Most data broker opt-outs are free. Here’s how to do them yourself.
No service is required to get your name, address, phone number and relatives off these sites. The forms are public and, apart from DMAchoice’s $8 fee, they cost nothing. What they cost is time: by our estimate about seven hours for a first pass, then a few hours every quarter, because profiles come back.
This covers the main national opt-outs, people-search sites and aggregators. Work down the list, check things off as you go, and decide at the end whether you want to keep doing it yourself.
Start here if you live in California
California built a government deletion tool that does in one request what the rest of this page does one site at a time.
DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform
Run by CalPrivacy under the state’s Delete Act. One verified request reaches every data broker registered in California — about 600 of them. It opened to consumers on January 1, 2026. Since August 1, 2026, brokers must check DROP for new requests at least every 45 days and process them within 45 days. It is free.
What DROP does not cover
Worth knowing before you assume you’re finished:
- Brokers who never registered. The obligation only binds companies on the state registry. Some people-search sites operate without registering.
- Anything covered by FCRA or HIPAA. Credit bureaus, background-check companies operating under FCRA, and medical data sit outside it.
- Public records at the source. DROP deletes a broker’s copy. The county records they scraped it from stay exactly where they are, which is why profiles rebuild.
- Everyone outside California. As of September 2026, no other state has an equivalent. If you live elsewhere, start at the list below.
Two national opt-outs worth doing
Neither is a data broker exactly, and both cut off a real supply line. Ten minutes total.
The people-search sites
These are the ones that show up when somebody Googles your name, and the ones scammers, stalkers, landlords and recruiters actually use. Do these first. Use a separate email address you can check today — most of these send a confirmation link.
The aggregators behind them
You’ve probably never visited these, but they sell the bulk data the people-search sites are built from. Removing yourself here is slower and less satisfying, because nothing visibly disappears — but it lasts longer, because you’re cutting off the supply rather than the display.
What this actually costs you
Our estimates, assuming you find every listing variant and handle the phone verifications.
Opt-outs don’t stay done
Opting out is not a task you finish. Brokers keep pulling in the same public records, so removed profiles can reappear, sometimes within a few months. Spokeo, for example, says your information may reappear without notice. Recheck every three months.
Want help after the opt-outs?
Opt-outs reduce what people-search sites show, but they don’t tell you when your information is misused. AI Protection members get monitoring and alerts for Social Security number use, dark web exposure, data breaches, change-of-address requests, neighborhood watch and financial accounts, U.S.-based restoration support, and up to $5M in identity theft insurance, subject to policy terms.1 Plans from $7 per month. Cancel anytime.
The guide above stays free and stays here either way.