Ever wondered how strangers can sometimes find your name, phone number, address, or other personal details online?
A lot of this information can come from data broker sites, companies that collect personal information from various sources, compile it into profiles, and make those details available online.
You may never have visited these sites or knowingly given them your information, but your details could still be out there. If you’ve read our post on bank impersonation scams, this is exactly where that information often comes from.
Let me show you how to remove your information from the internet step by step.
1. Understand Where This Information Actually Comes From
Before you start deleting things, it helps to know what you’re dealing with.
Data brokers are companies that collect personal information from public records, old accounts, app permissions, and other data brokers, then package it up and sell it. Some sell it to advertisers. Some sell it to “people search” sites. Some sell it to literally anyone with a credit card.
Some of this information comes from records that are legally public, such as property records and court filings. Other information may come from terms and conditions or permissions you agreed to without realising what they allowed.
That’s why how to remove your personal information from the internet isn’t just about deleting one profile.
Data brokers can collect new information over time, so keeping your details off these sites is more of an ongoing task than a one-time job.
2. If You Live in California, Start With DROP
This is genuinely new, and it’s a big deal if you’re a California resident.
As of January 1, 2026, California residents can use a free tool called DROP (Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform), run by the California Privacy Protection Agency. Instead of opting out of hundreds of data broker sites one at a time, you submit one request through DROP, and it gets sent to every broker registered with the state.
As of August 1, 2026, registered brokers are legally required to check DROP regularly and act on deletion requests.
How to use DROP
- Go to privacy.ca.gov and find the DROP tool
- Verify that you’re a California resident
- Submit your deletion request
- Give it time. Brokers are required to check the queue and process requests on a rolling basis, not instantly.
If you don’t live in California, you can still follow the rest of this guide. You’ll need to contact data brokers individually for now.
3. Opt Out of the Major People-Search Sites
This is the part that actually takes some time, but it’s the highest-impact step for most people. These are the sites most likely to show up when someone searches your name.
Whitepages
Search your name on Whitepages, find your listing, and use their opt-out request form to ask for removal. Confirmation is usually sent by email. Don’t skip that step or the removal won’t go through.
Spokeo
Spokeo has a dedicated opt-out page. Search for your profile, copy the URL of your listing, paste it into their removal form, and confirm via email.
BeenVerified
BeenVerified requires you to locate your specific record first, then submit an opt-out request tied to that listing. Like the others, check your email to confirm.
Intelius
Intelius runs a similar process. Find your listing, submit the opt-out request, confirm by email. Intelius is also linked to several other broker sites under the same parent company, so removing yourself here sometimes clears up more than one listing.
Radaris
Good news, you don’t need to opt out. The site was shut down by court order in August 2026 after violating a New Jersey privacy law. If you’d previously found yourself listed there, that listing no longer exists.
MyLife
MyLife is known for making removal slightly more tedious than the others. Persist through their opt-out flow and confirm by email; if it resurfaces, repeat the process.
ZabaSearch
ZabaSearch pulls from public records and doesn’t always offer a clean self-serve removal option. In some cases, the fastest fix is opting out of the original public-record source it pulls from.
A pattern you’ll notice:
Almost every broker requires you to
(1) find your specific listing,
(2) submit a removal request tied to that exact listing, and
(3) confirm through email.
Don’t skip the email confirmation. Your request may not be completed until you confirm it.
4. Remove Yourself From Google Search Results Directly
Even after brokers remove your data, old cached pages can still show up in search results for a while.
If you’re wondering how can you remove your information from the internet when it appears in search results, this is an important step.
Google has a built-in tool for this:
- Search “Google Results About You”
- Sign in and follow the setup
- Submit specific URLs you want reviewed for removal from Google’s search results
Keep in mind that this doesn’t delete the information from the original website. It only asks Google to remove the result from its search results. That can still make your information much harder for someone to find through a simple Google search.
5. Consider Using a Paid Removal Service
By now, you may have realised that removing your information manually can take a lot of time.
That’s where services such as Incogni and DeleteMe come in.
These services can handle opt-out requests for you across many data broker sites. They also check again periodically because your information can reappear.
Whether this is worth paying for depends on how much of your own time it saves you. If you’ve got 20 minutes to spare a month and don’t mind repeating the process, doing it manually works fine. If you’d rather not think about it again, a paid service does the repeat work for you.
If you already use Surfshark or another privacy tool as part of your setup, adding a data removal service is a natural next layer. A VPN helps protect your internet connection, while a data removal service helps remove personal information that’s already available online.
6. Make This a Recurring Habit, Not a One-Time Fix
Here’s something important to remember: removing your information once doesn’t mean it will stay gone forever.
Data brokers can collect new information from public records and other sources. Your details may also appear on another broker’s website later.
A simple routine can help:
- Every 3–6 months, search your own name and phone number
- Check whether your personal information has appeared on any new people-search sites.
- Repeat the opt-out process for anything that’s resurfaced
- If you’re in California, resubmit through DROP if a broker seems to be ignoring it
This is the same logic behind checking your accounts after a data breach. It’s not about doing it once perfectly, it’s about not letting your guard down permanently.
FAQ: how to Remove Your Information From the Internet
Is it free to remove your information from the internet?
Yes. Every broker listed above offers a free opt-out process, and California residents can use DROP for free. Paid services like Incogni or DeleteMe exist to save you time by automating this, not because removal itself requires payment.
How long does it take for a data broker to remove my information?
It varies by broker, typically anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Under California’s Delete Act, registered brokers must check DROP requests at least every 45 days, so if you’re using DROP, that’s a reasonable timeframe to expect a response.
Why did my information come back after I removed it?
Brokers re-collect data from public records and other brokers on an ongoing basis. This isn’t a sign your original request failed — it’s just how the industry works, which is why this needs to be a repeated habit, not a one-time task.
Is DeleteMe or Incogni worth it?
If your time is limited or you’d rather not repeat this process manually every few months then yes I would recommend taking help of these services.
Knowing how to remove your personal information from the internet is only the first step. Removing yourself from data broker sites won’t make you completely invisible online, but it can reduce the amount of personal information that’s easily available to strangers and scammers.
Combine it with a strong, unique password setup, and you’re taking two important steps to protect your personal information online.
Reclaim your digital freedom, take charge of your information. Your data, your decision.
