How to Remove Your Info From People-Search Sites

Search your own name and city, and there is a good chance a site will offer your home address, phone number, age and a list of relatives for a few dollars. These people-search sites (also called people finder sites) collect information from public records and other sources, package it into reports and sell them to anyone who pays.

That is a problem for anyone worried about scammers, stalkers, identity theft or just more spam. The good news: most sites let you opt out for free, and new state laws make it easier. This guide covers the manual opt-out process step by step, what laws like California’s Delete Act actually require, and what paid removal services can and cannot do.

Why your information is on these sites

People-search sites are a type of data broker. According to the Federal Trade Commission, they gather personal information from a variety of sources, compile it into reports and sell those reports. Typical sources include property and court records, voter files where allowed, old phone directories, marketing lists and data bought from other brokers.

Because many sites buy from the same upstream suppliers, removing yourself from one site does not remove you everywhere. And because public records keep updating, a listing you removed can come back months later.

Your exposed details also feed the scams we cover elsewhere, from scam text messages that use your real name to robocalls. If spam is already a problem, pair this guide with our steps to stop spam calls.

What opting out does and does not do

Before you spend an afternoon on this, set realistic expectations. The FTC notes several limits:

• It stops the sale, not the record. Opting out stops a site selling your existing profile. It does not delete public records held by courts, counties or other government offices.
• Some data types stay. You can usually remove items like your address or phone number, but not every category. The FTC gives sex offender registry status as an example that cannot be opted out of.
• You can still appear in other people’s reports. Your name may show up as a relative, neighbor or associate in someone else’s listing.
• Listings can return. If the underlying records change, your information can reappear for sale.

Key takeaway: Removal is maintenance, not a one-time fix. Plan to opt out once, then check again every 3 to 6 months.

How to opt out manually, step by step

Doing it yourself is free. It takes time, but you control every step.

1. Make a list of your identifiers. Write down your full name and variations (maiden name, middle initial, nicknames), current and past addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
2. Create a dedicated email address. Most opt-outs send a confirmation link. A separate inbox keeps those messages organized and avoids handing your main address to brokers.
3. Search each site. The FTC suggests starting with a phone number or address search, then trying your name and city.
4. Find the opt-out page. Look for links labeled “Do not sell my info,” “Opt out,” “Privacy” or “Remove my information,” usually in the site footer. If you cannot find one, search the site’s name plus “opt out.”
5. Select your exact listing. Many sites ask you to pick your profile from search results and paste its URL into a form.
6. Verify. Expect to confirm by clicking an email link, and some sites ask for extra details to confirm your identity. Give only the minimum needed. Never upload a full government ID unless it is truly required and you trust the site.
7. Record what you did. Keep a simple log: site, date, listing URL, confirmation received and date to recheck.
8. Recheck. Processing times vary by site, so search again after a few weeks and submit a new request for anything that has reappeared.

The FTC points to a list of people-search sites maintained by the National Network to End Domestic Violence and one from the Minnesota House of Representatives to help you find where your information appears.

Tips that save time

• Start with the big sites. Large brokers often feed smaller ones, so removing yourself at the source can reduce copies elsewhere.
• Use a spreadsheet with one row per site and columns for status and recheck date.
• Batch the work. Doing 5 sites a week is more realistic than 40 in a single afternoon.

State laws that give you deletion rights

US federal law does not give a general right to delete your data from brokers, but a growing number of states do. This is not legal advice, and rules vary by state.

California: the Delete Act and DROP

California’s Delete Act (Senate Bill 362) created the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP, run by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy). Key facts from the state’s official pages:

• What it does: California residents submit one free request that goes to every registered data broker.
• Timeline: Consumers could start submitting requests on January 1, 2026. Starting August 1, 2026, registered brokers must check DROP at least every 45 days and process deletion requests.
• One and done: You submit once, and brokers must keep honoring the request on an ongoing basis.
• Results: Brokers can take up to 90 days to report results, shown as statuses such as deleted, opted out, exempt or record not found.
• Limits: Publicly available information, such as public records, and information you gave a broker directly can be exempt.
• Penalties: Brokers that do not comply face fines of $200 per day per consumer, plus enforcement costs.

California residents can sign up at consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov. You verify residency through a state identity service, and you get a DROP ID to check your status later.

Other states

Vermont, Texas and Oregon also require data brokers to register with the state, which creates public lists of brokers you can contact. Meanwhile, more than 20 states now have comprehensive privacy laws that give residents rights to access and delete personal data held by covered businesses. However, these laws often exclude publicly available information, so they help more with marketing data than with public-record listings. Our guide to US state data privacy laws lists each law and its effective date.

Opt-out options compared

What paid removal services do

Removal services, such as DeleteMe, Incogni or Optery, submit opt-out requests to a list of brokers on your behalf and rescan for listings that return. They mostly do what you could do manually, just at scale and on a schedule. Pricing is usually an annual subscription and varies by plan and the number of people covered.

The FTC suggests asking 3 questions before you sign up:

• How many websites does it cover?
• Will it give you a report showing which sites it has opted you out of?
• How often does it scan those sites, and does it remove information that reappears or new information it finds?

Keep in mind you have to give the service your personal details so it can find your listings. Read its privacy policy, and favor services that show you exactly which removals they completed.

Clean up search results too

Even after a broker removes your listing, old pages can linger in search results. Google’s “Results about you” tool lets you enter your name, phone, email and home address, monitor for search results that show them and request removal. Google reviews each request, which takes a few days.

Removal from Google hides the result in Search, but it does not delete the page itself. For that, you still need the site’s opt-out or a state deletion request. For sensitive items such as government ID or bank numbers, Google has a separate personal content removal form.

Where to start: a 1-hour privacy cleanup

1. Search yourself. Try your name plus city, your phone number and your home address on a search engine and on 3 or 4 large people-search sites.
2. Set up a privacy email for opt-out confirmations.
3. If you live in California, submit a DROP request and save your DROP ID.
4. Opt out of the top 5 sites that show your listing and log each request.
5. Turn on Google’s “Results about you” alerts.
6. Set a calendar reminder to recheck in 3 months.
7. Decide on a paid service only if you are short on time or have safety concerns.

If you are a survivor of domestic violence or stalking, the FTC notes you may have especially strong reasons to keep your address private. Many states also run address confidentiality programs that let survivors use a substitute address on public records, so check with your state’s program.

Conclusion

You cannot erase yourself from the internet, but you can make your home address and phone number much harder to buy. Opt out of the biggest people-search sites, use state tools like California’s DROP if you qualify, clean up search results, and recheck every few months. If your information was already used against you, our checklist on what to do if you got scammed covers the next steps.

Sources

• FTC Consumer Advice: What to know about people search sites that sell your information — how the sites work, manual opt-out steps, limits and questions for paid services
• CalPrivacy: About DROP and the Delete Act — DROP launch, broker processing from August 1, 2026, and the 45-day cycle
• CalPrivacy: DROP FAQ — statuses, exemptions for public records, 90-day reporting and penalties
• Google Search Help: Find and remove personal contact info in Google Search results — how the “Results about you” tool works and its limits