How to Clean Up or Delete Data Broker Profiles of You

You never signed up with a data broker, yet dozens of them probably know your name, age, home address, phone numbers, relatives and more. They assemble that information from public records, loyalty programs, apps, marketing lists and each other. Some publish it for free to attract advertising. Others sell it to marketers, investigators and anyone with a credit card. Cleaning up those profiles is among the most useful privacy steps you can take, because broker data is how scammers, stalkers and spammers find people. This guide gives you a plan you can follow yourself, with priorities, timelines and ways to keep your listings from coming back.

1. What data brokers are and how they work

Data brokers are companies whose business is information about people. They fall into a few groups.

Type	What they sell or publish	Where you find them
People-search sites	Name, age, address history, phone, relatives	Free search pages, paywalled reports
Marketing data brokers	Lists of consumers by interest or demographics	Sold to advertisers, rarely visible
Risk and verification firms	Identity checks and fraud scoring	Sold to businesses
Background-check sites	Records for tenant and employment screening	Paid reports

The profiles you can see and remove are mainly in the first group. Their data comes from property records, court filings, voter files, phone directories, social media and purchased marketing data. Our overview of everything you need to know about data brokers explains the sources, and who the biggest data brokers are names the key players.

2. Why cleanup matters

A broker profile is a shortcut for anyone who wants to find you or impersonate you. It confirms your birth year, shows where you live and lists the relatives a scammer can pose as. The Federal Trade Commission received about 3 million fraud reports in 2025, with reported losses of $15.9 billion (FTC), and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than a million complaints (FBI IC3). Not all of that traces to brokers, but personal details are the raw material for much of it. Removing profiles also reduces spam calls, junk mail and the risk of harassment.

3. Step 1: Find your profiles

Step 1a: Search yourself

In a private window, search your full name in quotation marks, then add your city, state, phone numbers and email addresses. Try variations such as middle initials, maiden names and nicknames.

Step 1b: Check the major people-search sites

Go directly to the large sites and search them one by one. Use filters for your state and age. Note each URL where your profile appears.

Step 1c: Record your findings

Make a simple tracking sheet with the site name, profile URL, what it shows, the date you submitted a request and the outcome. This sheet will save you hours.

4. Step 2: Prioritize

Not every profile is equally risky. Rank them.

Pages that show your current home address.
Pages that show your phone numbers and email addresses.
Pages that rank highly when someone searches your name.
Pages that list your relatives and past addresses.
Everything else.

Start at the top. A single high-ranking profile with your address is more dangerous than ten obscure ones.

5. Step 3: Submit opt-outs

Each broker has its own process. Typical steps are to find your listing, copy its URL, complete an opt-out form and confirm by email or phone. Use the broker’s official page only.

Spokeo’s opt-out page removes a listing from Spokeo.
The PeopleConnect suppression page covers brands such as Instant Checkmate, Intelius and TruthFinder.
ThatsThem’s opt-out page handles that site.
Other brokers have similar pages; our guide to opting out of the most popular people-search sites lists them.

Use an alias email for confirmations, and be wary of any site that asks for more sensitive details than needed. Our guide to opting out of pre-approved credit offers shows the same careful approach applied to credit marketing lists.

Curious what’s already out there? Wiperts’ 100% Free Diagnosis shows which data brokers are listing your name, home address and phone number. Check your exposure free — it takes about a minute.

6. Step 4: Use state privacy rights

Some states give residents extra tools. California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP, opened to residents on January 1, 2026. A single request can reach every registered broker, and brokers must begin processing requests from August 1, 2026 and check for new requests every 45 days. Learn more at privacy.ca.gov/drop. Other states with consumer privacy laws let residents request deletion and opt out of sale, though the process is broker-by-broker. In New Jersey, Daniel’s Law protects certain public officials and covered persons, and in 2026 a court-ordered change involving Radaris moved its privacy handling to a notice page at radaris.com/control/privacy.

7. Step 5: Verify

Wait two to four weeks, then search each broker again. Check cached search results too. If a profile persists, resubmit and cite your original request date. Update your sheet. If a broker ignores you, note the date and consider filing a complaint with your state attorney general or privacy regulator, depending on your state.

8. Step 6: Monitor

Brokers rebuild. A new address, a new phone number or a new public filing can create a fresh profile. Set a quarterly reminder to re-search your name, and repeat opt-outs when you find a new listing. Understanding why this happens helps: read why your information keeps getting re-added online.

9. Do it yourself, or use a service

Factor	DIY	Removal service
Cost	Free, but costs time	Subscription fee
Effort	Several hours up front, then quarterly	Handled for you
Coverage	Only the sites you find	Wide coverage of known brokers
Monitoring	Manual	Automated and ongoing
Best for	A few high-priority profiles	Broad cleanup and long-term protection

Neither is wrong. If you have time and want to start with the highest-risk pages, DIY works. If your goal is broad, ongoing coverage, a service saves effort.

10. What cleanup cannot do

Be realistic. Opting out removes your listing from a broker’s site, but it does not erase the underlying public records that fed it. Property records, court filings and voter files remain public in many places. Data in breaches circulates beyond any broker. And some brokers sell data to others who may republish it. The goal is to remove the profiles that make you easy to find, and then keep them gone.

11. Writing an effective opt-out request

Most brokers use web forms, but when you must email or write, a clear request gets faster results. State your name and the exact URL of the listing, say that you are requesting removal of your personal information and any related records, and cite any legal right that applies in your state. Ask for written confirmation and a timeline. Keep the message short and factual, and avoid sharing more personal data than needed to identify the listing.

Save a copy of every submission and confirmation with the date. If a broker replies asking for identification documents, confirm that the request is genuine and the channel is the broker’s official one before sending anything, and offer redacted copies where possible. If a broker does not respond within the period it states, send one polite follow-up, then escalate to your state attorney general’s consumer complaint process if your state offers one. Persistent, documented follow-up resolves a surprising share of stubborn cases.

12. Three scenarios and what to do

Scenario 1: You found your address on a page that ranks first for your name. Opt out of that site first, request search-result removal and then work through the other people-search sites.

Scenario 2: You live in California. Create a DROP request and also opt out of the largest people-search sites directly, since not every site covers every record. Verify results after processing begins.

Scenario 3: Your profile keeps reappearing. Review recent changes that might have created new records, such as a move or a new phone number. Re-submit and consider monitoring.

13. What to expect: a realistic timeline

Step	Typical time
Searching and listing profiles	1 to 2 hours
Submitting the first opt-outs	2 to 3 hours
Broker processing	Days to four weeks
Re-check and resubmissions	15 minutes per site
Re-listing	One to three months

14. Common mistakes

Opting out on a lookalike site that is not the real broker.
Using your main email for confirmations.
Not recording requests.
Removing one site and ignoring its sister sites.
Believing the work is finished after one pass.
Uploading ID documents when not required.

15. How Wiperts fits

Doing this yourself works, but it never ends. Wiperts scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites for your personal information, submits the removal requests, removes your personal results from Google and Bing, blurs your home on maps and monitors around the clock so that profiles that reappear are removed again.

Start with the free diagnosis to see which brokers hold a profile for you.

100% Free Diagnosis: Check Your Exposure

Find out what data brokers have on you. Enter your details in the free scanner on the Wiperts homepage:

First Name
Last Name
Select State
Email Address
Website

Scan Databases Now — no payment is needed to see your exposure report.

16. Key takeaways

Brokers build profiles from public records and purchased data.
Prioritize pages that show your address and phone number.
Opt out through official pages, verify after a few weeks and re-check quarterly.
Use state tools such as California DROP, and consider a service for ongoing coverage.

Pick the Wiperts plan that fits your household

Plan	Covers	One-time deep scrub	Then
Individual	1 person	$89	$14/month
Couples (most popular)	2 people	$149	$24/month
Family	Up to 4 people	$199	$39/month

Every plan includes removal of your name, date of birth, salary, home address and phone number from 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, Google and Bing search-result removal, home blurring on maps, and 24/7 monitoring that re-removes your data if it reappears. See plans and start your removal

17. Frequently Asked Questions

What is a data broker?

A data broker is a company that collects personal information from public records, purchases and online sources, assembles it into profiles and sells or publishes it. People-search sites, marketing list sellers and risk-scoring firms are common types.

Can I delete my data from data brokers?

You can opt out of most of them. Many provide a form or privacy request page, and some state laws require them to honor deletion requests. Each broker is separate, so you must repeat the process site by site.

How many data brokers are there?

Hundreds operate in the United States, and state registries list many of them. A core group of people-search sites accounts for most of the publicly visible profiles, so start there.

How long does a data broker take to remove a profile?

Most remove public listings within a few days to four weeks after a valid request, though some take longer. Search the site again after two to four weeks to confirm the profile is gone.

Why does my information come back after I opt out?

Brokers rebuild profiles from new records and data purchases. A new address, phone number or public filing can create a fresh listing, so periodic re-checks or monitoring are needed.

Is it safe to give a broker my information to opt out?

You usually have to provide enough to identify the listing, such as a name and a profile URL. Use an alias email where possible, avoid uploading ID unless required, and use only the broker’s official page.

Sources

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