How to Remove Yourself From People-Search Sites (2026)
A free, verified opt-out guide — with direct removal links for every major site.
How do you remove yourself from people-search sites? Opt out of the biggest brokers first — Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, Radaris, and the PeopleConnect network (Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate) — each has a free removal page. Expect 24 hours to a few weeks per site; they relist you every 3–6 months, so recheck quarterly or use an automated service.
If you have searched your own name and found your home address, phone number, and relatives on sites you never signed up for, this is how to get them down. It happens because these sites pull from public records and commercial data without asking. Everything below is free — paid services just automate the same opt-outs.
Priority removal list (verified opt-out links, 2026)
Start at the top — these show up most in search results and feed the smaller sites.
| Site | View cost | Free opt-out | Time | Reappears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokeo | Paywall | spokeo.com/optout | 24–72 h | 3–4 mo |
| BeenVerified | Paywall | beenverified.com/f/optout/search | 1–3 days | 3–4 mo |
| Whitepages | Freemium | whitepages.com/suppression-requests | ~24 h | Yes |
| Radaris | Freemium | radaris.com/control-privacy | up to 7 days | Yes |
| PeopleConnect (Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, US Search, Zabasearch) | Paywall | suppression.peopleconnect.us | ~72 h | One opt-out covers all |
| PeopleFinders | Paywall | peoplefinders.com/opt-out | 24–48 h | Yes |
| MyLife | Paywall | mylife.com (Privacy link) | varies | Yes |
| TruePeopleSearch | Free | truepeoplesearch.com/removal | ~15 min | Yes |
| FastPeopleSearch | Free | fastpeoplesearch.com/removal | ~24 h | Yes |
| ThatsThem | Free | thatsthem.com/optout | 24–48 h | Yes |
The manual process, step by step
- Search your own name (add city or state) on the site and open your listing.
- Copy the listing URL from your browser.
- Open the site's opt-out page (above), paste the URL, and enter your email.
- Solve any CAPTCHA and submit the request.
- Click the confirmation link in your email — some expire within 48 hours.
- Re-run the search in a few days to confirm you are gone.
- Repeat for name variations, maiden names, and old addresses — each is a separate profile with its own URL.
Or automate all of it
Opting out of 100+ brokers by hand takes roughly 15–20 hours and has to be repeated every quarter. Removal services do it for you and keep re-filing as you get relisted:
- Optery — free exposure scan, then automated removal across 600+ sites.
- DeleteMe — human-assisted removal with broad broker coverage.
- Incogni — fully automated removal from the Surfshark team.
What to know before you start
- You will reappear. Brokers re-scrape every 3–6 months — recheck quarterly.
- Opt out of aggregators too. Wholesale data brokers (Acxiom, Oracle, LexisNexis) feed the people-search sites, so removing yourself there is more durable.
- Stop pre-screened offers. optoutprescreen.com removes you from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis marketing lists.
- You can only remove yourself. Most sites reject requests made on behalf of other adults — each person must file their own.
Last verified: . Opt-out links and processes checked against each provider's live removal page.