How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet

If you Google your own name, you will probably find more than you expect. Data broker profiles, old social media posts, public records, forum accounts you forgot about. Your personal information is scattered across dozens of sites, and removing it takes effort. But it is absolutely possible if you approach it systematically. Here is how to actually do it.

Last updated March 18, 2026

> What to do

  1. 1

    Audit what is out there

    Before you can remove anything, you need to know what exists. Google your name (try variations and with your city). Search yourself on major data broker sites. Run a people search on EXPOSE to get a full picture. Make a list of every site that has your information.

  2. 2

    Use Google's removal tools

    Google offers a "Results about you" tool that lets you request removal of search results containing your personal contact information (phone number, email, home address). You can also request removal of content that shows up in Google Search through their removal request form. This doesn't delete the source, but it stops people from finding it through Google.

    Google Results About You →
  3. 3

    Opt out of data broker sites

    This is the biggest piece. Submit removal requests to every data broker that has your information. Start with the free sites (TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch) and work through the paid ones (Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, Radaris). Each has its own opt-out process, and some take days to weeks to process.

  4. 4

    Delete old accounts you no longer use

    That MySpace profile from 2008, the forum account you made once, the shopping site you used one time. All of these contain personal information and contribute to your online footprint. Use sites like JustDelete.me to find direct links to account deletion pages. If you can't delete the account, at least remove your personal details.

  5. 5

    Clean up your social media

    Review your privacy settings on every active social media account. Remove your phone number, home address, and birth date from public profiles. Delete old posts that reveal personal details. On Facebook, use the "Limit Past Posts" feature to restrict old posts to friends only.

  6. 6

    Reduce future exposure

    Use a PO Box for public filings. Use a dedicated email for online shopping. Don't give your real phone number to stores. Use a password manager so you don't reuse credentials across sites. The goal is to stop feeding new data into the system while you clean up what is already out there.

> Why your information is everywhere in the first place

Every time you sign up for a service, buy a house, register to vote, or create an online account, you leave a data trail. Companies collect this data and sell it. Public records are scraped automatically. Data breaches leak millions of records at a time. And data brokers aggregate all of it into profiles tied to your name. The internet wasn't designed with privacy in mind, so removing your information requires actively working against systems that are designed to collect and distribute it.

> SCAN_NOW

Find out what the internet knows about you

Search your name to see where your personal information is published across data broker sites, public records, and more.

Start People Search

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I actually remove everything about me from the internet?▼
Realistically, no. You can remove the vast majority of it, but some public records and cached data will persist. The goal is to remove enough that a casual search of your name doesn't reveal your home address, phone number, and personal details.
How long does it take to clean up my online presence?▼
The initial audit and opt-out requests take a few hours spread over a week or two. Most broker removals process within 2 to 4 weeks. But it is an ongoing process because brokers re-list data and new breaches happen. Plan to re-check quarterly.
Should I pay for a removal service?▼
Paid services can save time since they automate the opt-out process across dozens of brokers. But you can do everything yourself for free if you are willing to put in the hours. The key is consistency, whether you do it manually or pay for automation.
Does deleting my social media remove me from data brokers?▼
No. Data brokers pull from public records, purchase data, and many other sources beyond social media. Deleting social media helps, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. You still need to opt out of each broker individually.
Start People Search
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