In 2026 the question is no longer whether your personal information is online, but how much, where, and whether you can do anything about it. There is good news. Several new tools and laws make removal easier than it was a year ago, including California’s one-stop deletion platform and a major expansion of Google’s removal tool. There is also bad news: scams keep growing, and data brokers keep refreshing their records. This is the complete 2026 guide, updated with what has changed and organized so you can decide what to do yourself and what to hand off.
1. The state of personal data in 2026
Government data shows the scale of the problem. The FTC reports that consumers lost $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025, up from more than $12 billion in 2024, with imposter scams the most frequently reported category (FTC). The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 and tallied $20.877 billion in losses, a 26 percent increase from 2024; victims aged 60 and older reported $7.7 billion (FBI IC3).
Scammers do not need advanced hacking when a profile shows your name, address, phone number and relatives. Public listings are the raw material for the impersonation calls and phishing texts that dominate those statistics. That is the practical reason to remove them.
2. What changed in 2026
| Development | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| California DROP opened January 1, 2026 | California residents can send one deletion request to all registered data brokers; brokers must process requests starting August 1, 2026 and every 45 days after |
| Google Results about you expansion (February 2026) | You can monitor and request removal of results containing government ID numbers, in addition to addresses and phone numbers |
| New state privacy laws | More states, including Indiana, Kentucky and Rhode Island, started enforcing laws on January 1, 2026, giving more residents access and deletion rights |
| Court actions against data brokers | Courts have taken action against some people-search operators, which can change how a given site responds to removal requests |
For the DROP details, see the California Privacy Protection Agency’s DROP page. Not every change applies to every reader, but together they make removal easier than before.
3. The five layers of removal
Think of your exposure as five layers and clear them in order.
- Data brokers and people-search sites. The profiles that show your address and phone number.
- Search engines. The results that point to those pages.
- Accounts and apps. Services where you hold a login.
- Social media. Public posts, photos and profile details.
- Records. Court, property and government databases.
4. Step-by-step: how to remove your personal information
Step 1: Find what is out there
Search your name, address and phone number, in quotation marks, on Google and Bing. Then check the large people-search sites by name. Note each result in a spreadsheet. Our guide to everything you need to know about data brokers explains what each type holds.
Step 2: Opt out of people-search sites
Submit the official opt-out forms. For example, Spokeo needs the listing URL and an email confirmation. Work through the main sites using our people-search opt-out guide and the data broker cleanup guide.
Step 3: If you live in California, use DROP
California residents can use the state’s DROP platform to send a single deletion request to every registered data broker. It does not cover every site, so keep doing manual opt-outs for non-registered or non-covered ones.
Step 4: Clean up search results
Use Google’s Results about you tool to monitor for your contact details and ID numbers and to request removal. Google also lets you request removal of outdated results. Follow our guide to removing your personal information from Google. Search engines such as Bing have similar forms.
Step 5: Delete old accounts
Inventory your accounts, download what you need and delete the rest. Our companion guide on deleting your information account by account provides a template.
Step 6: Tighten social and device settings
Set profiles to private, remove phone numbers and birth dates, review tags and turn off precise location. See Facebook privacy settings and iPhone and Android privacy settings.
Step 7: Freeze your credit
A credit freeze is free and prevents new accounts from being opened with your details. See what a credit freeze is, and use the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov if you suspect misuse.
Step 8: Monitor and repeat
Set reminders to re-search every 30 to 90 days, or use automated monitoring. Read why your information keeps getting re-added online.
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.
5. What you can and cannot remove
| Type | Removable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| People-search profiles | Yes, usually | Opt-out forms; may reappear |
| Marketing database entries | Partly | Do-not-sell and deletion requests |
| Google results | Often | Removal requests; source remains |
| Social posts | Yes | Delete or restrict |
| Old accounts | Often | Delete or request deletion |
| Court and property records | Rarely | Court processes (sealing, expungement) |
| Archived web pages | Rarely | Requests to site owners |
| Government records | Rarely | Governed by specific laws |
For court-record paths, see how to remove your criminal record from the internet. For the data you cannot control, the goal shifts to making it harder to find and reducing its use.
6. What the effort looks like: time and cost
People underestimate how long manual removal takes. As a rough guide, a person with an average footprint can expect the following:
| Task | First pass | Ongoing |
|---|---|---|
| Audit (search engines and top brokers) | 1–2 hours | 30 minutes every quarter |
| Opt out of 15–20 major people-search sites | 3–5 hours | 2 hours every quarter for relistings |
| Google result removal requests | 1 hour | 30 minutes as needed |
| Account inventory and deletion | 2–4 hours | 1 hour per year |
| Credit freeze at three bureaus | 30 minutes | As needed |
| Total | 7–12 hours | ~10 hours per year |
Services charge for the time you do not spend. Wiperts, for example, charges a one-time deep scrub and a monthly fee, shown in the plans below.
7. Five myths about personal data removal
- “If I delete my social media, I am invisible.” Brokers do not need your social accounts; they use records and commercial data.
- “One opt-out and I am done.” Brokers refresh data, so listings return.
- “Only criminals need privacy.” Anyone can be targeted by a scam, a stalker or an identity thief.
- “It is illegal for these sites to list me.” Most people-search sites operate lawfully with public records; the remedy is opting out, not suing.
- “A VPN removes my data.” A VPN hides your connection, not records that already exist. See how to stay anonymous online.
8. Do it yourself or hire a service?
| Factor | Do it yourself | Use a removal service |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Monthly fee |
| Time | Many hours up front, then recurring | Minutes to set up |
| Coverage | Only the sites you find | Large, maintained broker list |
| Repeat checks | You must remember | Automatic |
| Control | Full | Delegated |
If you want a deeper comparison, read are data removal companies worth the price. Services make the most sense when you want ongoing protection, have a household to cover or have a safety reason to stay hidden.
9. Special situations
- Stalking or abuse. Prioritize your address and phone number and read strategies to prevent online stalking. The Department of Justice’s stalking overview is a useful reference.
- After a breach. Freeze credit, change passwords and follow the FTC’s steps; see our data breach response planner.
- Family. Profiles list spouses and children, so plan the work for the household. Read securing family member data online.
- Public-facing jobs. Remove home details while keeping professional information visible.
10. Common mistakes
- Skipping the credit freeze.
- Removing from one site and ignoring the rest.
- Paying for “removal” tools from unknown websites.
- Forgetting to re-check.
- Overlooking family members’ profiles.
- Deleting professional profiles you need.
11. Why Wiperts
Wiperts exists for people who want the result without the hours. It scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites for your name, address, phone number and relatives, then submits removal and deletion requests on your behalf. It also removes your personal results from Google and Bing, blurs your home on maps, and monitors 24/7 so that when a profile reappears, a new request goes out.
Start by seeing your exposure. The scan is free.
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.
12. Key takeaways
- Removal is possible for most of what exposes you, not for everything.
- 2026 brings new tools: California’s DROP and an expanded Google tool.
- Work in layers: brokers, search, accounts, social, records.
- Freeze your credit and repeat your checks.
- Choose automation if you want protection to last.
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
13. Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to remove all of my personal information from the internet?
Not all, but most of what makes you easy to find. You can remove data broker profiles, many search results, old accounts and social content. Public records, archived news and other people’s posts are harder or impossible to remove.
What changed in 2026 for personal data removal?
California’s DROP platform opened to residents on January 1, 2026, and registered data brokers must process requests from August 1, 2026. Google also expanded its Results about you tool in February 2026 to cover government ID numbers. A few more states added privacy laws as well.
Is it better to remove data myself or hire a service?
Doing it yourself is free but takes many hours and needs repeating. A service automates submissions and monitoring for a monthly fee. If you value your time or need ongoing protection, a service usually makes sense.
How much does it cost to remove personal information?
Manual removal costs nothing but time. Paid services charge a one-time setup and a monthly fee; Wiperts, for example, starts at $89 for the deep scrub and $14 per month for one person.
How do I know if my information is online?
Search your name, address and phone number on major search engines and people-search sites, or run a free exposure scan that checks many data brokers at once.
How often should I check?
Check every 30 to 90 days for the first six months, then at least twice a year. Brokers refresh their data from public records and marketing sources, so listings can reappear. Put reminders in your calendar, or use a monitoring service so that new listings are caught and re-removed without your attention.
Sources
- FTC
- FBI IC3
- California Privacy Protection Agency’s DROP page
- Spokeo
- IdentityTheft.gov
- stalking overview
Related Reading
- 7-Day Plan to Remove Your Personal Information Online
- Delete Your Information From the Internet: Account Cleanup Guide
- How to Remove Your Personal Information From Google
- How to Clean Up or Delete Data Broker Profiles of You
- What Is a Credit Freeze? How to Place, Lift and Use It in 2026
- Everything You Need to Know About Data Brokers in 2026
- Are Data Removal Companies Worth the Price?
- Why Does My Information Keep Getting Re-added Online?
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