The Removal Playbook: Step by Step
Removal is not a single action. It is a project. Run it like one.
Step 1: Set up a privacy workspace
- Create a dedicated email address used only for privacy requests. Do not use your work or primary personal email.
- Create a tracking spreadsheet with columns for the site, date found, what it showed, date of request, method, confirmation number, and date to re-check.
- Keep a folder of screenshots showing what each site displayed before removal.
Step 2: Build your inventory
Search for yourself the way a stranger would:
- Your full name, with and without middle name or initial, plus your city or state.
- Nicknames and short forms of your name.
- Your current and previous phone numbers.
- Your current and previous addresses.
- Your email addresses.
- Your spouse's and adult children's names, since family profiles often link to yours.
Record every site that shows your information.
Step 3: Prioritize
Work first on the sites that show the most dangerous information: current home address, phone numbers, and relatives. Then the large brokers that feed smaller sites. Then everything else.
Step 4: Submit opt-outs
Most people-search sites have an opt-out process. Typical steps:
- Find your listing and copy its exact URL.
- Use the site's opt-out form, usually linked from the footer as "Do Not Sell," "Privacy," or "Opt Out."
- Confirm by email or, sometimes, by phone.
- Record the date and any confirmation number.
Never pay a people-search site to remove your information. Legitimate opt-outs are free.
Step 5: Escalate in writing
When an online form is not enough, or a site ignores you, send a written request. Ask for:
- Deletion of all personal information.
- Opt-out of any sale or sharing.
- Suppression, so the record is not re-created.
- Written confirmation.
Cite the laws that apply to the company and to you. See Templates and Privacy Laws.
Step 6: Use state tools
If you live in California, the state's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform lets you send one request to all registered data brokers. See Privacy Laws.
Step 7: Clean up search results
Once a page is removed, ask search engines to update or remove outdated results. See Search Engines.
Step 8: Re-check on a schedule
Re-run your searches every three months. Records often reappear after brokers refresh their data. Persistence is what makes removal stick.