TL;DR: Over 200 people search sites sell your personal information (name, address, phone numbers, relatives, property records, and more) to anyone willing to pay $10-30. Data comes from public records, data brokers, and online activity. You can opt out manually (time-consuming but free) or use automated services like Incogni or DeleteMe ($70-180/year). Data often reappears, requiring ongoing monitoring. This guide provides step-by-step removal instructions for major sites and strategies for maintaining privacy.
The Problem
People search sites aggregate and sell personal information:[1]
- Full name and aliases
- Current and past addresses (often 10+ years of history)
- Phone numbers (cell, landline, work)
- Email addresses
- Relatives and associates
- Property records
- Estimated income and net worth
- Political donations
- Social media profiles
- Criminal records (public)
Anyone can search for you. Stalkers, scammers, telemarketers, employers, curious neighbors all have access.
Where They Get Your Data
Public Records
Property deeds, voter registration, court records, business filings, all public and aggregatable.
Data Brokers
Companies that collect and sell consumer data. People search sites are both buyers and sellers.
Social Media
Public profiles are indexed. Privacy settings matter, but often too late for historical data.
Commercial Databases
Credit bureaus, marketing databases, loyalty programs. Data gets shared and resold.
Website Scrapers
Bots crawl websites collecting mentions of names, emails, and contact information.
Purchase History
Some data sources include inferred purchase behavior and interests.
Major People Search Sites
The most prominent sites you likely appear on:
- Spokeo: Aggregates social, public records, contact info
- Whitepages: Address and phone lookup, premium reports
- BeenVerified: Background checks, property, contact info
- PeopleFinder: Phone lookup, address history
- Intelius: Background checks, ownership (same company as Whitepages)
- TruePeopleSearch: Free lookup, ad-supported
- FastPeopleSearch: Free comprehensive listings
- ThatsThem: Email, phone, address lookup
- Radaris: Professional and public records
- Instant Checkmate: Background check reports
These are just the biggest. Over 200 similar sites exist, often sharing data.
Removal: Spokeo
- Go to Spokeo.com
- Search for your profile using name, email, phone, or address
- Find your listing and copy the URL from your browser address bar
- Go to Spokeo.com/optout
- Paste your profile URL
- Enter an email address (use a junk email)
- Complete CAPTCHA and click "Remove This Listing"
- Check email and click verification link
- Removal typically completes within 72 hours
Removal: Whitepages
- Visit Whitepages.com
- Search your name, city, and state
- Find your listing and click "View Details"
- Copy the profile URL
- Go to Whitepages Suppression Requests
- Paste the URL and verify your listing
- State reason for removal
- Enter phone number. You'll receive an automated call with the verification code
- Enter code to complete request
- Removal typically within 24 hours
Note: Whitepages owns multiple sites (Intelius, others). You may need separate removal requests for each.
Removal: BeenVerified
- Go to BeenVerified.com
- Scroll to footer and click "Do Not Sell My Personal Information"
- Enter first name, last name, and state
- Click Search and find your record
- Click "Proceed to Opt Out"
- Enter email address (junk email recommended) and complete CAPTCHA
- Click "Send Verification Email"
- Check email and click "Verify Opt-Out"
- Removal typically within 24 hours
The Full Process
Comprehensive removal requires opting out from many sites:
- Inventory: Search yourself on Google, DuckDuckGo, and major people search sites
- Document: Note every site where you appear
- Prioritize: Start with sites that appear highest in search results
- Find opt-out: Look for "Privacy," "Opt-Out," or "Do Not Sell" links in footers
- Submit requests: Follow each site's specific process
- Track: Document submissions with dates
- Verify: Check back in 1-2 weeks to confirm removal
- Repeat: Data often reappears. Set reminder to check quarterly
Expect the manual process to take 5-10 hours initially, plus ongoing maintenance.
Automated Removal Services
Services that handle removal requests for you:
Incogni
Covers hundreds of data brokers. ~$70-90/year. Continuous monitoring and removal.
DeleteMe
~$130/year. Manual and automated removals. Quarterly reports showing progress.
Optery
Free tier for self-service. Paid tiers add automation. 630+ sites covered.
Kanary
300+ sites. Detailed reporting. ~$100/year individual plans.
These services save time but cost money. Manual removal is free but labor-intensive.
Why Data Comes Back
You remove yourself. Six months later, you're listed again. Why?
- Continuous collection: Sites re-scrape public records periodically
- Data broker sharing: Your data exists in dozens of source databases
- New sources: Any new public record can trigger re-listing
- No legal protection: Most states don't require permanent removal
Privacy is not a one-time fix. It requires ongoing maintenance.
California Delete Act
California's Delete Act (SB 362) creates a centralized deletion mechanism:
- Single request to delete from all registered data brokers
- Data brokers must register with state and honor requests
- Effective 2026 for the deletion request system
- California residents only
This is a significant improvement, but only for California. Other states lag behind.
Minimizing Future Exposure
PO Box or Mail Service
Use for package delivery to keep home address out of shipping databases.
LLC for Property
Real estate purchased through LLC keeps your name off public property records.
Voter Registration
Some states allow address confidentiality for abuse victims or certain professions.
Phone Privacy
Use VoIP number (Google Voice, etc.) for public-facing purposes.
Social Media Lockdown
Private profiles, disable search indexing, review tagged content.
Separate Email
Use different emails for different contexts. Don't connect identities.
The Bottom Line
Over 200 people search sites profit from selling your personal information. Anyone can pay $30 to see your address history, phone numbers, relatives, and more.
You can remove yourself, but it takes time. Manual opt-outs across major sites take hours. Paid services cost $70-180/year but automate the process. Either way, data comes back because collection never stops.
The only long-term solution is ongoing vigilance: regular opt-outs, minimizing new public records, and limiting what you share. California's Delete Act helps residents there, but national protection doesn't exist.
Start with the biggest sites: Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified. Check Google results. Set a quarterly reminder to re-verify. Your privacy is work, but it's possible.