The Complete Data Broker Opt-Out Guide: 20+ Brokers with Step-by-Step Instructions

Opting out of data brokers is one of the most effective things you can do to protect your privacy online. The problem is that there are thousands of brokers, and each one has its own removal process. This guide covers the 20+ brokers most likely to have your information, organized by priority.

A few things to know before you start:

Total estimated time for all brokers in this guide: 8 to 15 hours
You will need: A dedicated email address (consider creating one just for opt-outs), your phone number for verification calls, and patience
Reappearance rate: 30 to 40% of removed data comes back within 90 days, so plan to revisit this process quarterly
Consumer Reports found that manual opt-outs achieve roughly 70% effectiveness within the first week

Tier 1: The Big Five (Start Here)

These brokers have the most traffic and are most likely to appear when someone searches for your name. Removing yourself from these five will have the biggest immediate impact.

1. Spokeo

URL: spokeo.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Search for your listing, copy the profile URL, go to spokeo.com/optout, paste the URL, enter your email, confirm via email link. Repeat for each listing.

2. BeenVerified

URL: beenverified.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Go to beenverified.com/app/optout/search, find your record, verify with email, confirm via email link. Note: subsidiary sites (NumberGuru, NeighborWho) require separate opt-outs.

3. Whitepages

URL: whitepages.com
Opt-out method: Online form with phone verification
Time: 15 to 25 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Find your listing, copy the URL, go to whitepages.com/suppression-requests, paste URL, verify by automated phone call. Whitepages Premium and Pro need separate requests.

4. PeopleFinder

URL: peoplefinder.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Go to peoplefinder.com/optout, fill out the form, complete CAPTCHA, confirm via email. Processing takes 48 to 72 hours.

5. Radaris

URL: radaris.com
Opt-out method: Account required
Time: 15 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Hard
Process: Create a Radaris account, find your profile, select "Control Information" or "Remove Record," follow prompts. Their process changes periodically and removals can be slow.

Tier 2: High-Traffic People-Search Sites

These sites get significant search traffic and are commonly used for background checks and people searches.

6. Intelius

URL: intelius.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Go to intelius.com/opt-out, search for your record, select it, provide your email for verification, confirm. Intelius owns several other sites (see below).

7. US Search

URL: ussearch.com
Opt-out method: Online form (via Intelius)
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Owned by Intelius. Use the same opt-out process at intelius.com/opt-out. Opting out of Intelius should cover US Search, but verify separately.

8. ThatsThem

URL: thatsthem.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Find your listing on the site, click the opt-out link on your profile page, fill out the form, submit. No email verification required.

9. TruePeopleSearch

URL: truepeoplesearch.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Find your listing, click "Remove This Record" at the bottom of your profile, complete the CAPTCHA, confirm. Relatively straightforward.

10. FastPeopleSearch

URL: fastpeoplesearch.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Find your listing, scroll to the bottom of your profile, click the removal link, fill out the form. Processing usually takes 24 to 48 hours.

11. Nuwber

URL: nuwber.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Go to nuwber.com/removal, search for your listing, select it, provide your email, verify. May require multiple attempts.

12. ClustrMaps / InstantCheckmate

URL: instantcheckmate.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Go to instantcheckmate.com/opt-out, search for your record, confirm identity via email. Owned by the same parent company as TruthFinder.

Tier 3: Background Check and Specialty Brokers

These brokers focus on background checks, property records, or specialized data. They may be less visible in casual searches but are frequently used by employers, landlords, and investigators.

13. TruthFinder

URL: truthfinder.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Go to truthfinder.com/opt-out, search for your record, verify via email. Same parent company as InstantCheckmate; opting out of one does not cover the other.

14. MyLife

URL: mylife.com
Opt-out method: Phone or email
Time: 15 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Hard
Process: MyLife is notoriously difficult. You may need to call their customer service number, email privacy@mylife.com, or both. They may try to upsell you on monitoring services during the call. Be persistent.

15. Pipl

URL: pipl.com
Opt-out method: Email
Time: 10 to 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Send an email to support@pipl.com requesting removal. Include your full name, email addresses, and phone numbers associated with your profile. Response times vary.

16. LexisNexis

URL: lexisnexis.com
Opt-out method: Online form or mail
Time: 20 to 45 minutes
Difficulty: Hard
Process: Go to consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request to submit a data freeze or opt-out. You will need to provide identification documents. Alternatively, mail a written request. LexisNexis is FCRA-regulated, so they have legal obligations but the process is bureaucratic.

17. Acxiom

URL: acxiom.com
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Go to isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx, fill out the form with your information, submit. Acxiom is one of the largest data brokers in the world but their opt-out process is relatively straightforward.

18. Oracle Data Cloud (formerly Datalogix)

URL: oracle.com/legal/privacy
Opt-out method: Online form
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Navigate to Oracle's privacy portal, find the data marketplace opt-out section, submit your request. Oracle acquired several major data brokers and consolidated them.

19. Epsilon

URL: epsilon.com
Opt-out method: Online form or mail
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Go to epsilon.com/privacy-policy and follow the opt-out links. You can also mail a request to their privacy office. Epsilon is one of the largest direct marketing data brokers.

20. Equifax (marketing data)

URL: equifax.com
Opt-out method: Online form or phone
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Process: Beyond your credit report, Equifax sells marketing data. Go to equifax.com and look for their marketing opt-out page, or call 1-888-567-8688. This is separate from a credit freeze.

Tier 4: Marketing and Advertising Opt-Outs

These are industry-wide opt-out mechanisms that cover multiple brokers at once.

21. DMAchoice (Direct Marketing Association)

URL: dmachoice.thedma.org
Opt-out method: Online registration
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Register and select your preferences for mail, email, and telemarketing. This notifies DMA member companies of your opt-out preferences. Costs $4 for a 10-year registration.

22. OptOutPrescreen

URL: optoutprescreen.com
Opt-out method: Online or phone
Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: This stops pre-approved credit and insurance offers. Choose either a 5-year online opt-out or permanent opt-out by mail. Call 1-888-567-8688 or visit the website.

23. Network Advertising Initiative

URL: optout.networkadvertising.org
Opt-out method: Online
Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Process: Visit the opt-out page to disable targeted advertising from member companies across your browsers. This covers online behavioral advertising specifically.

The Maintenance Problem

If you have worked through this entire list, you have spent somewhere between 8 and 15 hours on opt-out requests. That is a significant investment, and it covers only a fraction of the estimated 4,000 to 5,000 data brokers operating globally.

The bigger issue is maintenance. Research consistently shows that 30 to 40% of removed data reappears within 90 days. Brokers continuously ingest new data from public records, purchase histories, and data-sharing partnerships. A successful opt-out today does not guarantee your data stays removed tomorrow.

To maintain your privacy, you would need to repeat this process every three months, checking each broker for reappearance and re-submitting removals. That is an ongoing commitment of 20 to 40 hours per year.

Or Automate All of This

Automated data removal services exist specifically because the manual process is unsustainable. These services submit removal requests across hundreds of brokers, monitor for data reappearance, and automatically re-submit when your information comes back.

The effectiveness varies. Consumer Reports tested multiple services and found removal rates ranging from 27% (at the low end) to 68% (at the high end) over a four-month period. The best services cover 350 or more brokers and continuously re-monitor, which is something no human is going to do manually with any consistency.

Sirveil automates the entire removal process while adding dark web monitoring and FOIA filing to give you a complete picture of where your data lives, not just on broker sites but also in leaked databases and government records. Plans start at $7.99 per month, or $79.99 per year on the annual plan.

Whether you go the manual route or use an automated service, the most important step is the first one. Pick a tier, start with the brokers most likely to have your information, and work your way down.

Published by the Sirveil Team. We build AI-native privacy tools to help people take back control of their personal data.