The Complete Data Broker Opt-Out Guide

What Opting Out Actually Means

Every data broker and people-search site is legally required to honor opt-out requests. In practice, “opting out” means submitting a formal request to remove your personal information from a broker’s public-facing website. Under California’s CCPA, brokers must process these requests within 45 days. Most comply much faster — typically within 24 to 72 hours for the major sites. But the legal requirement and the practical reality are different things.

Here is what you need to understand before you start:

• Opt-out does not mean permanent deletion. Most brokers suppress your listing rather than truly deleting your underlying data record. When they ingest new data from public records, purchase feeds, or other brokers, your profile can be rebuilt from scratch. This typically happens within 30 to 90 days.
• Every broker has a different process. Some accept a simple email. Others require you to search for your own listing, select it, submit a form, verify your identity via email or phone call, and wait. There is no universal “delete me” button that works across all brokers.
• Some brokers actively resist removal. A growing number of sites use CAPTCHA systems, Turnstile challenges, phone verification, or deliberately broken forms to slow down the opt-out process. These sites comply with the letter of the law while making the process as friction-heavy as possible.
• The work is never finished. Because data re-populates from upstream sources (voter rolls, property records, other brokers), removal is an ongoing maintenance task. A single round of opt-outs buys you roughly 30 to 90 days of reduced exposure before you need to re-check and re-submit.

This guide gives you site-by-site instructions for every major data broker. We have organized them by impact and grouped networked sites together so you can cover the most ground in the least time. Each entry includes the exact steps, an estimated processing time, a difficulty rating, and an honest assessment of whether the data typically comes back.

The PeopleConnect Network (1 Opt-Out = 8 Sites)

PeopleConnect is the single most important opt-out you will submit. This company operates a network of eight people-search sites that share a common data backend. One removal request to PeopleConnect removes your data from all eight sites simultaneously. No other action in this guide has a better time-to-impact ratio.

The eight sites covered by a single PeopleConnect opt-out:

1. Intelius — one of the oldest and most comprehensive background check services
2. TruthFinder — premium background check and people-search service
3. InstantCheckmate — criminal records and background check aggregator
4. Anywho — white-pages-style directory and reverse phone lookup
5. PeopleSmart — people-search engine with contact information
6. Classmates — school alumni directory with personal details
7. USSearch — background check and people-search service
8. Addresses.com — address and phone directory

Tier 1 Brokers — Individual Opt-Out Instructions

These are the highest-traffic, most data-rich broker sites outside the PeopleConnect network. They appear most frequently in Google results, expose the most personal information, and are the most likely to be found by anyone searching for you. Removing yourself from these 15 sites, combined with the PeopleConnect opt-out above, covers the vast majority of your public exposure.

1. Spokeo

Spokeo aggregates data from social media profiles, public records, and marketing databases. It is one of the most visited people-search sites and often appears in the first page of Google results for name searches. Spokeo profiles can include phone numbers, email addresses, social media accounts, home addresses, relatives, and estimated income.

2. Whitepages

Whitepages is the original online phone directory, now expanded into a full people-search engine. It lists names, phone numbers, addresses, relatives, and associates. Whitepages has one of the more involved opt-out processes — they verify your identity via an automated phone call.

3. BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a paid background check service that offers free preview listings containing your name, age, relatives, and location. The full paid report includes phone numbers, emails, addresses, criminal records, and social media profiles. Their opt-out process is straightforward but requires email confirmation.

4. Radaris

Radaris builds unusually detailed profiles that include relatives, associates, property ownership, business affiliations, court records, and social media connections. Their profiles are heavily indexed by Google and often appear high in search results. The opt-out process is somewhat involved and may present a CAPTCHA challenge at the final submission step.

5. FastPeopleSearch

FastPeopleSearch is one of the most comprehensive free people-search sites. It displays full names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, relatives, and associates — all without requiring a paid account. This makes it one of the most concerning sites from a privacy perspective, as anyone can access your full profile for free.

6. TruePeopleSearch

TruePeopleSearch is similar in scope and format to FastPeopleSearch. It provides free access to names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and associated people. Like FastPeopleSearch, the removal process is relatively quick and does not require creating an account.

7. MyLife

MyLife is both a people-search site and a reputation management platform. It assigns a public “Reputation Score” to individuals based on aggregated data, which many people find invasive. MyLife’s opt-out process is one of the least user-friendly — the primary method is sending an email, and response times are slow.

8. PeopleFinders

PeopleFinders is a long-running background check and people-search provider. It lists names, addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and in some cases criminal records. Their opt-out process involves searching for yourself on their dedicated removal page and requesting removal via email confirmation.

9. Nuwber

Nuwber aggregates personal data including phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and associated people. Listings are often detailed and appear in Google results for name searches. Their opt-out process is straightforward but requires you to locate your specific listing first.

10. PeekYou

PeekYou specializes in connecting online identities — it aggregates social media profiles, blog posts, and public records into a single profile. If you have an active online presence, PeekYou likely has a detailed profile for you. Their opt-out involves submitting the URL of your PeekYou profile through a removal form.

11. CheckPeople

CheckPeople is a people-search engine that provides names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and associated records. The opt-out process requires searching for your profile on their site and submitting a removal request. Some users report needing to use a proxy or VPN if the opt-out page blocks their connection.

12. USPhoneBook

USPhoneBook focuses on phone number and address lookups. It lists full names, phone numbers (including cell phones), addresses, and associated people. The data is sourced from public records and telecom databases.

13. SmartBackgroundChecks

SmartBackgroundChecks provides background check reports with personal details, addresses, phone numbers, and criminal records. Their opt-out page is functional but protected by anti-bot measures that can make the process frustrating.

14. FamilyTreeNow

FamilyTreeNow presents itself as a genealogy resource, but it functions as a people-search site that lists names, addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and associates. It gained notoriety in 2017 when viral social media posts exposed how much personal data it reveals for free. The opt-out process is relatively simple.

15. Clustrmaps

Clustrmaps is a lesser-known but highly detailed people-search site. It aggregates names, addresses, phone numbers, and associated people. The opt-out process is email-based, making it one of the simpler removals.

Opt-Out Summary Table

A quick-reference table for all brokers covered in this guide. Bookmark this page and check off each site as you complete it.

Sites That Block Automated Opt-Outs

Honesty matters here. Several major data brokers use anti-bot technologies — including Cloudflare Turnstile, reCAPTCHA, and custom bot-detection systems — that actively block automated removal tools from completing the opt-out process. If you are using a data removal service, these sites are the ones most likely to require manual intervention. If you are doing this yourself, you may encounter these challenges directly.

The following sites are known to block automated opt-out submissions as of March 2026:

• Radaris — Uses CAPTCHA on the final “Remove” step. The search-and-select portion works, but the actual submission is gated. You must complete the CAPTCHA manually.
• BeenVerified — Cloudflare Turnstile blocks the opt-out page entirely when accessed through automation or proxy. Manual browser access from a residential IP typically works.
• FamilyTreeNow — Turnstile blocks the opt-out page through both direct and proxy access. Try accessing from a clean browser session on a residential connection.
• SmartBackgroundChecks — Bot detection blocks automated access to the opt-out page. Hard-blocked even through residential proxy servers.
• CyberBackgroundChecks — Same anti-bot infrastructure as SmartBackgroundChecks. Manual browser access required.
• SearchPeopleFree — Turnstile-protected opt-out page. Manual submission is the only reliable method.
• FastBackgroundCheck — Turnstile blocks automated access. Must be submitted manually through a browser.
• Spokeo, PeopleFinders, SocialCatfish — reCAPTCHA on the opt-out form. Solvable by a human but blocks automated tools. These are easy to do manually.
• ThatsThem — reCAPTCHA on the removal form. Manual submission works reliably.

What to do if you are blocked entirely: If a broker’s opt-out page will not load at all (blank page, infinite loading spinner, or “checking your browser” loop), try these steps in order:

1. Clear your browser cookies and cache, then try again in a fresh incognito/private window.
2. Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
3. Disable any VPN or proxy you might be using — some sites block known VPN IP ranges.
4. Try from a different network (mobile hotspot instead of home WiFi, or vice versa).
5. If all else fails, send a direct email to the broker’s privacy or support address requesting removal. Reference CCPA or your state’s privacy law. Most brokers will process email-based requests even if their web opt-out is inaccessible.

Template Email for Email-Based Opt-Outs

Some brokers accept removal requests via email. Others may require email as a fallback when their web form is inaccessible. Below is a copy-paste template you can adapt. If you are a California resident, the CCPA version carries legal weight. If not, the general version is effective for most brokers.

For California residents (CCPA)

For residents of other states

Which states have strong privacy laws? As of March 2026, California (CCPA/CPRA), Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), Utah (UCPA), Texas (TDPSA), Oregon (OCPA), Montana (MCDPA), and several other states have enacted consumer privacy laws with data deletion rights. Even if your state does not have a specific law, most brokers will honor removal requests from any state — the processing infrastructure is the same regardless of jurisdiction.

After You Opt Out

Submitting opt-out requests is the beginning, not the end. Here is what to expect and how to maintain your reduced exposure over time.

The re-population cycle

Data brokers do not generate your personal information. They aggregate it from upstream sources: voter registration databases, property deed records, court filings, other data brokers, marketing data feeds, and public social media profiles. When you opt out, you are removing the output — not the input. The broker deletes or suppresses your listing, but the next time their automated pipeline ingests data from county records or another broker, your profile gets rebuilt from scratch.

The typical cycle:

1. Week 1: Your listing disappears. You feel a sense of accomplishment.
2. Days 30–60: The broker’s data pipeline runs its scheduled ingestion. Your name, address, and phone number flow back in from public records.
3. Days 60–90: Your full listing is back — sometimes with updated or new information that was not there before.

This is not the broker being malicious. It is the structural reality of data aggregation. The same public records that built your profile the first time will build it again. The solution is repeated removal, not a single opt-out.

Set calendar reminders

After your initial round of opt-outs, set recurring reminders:

• Every 30 days: Re-check the top 5 highest-traffic sites (Spokeo, Whitepages, FastPeopleSearch, Radaris, BeenVerified). These re-populate fastest.
• Every 60 days: Re-check all Tier 1 sites listed in this guide.
• Every 90 days: Do a full re-scan, including the PeopleConnect network and any Tier 2 sites where you previously found listings.

If you skip the re-checks, your exposure will return to baseline within 3 to 6 months. This is the part of the process that most people fail to sustain — and the primary reason automated removal services exist.

Lock down your upstream data

You cannot stop all re-population, but you can slow it down:

• Social media privacy settings: Set all social media profiles to private or friends-only. Brokers scrape public profile data.
• Marketing opt-outs: Register with the DMA Choice program to reduce direct marketing data sharing.
• Voter registration: Some states allow you to make your voter registration confidential (California, for example). Check your state’s options.
• Property records: If you own property, your name and address are in public deed records. Some states offer address confidentiality programs for domestic violence survivors that can be used more broadly. Otherwise, this source is permanent.
• Loyalty programs and apps: Data from retail loyalty programs and apps with location tracking flows to data brokers via intermediaries. Audit which apps have location access and which loyalty programs you actually use.

How a removal service handles the cycle

For context on what automated services do differently: they run continuous scans (typically monthly or more frequently), detect when your profile reappears, and automatically re-submit opt-out requests. The core value is not the initial removal — you can do that yourself. The value is the sustained monitoring and re-submission cycle that keeps your data off these sites month after month. This is the tedious, repetitive work that most people abandon within 60 to 90 days of starting the manual process.

Frequently Asked Questions