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What are data brokers, and how do you remove yourself?

ยท 4 min read

Search your own name and city online and there is a good chance a site will offer your home address, phone number, age and the names of your relatives, often for free or for a few dollars. Those sites are run by data brokers. This guide explains what data brokers are, why their listings matter, and how to remove yourself, whether you do it on your own or with help.

What is a data broker?

A data broker is a company that collects information about people it has no direct relationship with, combines it into profiles, and sells or licenses those profiles to others. California's data broker law uses almost exactly that idea: a business that knowingly collects and sells the personal information of consumers it doesn't deal with directly.

Brokers come in a few broad types:

  • People-search sites such as Spokeo, Whitepages and BeenVerified. These are the most visible, because anyone can look you up by name, phone number or address.
  • Marketing data companies, which build lists and audience segments for advertisers.
  • Risk and identity companies, which sell data used for fraud checks and identity verification.

This guide focuses on people-search sites, because they publish your details where anyone can see them.

What do they know about you?

A typical people-search listing can include:

  • Your full name, past names and age
  • Current and past home addresses
  • Phone numbers and email addresses
  • Names of relatives and people you have lived with
  • Sometimes property records, court records or estimated income

Much of this comes from public records, purchase data and online activity, stitched together by matching names, addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. We explain the sources in more detail in How people-search sites get your information.

Why it matters

A single listing can give a stranger everything they need to show up at your door, call your phone, or pretend to be you. The practical risks are:

  • Scams and spam calls. Your phone number and relatives' names are raw material for robocalls, phishing texts and impersonation scams.
  • Identity theft. Address history, age and relatives are exactly what criminals use to answer security questions.
  • Stalking and harassment. Removing your home address makes you much harder to find.

Yes. Most people-search sites offer an opt-out, and a growing number of state privacy laws give residents the right to ask businesses to delete their personal information. California's law also lets you use an authorized agent to make requests for you. Since January 1, 2026, Californians can also use the state's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) to send one deletion request to every registered data broker. Our guide to state privacy rights covers what applies where you live.

How to remove yourself: a step-by-step plan

1. Make a list of what to search for

Write down every version of your name you have used, every address from roughly the last ten years, your phone numbers and email addresses. Brokers file listings under all of them, so you will need them to find every record.

2. Find your listings

Search for yourself on the major people-search sites. Look for listings that match on more than one detail, such as name plus city plus age, because many people share a name. Save the web address of each listing you find; most opt-out forms ask for it.

3. Use each site's opt-out process

Every site has its own process. Common patterns:

  • An online form where you paste the listing's address and confirm you are a person.
  • An email confirmation link, sent to your inbox, that you must click to finish.
  • Email-only requests to a privacy address.
  • Identity checks, where the site asks for extra details to confirm the request is really from you.

Give only what the site needs to find and remove the listing. Use an email address you check, because the confirmation link often expires.

4. Watch for broker networks

Many sites share data. One opt-out at PeopleConnect covers Intelius, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder, US Search and others. That is why sites in the same network often change together, and why it pays to check connected sites again after a request.

5. Check again later

A removal is not always permanent. Brokers refresh their data from public records and partners, so a listing can come back, and new sites appear. Make a habit of searching for yourself again, and repeat the opt-out if a listing returns.

What you can't remove this way

Opting out of a broker removes the broker's listing. It doesn't erase the original public records, such as a property deed held by your county, and it doesn't directly edit search engine results. Once a listing is gone, search engines usually drop it over time.

Doing it yourself vs. getting help

Everything above can be done by hand, and it is worth knowing how. The hard part is the volume: dozens of sites, each with its own form, plus listings that return. That is the work ShieldApps Privacy takes on.

How ShieldApps Privacy helps

With ShieldApps Privacy, you fill in one form and sign one authorization that lets us act as your agent. Our systems search the sites on our list that allow automated searches and show you where you are listed, and you choose which listings to remove. Where we support a site's opt-out form, we send the request for you; when a site only takes email or sends a confirmation link, it goes to your own inbox and you finish that step with our prepared message and instructions. We actively monitor for new and returning listings and email you progress reports, and nothing is resubmitted automatically: you decide whether to request a removal again. See plans and pricing.