People-search sites list, with opt-out guides

People-search sites are websites that let anyone look up a person by name, phone number or address and see a profile: current and past addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and sometimes court records. This page lists the US people-search sites in our registry that have a removal guide, grouped so you can work through them in a sensible order. Each link goes to a guide with that site's opt-out route. For every site in the registry, including ones that are not people-search sites, see the broker directory.

The Federal Trade Commission describes people-search sites as data brokers that "may buy information from other data brokers, collect information from social media profiles that are public or viewable by everyone, and compile data from federal, state, and local government public records." Because they publish a profile, they are also the brokers where you can search again afterwards and see whether your listing is still up.

How to use this list

Search for yourself on each site by name, phone number and address. Copy the URL of every listing you find.
Open the guide for that site and follow its opt-out route.
Record what you sent and when, and check back after a few weeks.

The full process is in How to remove yourself from people-search sites, and How to check a removal worked covers the follow-up.

The sites Consumer Reports tested

In its 2023 test of people-search removal, Consumer Reports checked 13 people-search sites. They are a reasonable place to start because an independent tester chose them. Twelve have a guide here:

The thirteenth, Radaris, is not in our published registry yet.

Consumer Reports also reported how each site responded to the removal services it tested. The three sites the services had the most difficulty with were CheckPeople, PublicDataUSA and Intelius; the three that best complied were PeopleFinders, ClustrMaps and ThatsThem. That was a 2023 test of paid services' requests, not of your own opt-out, but it is a hint about where to expect to follow up.

Sites that share an owner

Some people-search sites belong to the same company. That matters because an owner can run one opt-out for several sites, or a separate one for each.

PeopleConnect

PeopleConnect names Intelius, TruthFinder, US Search, Instant Checkmate and Classmates as its brands, and links a privacy center from its own site. Our PeopleConnect network page shows which sites' opt-out links lead to the same suppression center. Sites in that group with guides here:

The Lifetime Value Co. (BeenVerified's family)

PeopleLooker's and Ownerly's privacy policies each say the site "is owned and operated by The Lifetime Value Co. LLC." Our BeenVerified network page lists the sites in that family and its sources. On these sites, you submit an opt-out on each site separately.

Other people-search sites with a guide

These are further people-search sites in our registry. Several have similar names; each is a separate site with its own opt-out.

What to expect when you opt out

The process is different on each site. Consumer Reports wrote in the same report that "the process differs from site to site," that some sites "require users to create accounts and/or divulge information (such as driver's license numbers or current phone numbers) as a prerequisite for opting out," and that some use designs that appear "intended to trick users into signing up for subscriptions or other paid offerings."

A few habits make it easier:

Use a separate email address for the confirmation links many opt-out forms send.
Give only the fields the form requires.
Read each button before you click it, and don't pay to have a listing removed: look for the site's opt-out or privacy page instead.
Keep the URL of each listing. It is the quickest way to check later whether the listing is still up.

Sites this list does not cover

No list is complete, and sites change names and owners. To find others:

Search for yourself. A web search for your full name in quotes with your city, and separately for your phone number, shows which people-search pages rank for you.
Use the state registry. California requires data brokers to register every January, and its registry can be searched or downloaded in full. Not every people-search site is registered, and not every registered broker runs a people-search site; see What is a data broker?.
Check our directory. The broker directory covers every site in our registry, with its category.

Not a people-search site, but similar

Some brokers hold the same kind of information but don't sell it to the public:

Investigator and skip-tracing databases sell locate data to businesses and agencies. Their opt-outs are narrow. See our skip-tracing topic page.
Marketing data brokers such as Acxiom don't publish a profile, so the route is a written request: How to opt out of data brokers.

If you are a California resident, the state's DROP platform sends one deletion request to every registered data broker, which can include people-search sites that are registered. Sites that are not registered need their own opt-out.

Removal is not guaranteed. Some sites don't comply, and listings can return; see why your information reappears.