Data brokers, opt-outs and your rights
How people-search sites and data brokers work, how to ask them to remove you, and what the law lets you require. Every article lists the sources it relies on.
The basics
What two independent studies found when they tested paid data removal services against doing it yourself, and the questions to ask before paying.
A list of US people-search sites grouped by who runs them, with a removal guide for each, plus how to find sites this list does not cover.
What the law means by a data broker, where brokers get personal information, the kinds of brokers there are, and how to find the ones that must register.
How to opt out
What a state address confidentiality program (Safe at Home) does, who runs it, how to enroll, and how it fits with people-search opt-outs.
How to find the data brokers that hold your information, the requests state privacy laws let you send, a letter template, and what brokers may refuse.
How OptOutPrescreen.com works, the five-year and permanent options, what it asks for, and what it does not stop. Based on the FCRA and FTC guidance.
How to ask people-search and property-lookup sites to stop showing your home address, what to expect from public records, and what to check after.
How to ask people-search and reverse-phone sites to take down your number, what each request usually needs, and why Do Not Call doesn't cover it.
How DMAchoice, the prescreen opt-out and requests to marketing data companies reduce junk mail, what each costs, and what each leaves untouched.
A step-by-step process for finding your listings on people-search sites, using each site's opt-out, keeping records, and checking back afterwards.
How Google's Results about you tool works, what it covers, and why a removed search result still exists on the site that published it.
How to register a number at DoNotCall.gov, which calls still reach you, how to report a violation, and why it doesn't touch people-search listings.
Laws and your rights
A copy-ready California deletion and opt-out letter citing Civ. Code §1798.105 and §1798.120, with the 45-day deadline and what to do after you send it.
Who is a covered person under New Jersey's Daniel's Law, the written notice that starts the 10-business-day clock, and the OIP's role for public records.
How the Fair Credit Reporting Act limits old records in background checks, why convictions are different, and how to get and dispute your file.
A copy-ready UK GDPR and EU GDPR Article 17 request, paired with the Article 21(2) marketing objection, plus the one-month deadline and how to complain.
How to ask a business to stop using and delete your information under PIPEDA, what Quebec's Law 25 adds, and how to complain to the OPC or the CAI.
The states whose comprehensive privacy laws include a right to delete, the usual 45-day deadline and appeal step, and a letter you can send under them.
After you file
Legal deadlines for deletion and opt-out requests in California, other US states and the UK, DROP's schedule, and how fast opt-outs took effect in testing.
How to confirm a people-search opt-out took effect, find a listing that moved, clear stale search results, and what you can check for other brokers.
A credit freeze is free, lasts until you lift it, and must be placed at each bureau. How to place one, lift it, and what it does not cover.
How to ask people-search sites to take down a relative's profile after a death, what privacy laws cover, and the related mail and credit steps.
What to do when a data broker misses its deadline: a follow-up letter, the appeal step, and which regulator takes complaints in the US, UK, EU and Canada.
Why a people-search listing can return after an opt-out, what the FTC and California say about it, and how to catch and handle a returning listing.