Guides · Paperwork

How to Remove Yourself From People-Search Sites

By Reza Kuweiti · October 29, 2026

People-search sites post home addresses, phone numbers and relatives for anyone to see. Californians now have a free state tool that does much of the work, and the rest takes a few careful opt-outs.

1. California residents: start with DROP

California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) sends one deletion request to every data broker registered with the state, over 600 of them. It's free and run by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy).

• Verify you live in California. DROP checks residency through the California Identity Gateway or Login.gov.
• Fill in your profile. Name, date of birth and ZIP code are the minimum. Adding the email addresses and phone numbers you use helps brokers find more of your records.
• Save your 8-digit DROP ID and keep it private. You use it to check your status.

Data brokers have had to process DROP requests since August 1, 2026, and must check for new matches at least every 45 days. Status updates can take up to 90 days to show up. You can edit your profile later, for example to add a new phone number. See how DROP works.

2. Know what DROP doesn't remove

• Some public records, like property ownership or voter records, can be kept.
• Information you gave a company directly, for example when you signed up for an account, isn't covered.
• Sites that aren't registered as data brokers don't get the request.

So after DROP, check for yourself.

3. Search for yourself

Search your name with your city, then your phone number and your home address, on a search engine and on the people-search sites that come up. Make a simple list of every page that shows you: the site, the link and what it shows.

Use a separate email address just for opt-outs, so confirmation emails and any spam stay out of your main inbox.

4. Opt out site by site

On each site, look for a link at the bottom of the page called Opt out, Do not sell my information or Privacy. Most sites ask you to find your listing and confirm by email. If a site only gives an email address, send this:

Hello,

Please remove my listing from your website and delete my personal information. [I am a California resident.]

Name: [full name]
Listing link: [link to the page]
City and state shown: [city, state]

Please confirm in writing when it has been removed.

Thank you,
[Your name]

• Don't send a copy of your ID unless the site truly requires it and you're comfortable. Never send your Social Security number.
• Opting out should be free. You don't need to buy anything from the site.
• Google also has a Results about you tool for asking it to remove search results that show your phone number or home address.

5. Outside California

DROP is only for California residents. Everyone else can use step 3 and step 4. The FTC's guide to people-search sites explains the same process.

6. Check again in a few months

Listings can come back when sites buy new data. Search yourself again every few months and repeat any opt-out that reappears. Keep your list and the confirmation emails, so you know which sites you have already done.

General information only. Always check what the office or company you’re sending to accepts.