free tier · operational reference
Data Broker Removal Playbook
§1 How this works (read first)
Data brokers buy and resell personal info scraped from public records, social media, store loyalty cards, app SDKs, leaked databases, voter rolls, and each other. The same record cycles between them constantly. "Removal" from one is real but temporary; most brokers re-add you within 6–12 months, often from a different upstream source than the one you previously suppressed.
This means:
- The first sweep is the heavy lift (3–6 hours focused work, or one paid service running for 30 days).
- After that, it's a 1–2 hour quarterly or twice-yearly recheck.
- "Done forever" doesn't exist; "very hard to find" does.
Two paths:
- Manual: free, you control everything, exhausting first pass, gets faster.
- Paid service: $90–300/year, runs continuously, gives you a dashboard, you still want to audit it.
Most-effective hybrid: pay a service for the continuous-monitoring brokers (the ones that re-add monthly), do the high-value people-search sites manually so you control the suppression details.
§2 What you need before starting
Collect these into a single working doc (kept locally, not in cloud notes):
- Full legal name + any historical spellings (maiden name, middle initial variants, Jr/Sr/II).
- Current address + every prior address you can remember (brokers index by address history).
- Current phone + all prior phone numbers.
- Current email + all email addresses you've used publicly.
- Date of birth.
- One photo of government ID (some brokers require ID verification; see "ID verification" section below).
Optional but useful: an alias email (SimpleLogin / Firefox Relay) used only for opt-out confirmations. Many brokers email a verify link to the address on file before honoring the removal (that goes to your real email), but the confirmation receipt and any follow-up correspondence can route to the alias.
§3 Tier 1: People-search sites (the biggest re-identification surface)
These are the ones a stalker, ex-employer, or recruiter actually uses. Highest priority. Most have a removal page; some make you fight for it.
| Broker | Opt-out URL | What it requires | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spokeo | spokeo.com/optout | Search your name, copy your record URL, paste + email | Confirm via email. ~24–72 hr. |
| WhitePages | whitepages.com/suppression-requests | Find listing, suppress via form | Premium product is separate, opt out of that too. |
| BeenVerified | beenverified.com/app/optout | Find listing, email verify | 1–2 weeks. Reappears often. |
| Intelius | intelius.com/opt-out | Manual form, name + DOB + email | Owns several siblings, does NOT cascade. |
| TruePeopleSearch | truepeoplesearch.com/removal | Paste your record URL | Easy. ~24 hr. |
| FastPeopleSearch | fastpeoplesearch.com/removal | URL paste + email | Same shell as TruePeopleSearch. |
| PeopleFinder | peoplefinder.com/optout | Form | Slow. |
| Radaris | radaris.com/control/privacy | Account create, claim profile, then opt out | Worst UX of the bunch. ID verification sometimes. |
| ZabaSearch | zabasearch.com/block_records | URL paste | Owned by Intelius. |
| FamilyTreeNow | familytreenow.com/optout | Form, name + state | Genealogy framing, same data. |
| MyLife | mylife.com/ccpa/index.pubview | CCPA request form | Historically hostile. May require letter. |
| Nuwber | nuwber.com/removal/link | Paste URL | Russian-hosted; honors removal slowly. |
| USPhoneBook | usphonebook.com/opt-out | URL paste | Simple. |
| Cyberbackgroundchecks | cyberbackgroundchecks.com/removal | URL paste + email | Same data pool as TruePeopleSearch. |
| PeekYou | peekyou.com/about/contact/optout | Form, requires social URLs sometimes | Aggregates social + public. |
| Pipl | pipl.com/personal-information-removal-request | Form | B2B-facing now but still indexes you. |
| PublicRecordsNow | publicrecordsnow.com/static/optout | Form | Intelius sibling. |
| Smartbackgroundchecks | smartbackgroundchecks.com/optout | URL paste | Same data pool as TruePeopleSearch family. |
| Instant Checkmate | instantcheckmate.com/optout | Form + email confirm | Owned by The Lifetime Value Co (TLVC). |
| TruthFinder | truthfinder.com/opt-out | Form + email confirm | TLVC sibling. |
| Whitepages.tw / .com.tw | n/a | International scrapers, often ignore removal | Document the request, file with state AG if egregious. |
Pattern: most of these are downstream of 3–4 actual data pools. You're suppressing the display, not the data. The data still exists upstream, which is why re-add cycles happen.
§4 Tier 2: Major aggregators (the upstream pools)
These don't show your record to consumers but they sell it to everyone in Tier 1. Removing here has more lasting effect, but they make it harder.
| Broker | Opt-out path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LexisNexis | consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com → "Make a Privacy Request" | Requires SSN + DOB. Sends back a 100-page disclosure of what they have on you, read it. |
| Acxiom | isapps.acxiom.com/optout | Multi-channel: opt out of mail/email/phone/cookies individually. Do all four. |
| CoreLogic | corelogic.com/about-us/privacy-policy.aspx → opt-out form | Property/mortgage data. They feed real-estate broker sites. |
| Epsilon | privacy@epsilon.com (mail per their policy) | Marketing aggregator. |
| Oracle Data Cloud (BlueKai/AddThis) | oracle.com/legal/privacy/ → marketing-cloud opt-out | Web tracking. |
| Experian Mosaic | experian.com/privacy/opting_out_of_marketing | Marketing arm (separate from credit). |
| TransUnion / Equifax marketing | Each has a separate marketing opt-out from the credit-bureau opt-out, do both. |
§5 Tier 3: Credit + telecom shared databases
Less about "people search" and more about "this is what every bank/lender/landlord/insurer sees about you". Worth freezing.
| Database | What it is | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Equifax | Credit bureau | Security freeze (free since 2018). |
| Experian | Credit bureau | Security freeze. |
| TransUnion | Credit bureau | Security freeze. |
| Innovis | "4th credit bureau" | innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze. Most people miss this one. |
| ChexSystems | Bank account screening | chexsystems.com → security freeze + EWS opt-out. |
| NCTUE | Shared telecom/utility | exchangeservicecenter.com → freeze. Few know this exists. |
| LexisNexis CLUE | Insurance claim history | Pull your report (free annually), dispute errors. |
| MIB | Medical Information Bureau (life/health insurance) | mib.com → free disclosure annually. |
§6 Tier 4: Marketing & prescreen
Cheap wins, hit them once and forget.
| Service | URL | What it stops |
|---|---|---|
| DMAchoice | dmachoice.thedma.org | Mailed catalogs & marketing mail. $4 fee, 10-year suppression. |
| OptOutPrescreen | optoutprescreen.com | Credit-card / insurance prescreen offers. 5-yr online, permanent by mail. |
| Yellow Pages opt-out | yellowpagesoptout.com | The phone book on your porch. |
| Catalog Choice | catalogchoice.org | Per-catalog suppression. |
§7 Tier 5: Paid removal services (the "set and forget" option)
You're paying them to do Tier 1 manually for you, plus monitor for re-adds.
| Service | Approx price/yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DeleteMe (Abine) | $130 | Most mature. Quarterly reports. |
| Optery | $90–250 (tiered) | Free tier shows what's on you. Paid tiers include manual + custom removals. |
| Incogni (Surfshark) | $80 | Cheaper. Covers ~200 brokers. |
| Kanary | $100–180 | Good UX. Covers ~150 brokers. |
| Privacy Bee | $200–250 | Aggressive. Covers ~500 brokers. Most comprehensive but pricey. |
| EasyOptOuts | $20 (one-time) | Cheapest. Runs once. Pair with manual for high-value brokers. |
The comparisons above are historical notes from May2026, not a current ranking or purchase recommendation. Verify present pricing, coverage and terms with each provider.
§8 Edge cases worth knowing
Identity checks and request templates
Provider requirements and available privacy rights vary. Confirm the current instructions before sharing documents. This guide does not establish that a particular redaction, mailing address, legal exemption or response deadline is accepted.
General request template: “My information appears at [URL]. Please explain the removal or opt-out process available for this listing, any verification required, and the expected response time.” Adapt it only after checking the provider's current process and any rights that apply.
Public records
Access rules and protection programs differ by record and jurisdiction. Consult the relevant record-holder's current instructions. This guide does not recommend substituting a mailbox address on voter, license or other official records.
The re-add cycle
After your first clean sweep, expect:
- Most Tier 1 brokers re-add within 2–6 months.
- Tier 2 aggregators stay clean longer (6–12 months).
- A new broker you've never heard of will surface within a year.
Recommended cadence: full re-sweep every 6 months. Lighter check (top 10 people-search) every 3 months.
§9 Workflow you should actually run
If you want to do this end-to-end without a paid service:
- Day 1, 60 min: collect inputs (the "what you need" section above), set up one alias email for opt-out correspondence.
- Day 1, 90 min: hit the 5 highest-impact people-search sites (Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch). Confirmation emails will arrive over the next 72 hr.
- Day 2, 60 min: hit the rest of Tier 1.
- Day 3, 30 min: file LexisNexis + Acxiom + CoreLogic opt-outs (these are slower, just submit and forget).
- Day 3, 20 min: freeze the four credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Innovis) if not already done.
- Day 4, 15 min: ChexSystems, NCTUE, MIB freezes / annual disclosures.
- Day 4, 10 min: DMAchoice + OptOutPrescreen + Yellow Pages.
- Day 14: verify each Tier 1 removal by googling your name + state. Re-file anything that's still showing.
- Calendar: 90-min re-sweep every 6 months.
If you'd rather pay: 30 min to sign up for Optery mid-tier or DeleteMe, then do steps 5–7 manually (paid services don't always cover credit bureaus + state-specific stuff).
§10 What this playbook does NOT do
- It does not stop new collection. Going forward, the anonymization tips are how you stop adding to the pile.
- It does not address Google search results. If your name + city pulls up something you want gone, that's a separate "right to be forgotten" process per jurisdiction.
- It does not address social media exposure (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X). Those are first-party, adjust your privacy settings directly. The brokers scrape what's public.
- It does not address breach exposure (LinkedIn 2021, T-Mobile, etc.). Once leaked, that data is in the wild forever. Mitigation = password manager + 2FA + identity-theft insurance (often free via your credit card).
§11 Quick links (operational reference)
- Have I Been Pwned (haveibeenpwned.com): check what's in known breaches.
- AnnualCreditReport.com: your three credit reports, free, weekly under current FTC rules.
- LexisNexis full disclosure (consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request): they'll send you everything they have on you, ~100 pages.
- FTC identity theft (identitytheft.gov): if compromised, file here.
URLs drift. If a link is dead, search "[broker name] opt out" and verify you're on the real broker's domain before submitting your info.
paired companion: see anonymization tips for how to stop adding new data to the pile.