Remove Yourself from Kochava — Steps, Timeline & What Comes Back (2026)

Most relevant if this is you:Privacy for high-net-worth households

What is Kochava?

Mobile attribution/analytics firm and location-data broker that collected and sold precise geolocation, MAIDs, app usage and income data from hundreds of millions of devices. Its data-broker business is now run through subsidiary Collective Data Solutions (CDS). Unlike consumer people-search sites, Kochava does not offer a public profile lookup — but it still holds and sells your personal data.

What data Kochava has on you

Kochava collects consumer data in bulk for advertisers and data resellers. You cannot look yourself up, but here is what they typically hold:

• location/geolocation data (precise GPS)
• mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs)
• device identifiers
• app usage
• income/financial indicators, estimated from occupation, property, and demographic models
• consumer profiles

Not every profile contains all categories. Depth depends on what public records exist in your jurisdiction and how much commercial data has been linked to your identity. For most adults with any public record history, Kochava has enough to paint a detailed picture.

How to opt out of Kochava: step by step

1. Submit Kochava's consumer opt-out web form to be placed on its opt-out 'blacklist' barring all use (per the class-action settlement finalized Nov 2025)
2. Provide your MAID to identify your data
3. iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking > turn off 'Allow Apps to Request to Track'
4. Android: Settings > Privacy > Ads > delete/reset advertising ID
5. Limit app location permissions
6. Under the FTC settlement you may request names of buyers of your precise location data and withdraw consent

How long does Kochava removal take?

After you complete the opt-out, Kochava typically processes removals within Not specified; opt-out adds you to a permanent blacklist barring future use. By broker standards, that is about average — many sites take 7 to 45 days.

The catch: your data comes back

The most important thing to understand about Kochava removal: it is temporary.

Per the Nov 2025 class-action settlement and the May 2026 FTC settlement, opting out places you on a blacklist preventing all future use (incl. ML). Raw location data already sold/licensed persists. Opt-out is device/MAID-specific — new device requires re-opt-out. Legacy SDK data retained for Kochava's own benefit to be deleted.

This is not unique to Kochava. Every data broker works this way. Your opt-out removes one listing. It does not stop the data pipeline. The only way to stay off permanently is to repeat the process every few months yourself, or use a service that detects re-listings and re-submits automatically.

What Kochava's opt-out does not cover

• Other brokers are not affected. Removing yourself from Kochava does nothing to Collective Data Solutions (CDS), or the dozens of other sites where your data is exposed. Each requires its own opt-out.
• Cached copies may persist. Google and other search engines may cache your Kochava profile for days or weeks after it is removed. Use Google's content removal tool to request de-indexing.
• Multiple profiles may exist. If you have lived in multiple states, changed your name, or have multiple phone numbers, Kochava may have built separate profiles for each variation. Search and opt out of each.

Tips for a successful opt-out

Use a dedicated email. Use an alias or a separate account for removal requests. Keeps your primary inbox out of Kochava's system and keeps confirmation emails organized.

Search every angle. Do not just search by name. Try phone number and email too. You may have more than one listing.

Document the request. Screenshot the confirmation page and save the confirmation email. Useful if you ever need to prove you requested removal.

Or skip the manual work entirely

Wholesale data brokers like Kochava are the hardest to manage — you cannot even look yourself up on most of them. Delist scans these sources alongside people-search sites and handles opt-outs where no consumer-facing tool exists.

Frequently asked questions