The data broker opt-out guide

Start with listings that belong to you

Search your name and relevant locations. Compare the listing's address history and other identifying data with your own. A shared name alone is not enough. Save the exact listing URL and the date you checked it. If several listings belong to you, record each one rather than assuming one request reaches them all.

Prioritize the pages exposing data you want removed. There is no universal list of brokers that accounts for everyone's exposure. A free scan can help locate possible matches; review them before requesting removal.

PeopleConnect: what one suppression request covers

PeopleConnect's terms name Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search as services where its tool manages display of name-search background reports. Suppression does not establish deletion of underlying data or coverage of every directory associated with those brands.

1. Open the PeopleConnect Suppression Center and read its current eligibility and verification requirements.
2. Follow the tool's identity-matching instructions. Select only reports that belong to you.
3. Complete the suppression settings and save the confirmation. Verification alone is not proof that suppression was selected.
4. Check the relevant report after processing. Record any result you cannot verify.

Separate routes matter. PeopleSmart appears in The Lifetime Value Company's brand list. Do not include it in a PeopleConnect request. Do not assume a Classmates account, AnyWho listing or Addresses.com listing is removed without checking that site's current instructions and the affected listing. Shared ownership alone does not establish shared suppression.

Choose the current route for each broker

Use the site's own privacy or opt-out page. Provider forms, confirmation steps and timing can change. These DIY guides give more detail; check the linked official route before submitting:

• Spokeo and Whitepages
• BeenVerified and PeopleSmart
• FastPeopleSearch and TruePeopleSearch
• Radaris, PeopleFinders and MyLife
• Nuwber and Social Catfish
• PeopleConnect, one suppression tool for name-search reports on four named services; ThatsThem, a people-search site that needs its own request; and ContactOut, a business contact database

The resources hub lists more DIY guides. A guide's existence is not a claim that Delist can submit or verify every route on your behalf.

Use the rights that apply to your request

CCPA rights belong to California residents, subject to business coverage and data exceptions. Elsewhere, check your state's law or use the broker's voluntary channel. Do not assert a residency or legal right you do not have.

Eligible California residents can use DROP, the free state platform, instead of identifying each participating broker individually. See California privacy rights. Direct requests remain useful for sources outside its scope.

A request you can adapt

For a provider that accepts email requests, use this starting point. Add legal grounds only when they apply. Use the official form instead if the provider requires it.

Subject: Request to remove my public listing

Please remove or suppress my public listing at:
[EXACT LISTING URL]

My name is [NAME] and the listing relates to [CITY, STATE].
Please explain any verification you require and confirm the outcome,
including whether the listing is suppressed or the underlying data is deleted.

Thank you,
[NAME]

When the process fails or asks for more data

A link expired: follow the provider's current resend instructions. There is no shared confirmation-link lifetime across brokers. Check your inbox and spam folder without repeatedly submitting duplicate requests.

A page is blocked: try its normal route in an updated browser. A CAPTCHA or access denial is not a removal result. If access still fails, use the privacy contact published by the provider.

A document is requested: verify the recipient and purpose through the provider's official policy. Ask whether less sensitive evidence is accepted and what can be redacted. Do not send identity documents to an unverified address or upload unrelated data.

A request is denied: save the reason. A wrong match, incomplete verification, scope limit or exemption calls for a different next step. Check the appeal route and the law that applies before making a complaint.

Read the result without overstating it

• Submitted: the request was sent; the listing may still be live.
• Provider confirmed: the provider says it acted; record exactly what it confirmed.
• Suppressed: display or use is limited through that route; this does not establish deletion of source records.
• Listing no longer visible: record the URL, date and check method. A single search miss does not prove every copy is gone.
• Inconclusive: the listing could not be checked. Keep that uncertainty visible.

A worked evidence example

Illustrative example only: Example Site, the listing URL and request reference below are fictional. These are not customer results, a provider transcript or a demonstration of Delist's scheduled verification.

Keep provider statements and direct observations separate. A screenshot should show the page and check context; a screenshot of a blocked page proves only that access was blocked. Publish examples only with permission and appropriate redaction, or label them illustrative as this one is.

Listings can return as public records or partner data change. Choose a recheck schedule that fits your situation; there is no universal reappearance window. A new listing needs its own matching and request review.

If a result remains on Google after its source changed, use the outdated-content route. Eligible personal-data removals can also be requested while a source remains live. See Google and Bing removal options.

DIY and a paid service

DIY gives you direct control but requires tracking each request. Before paying a service, check its supported routes, authorization, customer-owned steps and evidence standards. Monitoring does not by itself establish automatic re-submission or successful removal. Delist's pricing page explains the current paid offer.

When a request stalls

Use the failed-step guide to distinguish a missing confirmation, identity check, processing delay, duplicate record and stale search result. Review identity-verification requirements before sending additional personal data. Keep each observation in the private tracker; no universal processing or confirmation-link deadline applies to every broker.

Frequently asked questions