out requests, such as a free alias. Some sites send a confirmation link, and you do not want to hand them your main inbox.
  • Write down your variants: name spellings, maiden name, middle initial, past cities and phone numbers. Sites list each version separately.
  • Expect to give a little information to prove which listing is yours, usually the listing URL and an email. Do not upload ID documents unless a site you trust requires it by law.

Your opt-out tracker

Tick each site as you finish it. Your progress is saved on this device only, so you can come back later.

0 of 8 done
  • Google: Results about you — open

    Add your name, phone, address and email, and Google finds search results that show them. Request removal and turn on alerts. Removes results from Google only, not from the source site.

  • California residents: DROP — open

    One free request to every data broker registered in California. Verify residency, create a profile, submit. Skip if you do not live in California.

  • Spokeo — opt-out page

    Find your listing on spokeo.com first and copy its URL, then paste it into the opt-out form with an email address and confirm by email.

  • Whitepages — suppression request

    Paste your listing URL and follow the verification step it asks for (it may verify by phone).

  • PeopleConnect brands (Intelius, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder and others) — suppression center

    One form covers several sites owned by the same company. Confirm your email, search for yourself and suppress each matching record.

  • BeenVerified — opt-out search

    Search your name and state, select your record and confirm the email they send.

  • Radaris — privacy control

    Find your profile, then request removal through the privacy page. It may ask for the profile URL.

  • ThatsThem — opt-out form

    Fill in the details exactly as they appear in your listing.

The method for every other site

There are hundreds of people-search sites. After the big ones, use the FTC's method to find the rest:

  1. Search for yourself the way a stranger would

    Search Google for your full name in quotes plus your city, then your phone number, then your street address. Open each people-search result.

  2. Find the opt-out link

    Look in the page footer for "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information", "Opt out", "Remove my info", "Privacy" or "CCPA". Most sites offer one, and several US state privacy laws now require it.

  3. Submit and keep proof

    Take a screenshot of the confirmation and note the date. If a site ignores you, the screenshot helps with a complaint to your state attorney general or the FTC.

  4. Remove what is left from Google

    Some sites are slow or never respond. Google's Results about you can still remove search results that show your phone number, home address or email address.

  5. Check again every three months

    Listings reappear when brokers buy fresh data. The tracker above shows a "check again" date for each site.

Free method or paid removal service?

Doing it yourselfPaid removal service
CostFreeTypically a yearly subscription
Time1–2 hours at first, then about 15 minutes every quarterMinutes to sign up
CoverageThe sites you findVaries widely; check the list of sites covered
Your dataYou share only what each opt-out needsYou give the service your full details so it can find you

If you consider a paid service, the FTC suggests asking how many sites it covers, whether it gives you a report of the sites it opted you out of, and how often it rescans for information that reappears. We have not tested removal services yet and will only compare them after using them on our own paid accounts.

Don't

  • Don't pay a people-search site to "remove" or "hide" your report. Opting out is free.
  • Don't send a copy of your driver's license or passport to an opt-out form unless you are sure it is required.
  • Don't use your main email for opt-out requests.

Removing your details makes scam calls and texts less personal, but they will not stop completely. Learn the patterns in our guides to AI voice clone scams and phishing links, and if you run a business, share this guide with staff whose names appear on your website: they are the people scammers research before a fake "urgent payment" call. Our small business cybersecurity checklist covers the payment rule that stops those calls.

How we checked this

Written by Ariel, ICT engineer. On 2026-10-05 we compared the method with the FTC's guidance on people-search sites, Google's help page for Results about you and the California Privacy Protection Agency's information on DROP, and checked that each opt-out link in the tracker opens. Several people-search sites block automated checks, so their forms were not filled in for this guide, and opt-out steps change often; tell us through the contact page if one has moved. This page contains no affiliate links.

Sources