Data-broker opt-out directory and process comparison

There is no single global opt-out that reaches every data broker. Use a government bulk mechanism when you are eligible, then submit free requests only to brokers that actually display or process your information. Record the exact scope of each request because “suppressed from name search,” “deleted user account,” and “opted out of sale” are not interchangeable outcomes.

This directory was checked on 14 August 2026. Broker ownership, forms, verification steps, and coverage change often, so start from the official link and read the current scope before submitting personal information.

Quick directory

| Service or group | Official route | Current process shape | Important scope limit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | California registered data brokers | DROP | California residency verification, a profile, then one request | Publicly available, first-party, and other exempt data can remain | | DeepSearch | Remove my information | Submit one removal request for the DeepSearch result you identify | Account deletion is a separate request | | PeopleConnect family | Suppression Center | Verify an email, identify yourself, and choose suppression settings | Covers name-search background reports across specified brands, not every search type or source | | Spokeo | Opt Out | Provide the profile URL and an email, then confirm the email | Removes the Spokeo listing, not its original sources or other sites | | Whitepages | Suppression Requests | Submit the record through the current official workflow and complete its verification | A changed form or separate product may require a different privacy request | | BeenVerified | Opt-out search | Find your record and follow the current verification prompt | Confirm which BeenVerified product and record the request covers | | TruePeopleSearch | Removal | Use the official removal session to locate and request your own record | Removal does not change upstream public records or unrelated brokers |

This is a starting directory, not a ranking or endorsement. A listing is not evidence that the company has violated a law, and the absence of a broker from the table does not mean it lacks your information.

Use California DROP first if you are eligible

California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform lets a California resident send one request to active data brokers registered with CalPrivacy. The service is free. It asks for name, date of birth, and ZIP code to submit a request; email addresses, phone numbers, former names, advertising identifiers, connected TV identifiers, and VINs can be added to improve matching.

Starting 1 August 2026, covered brokers must process DROP requests at least every 45 days and can take up to 90 days to report how they handled a request. The status can be deleted, exempted, opted out because no exact match was found, record not found, or pending. Save the DROP ID and inspect the status rather than treating submission as proof that every record was deleted.

DROP has an important advantage over an ordinary one-time form: registered brokers included in the request must address future data they collect as the system requires. It still does not erase publicly available, first-party, or other legally exempt data, and it does not remove a source page from a search engine.

Understand grouped broker requests

One corporate suppression center can cover several public brands. PeopleConnect states that its tool manages name-search background reports across the PeopleConnect people-search family, including TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius, and US Search. That saves duplicate requests, but its own notice also states the boundaries:

• reverse-phone, address, or email results may still show information
• a name may remain as a relative or associate in another person's report
• user-account data and public report data are different systems
• information can remain at the original third-party sources
• small data discrepancies can create another record

Record the named brands and search types you verified after suppression. Do not translate “one request covers four brands” into “all PeopleConnect data is gone.”

Use record-specific forms carefully

Spokeo's current form asks for the exact profile URL and an email confirmation. Its page says the request is generally processed in 24–48 hours, but it also warns that the original sources remain and that additional listings may appear. Treat the timing as a stated target, not a guaranteed completion date; verify the profile yourself.

Other services may begin with a name search and ask you to select the matching record. Confirm multiple attributes before selecting it. If two people are blended together, describe the mixed record in the request rather than claiming every field belongs to you.

If an official URL in this directory changes:

1. open the broker's home page directly
2. inspect its current Privacy, Privacy Choices, Do Not Sell or Share, Opt Out, or Suppression link
3. check whether the privacy policy identifies a parent company or shared portal
4. avoid sponsored results and third-party forms that ask for payment
5. save the final official URL and the date you checked it

Minimize what you disclose during removal

A broker needs enough information to match the correct record and prevent an unauthorized person from deleting someone else's listing. That does not justify collecting every identifier you possess.

• Use an email address you can access for confirmations; a dedicated privacy alias can keep removal messages separate.
• Provide only fields requested by the official process and relevant to the match.
• Do not upload an unredacted identity document unless the applicable official process genuinely requires it; redact unrelated details where permitted.
• Never provide a password, one-time authentication code, or payment to an unsolicited “opt-out agent.”
• Do not invent identity details. False data can prevent matching and make the request impossible to audit.

Keep the removal log itself private. It can connect old addresses, aliases, emails, relatives, and profile URLs in one place.

Record outcome, not just submission

For each service, save:

• broker and parent group
• exact profile URL or record identifier
• official request URL
• request date and confirmation date
• information used for matching
• stated scope: deletion, suppression, sale opt-out, or account deletion
• case number or confirmation message
• verification date and search types tested
• next review date

Check while signed out and test only the search inputs that previously found the record. A missing name result does not establish that a phone-number result is gone.

Decide whether a paid service is worthwhile

Paid removal services submit many of the same official forms and repeat the checks. They can be worthwhile when breadth and recurring monitoring are more valuable than doing the work yourself. Before paying, ask:

• which exact brokers and brands are covered
• whether custom removals are included
• how often each site is rechecked
• whether you receive profile URLs, request dates, and results
• what identity data the service stores and when it deletes it
• how cancellation affects ongoing suppression records

The FTC recommends checking coverage, reporting, and rescan frequency. No service can guarantee permanent deletion from every public record, broker, relative's report, search engine, and newly created site.

After the first pass, use the reappearance monitoring guide to turn the directory into a maintenance system. For DeepSearch specifically, use Remove my information; deleting a DeepSearch account is a different operation.