The Basics · Step 6 of 13

Remove yourself from people-search sites

People-search sites sell reports about you, and many of them let you ask them to stop. You can do it yourself for free, one site at a time.¹

Where these reports come from

People-search sites are a kind of data broker. They build reports from public records, public social media profiles, and information they buy from other data brokers.¹ A report can include your age, your past and current addresses, and the names and addresses of your family members.¹

Step 2 explains where this information comes from. This step is about asking the sites to take it down.

Before you start

• Have the notes you made in Step 3, when you looked yourself up. They tell you which sites to start with.
• If you have a separate email address for public use (Step 7 covers this), use it for opt-out requests. That keeps your main email out of one more company's records.
• Some sites ask for information to confirm that you are the person in the report.¹ Give only what the form asks for.

What to do

1. Search a people-search site for yourself. The FTC suggests starting with information like your phone number or address.¹
2. If you find a report about you, look for a link or information about opting out.¹ If you can't find one, search the web for the site's name plus "opt out" or "remove my information."¹
3. Fill out the site's opt-out form. If the site sends you an email to confirm, open it and follow the link to finish. Check your spam folder too.
4. Write down the site, the date, and what you sent. Take a screenshot of any confirmation page.
5. Repeat this on the next site. The FTC describes doing it one by one.¹
6. Check the sites again from time to time for new listings.¹

Your information can come back

Opting out tells a site to stop selling your information. But your information may still show up in reports about your relatives, neighbors, or people you know.¹ And if your public records change, your information could show up for sale again.¹

Opting out also leaves public records in place. Someone could still find public records about you on a government website.¹ Step 12 covers public records, and Step 13 covers checking again over time.

Paying someone to do it

The FTC says you can opt out on your own for free, or pay a service to do it for you.¹ This site does not recommend any service. If you are thinking about one, the FTC suggests asking how many sites it covers, whether it tells you which sites it opted you out of, and how often it checks for information that comes back.¹

Ask Google to remove results with your contact info

Taking down a report on a site is different from removing a search result. Google has a tool called "Results about you." It looks for Google Search results that show your name with your phone number, home address, or email address.² You can then ask Google to remove those results.²

You need a Google account to use it, and some features may not be available everywhere yet.² You can turn on alerts so Google tells you when it finds new results.² Google says that removing a result from Google Search doesn't mean the information is gone from the internet. To remove it at the source, you have to contact the website.² That is why the opt-outs above still matter.

Read Google's help page for Results about you

Tools from some states

Some states have their own tools. For example, California has a free tool called DROP. California residents can use it to send one request asking registered data brokers to delete their personal information and stop selling it.³

This site does not give legal advice. We can't tell you whether a law applies to you or what you should do about it. A licensed lawyer in your state can.

To see what your state offers, go to resources by state.

Last checked: November 8, 2026