How to Remove Your Information From the Internet (2027 Step-by-Step)

Start By Seeing What’s Out There

Open a private browser window and search your full name in quotes. Try adding your city, phone number, and email address too. Look through the first few pages of Google and any people-search sites you find. Write down every URL that lists your address, phone number, relatives, or age. This will be your to-do list. Set up a Google Alert for your name so you’ll know when new pages appear.

Step 1: Opt out of data brokers and people-search sites

Data brokers collect information from public records and commercial sources, then sell it or post it on sites like Spokeo and BeenVerified. Most of these sites have an opt-out page, usually linked at the bottom as “Do Not Sell” or “Opt Out”. The process is similar on most sites:

1. Search for yourself on the site and copy the URL of your profile.
2. Open the site’s opt-out page and paste the URL.
3. Enter an email address and confirm via the site’s confirmation message.
4. Repeat for every profile and every site.

Use an email alias so confirmation messages don’t fill up your main inbox. Keep a simple spreadsheet to track what you submitted and when.

Some brokers are owned by the same company. For example, TruthFinder, Intelius, and Instant Checkmate all belong to PeopleConnect, so one request might cover all three. Brokers usually have 30 to 45 days to respond. Since they keep adding new public records, plan to check every three to six months again.

See our guides to Spokeo and BeenVerified for site-specific steps.

Step 2: If you live in California, use DROP

California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) lets residents send one deletion request to every data broker registered with the state, which is more than 600.

• It opened to consumers on January 1, 2026, and it’s free.
• Since August 1, 2026, brokers must check DROP at least every 45 days and delete matching records within 90 days.
• You verify that you’re a California resident when you sign up.
• Official information is at privacy.ca.gov/data-brokers.

It has limits: it covers only brokers registered in California, and it doesn’t touch Google results, social media, or public records. Residents of other states can still send individual deletion requests under their state’s privacy law where one exists. Check your state attorney general’s website.

Step 3: Clean up Google results

• Use Google’s Results about you tool to request removal of search results that show your phone number, home address, or email.
• For a page that has since changed, use Google’s Remove outdated content tool.
• If possible, ask the site owner to remove the page. Google can hide a result, but the page will still exist until the owner deletes it.

Step 4: Lock down and prune your accounts

• Delete accounts you no longer use. A directory such as JustDeleteMe lists how to close accounts on many services.
• Set your social profiles to private and remove your phone number, address, and birth date.
• Check your ad personalization and data-sharing settings on Google, Apple, and Meta, and opt out wherever possible.
• Use a password manager so one breach doesn’t unlock everything.

Step 5: Consider a paid removal service

Services such as Incogni and DeleteMe automate Step 1.

• Incogni costs $7.99 a month billed yearly and covers 420+ brokers. Read our Incogni review.
• DeleteMe costs $129 a year for one person and uses human specialists. Read our DeleteMe review, or our Incogni vs DeleteMe comparison.

These services are helpful if you don’t want to do the work yourself, need to cover several family members, or don’t live in California. None of them remove everything, and sometimes a removal marked as “completed” just means the broker says it has no record of you.

What you can’t remove

• Public records such as court, property, and voter records. These follow separate legal processes, such as expungement for a criminal record.
• News articles. Ask the publisher, but they have no obligation to remove them.
• Posts on sites you don’t control.
• Data from past breaches.

Reduce what gets out next time.

• Use email aliases and a secondary phone number for sign-ups.
• Skip optional fields such as birth date and phone number on forms.
• Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This is free and stops new accounts from being opened in your name.
• Be careful before posting your location, workplace, or information about your children.

If your safety is at risk

If you’re dealing with a stalker or an abusive ex, put removing your home address first and keep a record of any harassment. Many US states offer address-confidentiality programs for people in your situation, so ask your state attorney general or a local victim-services organization. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.

How long it takes

• Individual opt-outs: submitted in minutes, usually processed in days to weeks, with up to 45 days allowed.
• DROP: matching records should be deleted within 90 days of the broker processing your request.
• Google: days to weeks.
• Upkeep: re-check every three to six months.

FAQ

Can I remove everything about me from the internet?

No. You can shrink your footprint a lot, but public records, news stories, and some posts will remain.

Is it free?

Doing it yourself is free, and DROP is free for Californians. Paid services cost roughly $8 to $11 a month.

Do removal services work?

Partly. Independent testing shows removals can start within days, but not everything disappears, and listings can return.

Will deleting my accounts remove me from data brokers?

No. Brokers collect from public records and other sources, so you have to opt out of them separately.

Why does my information keep coming back?

Brokers keep importing new public records and purchased data, which is why re-checking matters.