How to Remove Yourself From People-Search Sites
Spokeo, Whitepages, and dozens more are publishing your address and phone number right now. Here's how the opt-out process actually works, and how to run it yourself for free.
Published July 28, 2026
What people-search sites are, briefly
Sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, and TruePeopleSearch compile personal information — name, address, phone number, age, relatives — from public records and commercial data sources, then publish it for anyone to search. You didn't sign up for any of it. For the full story on why paid removal services charge what they do and whether it's worth it, see our investigation into the data broker industry. This guide is the practical follow-up: how to actually send the opt-out requests yourself.
How an opt-out request actually works
Most US states now have privacy laws giving consumers a legal right to request deletion of their data from brokers — California's CCPA is the broadest and most commonly cited. In the EU, GDPR provides similar grounds. In practice, exercising that right usually means finding your listing on a given broker's site, then submitting a removal request through whatever process that broker uses — a web form, an email, sometimes even a phone call with a verification code.
The catch is that removal isn't permanent. The same Consumer Reports research cited in our broader investigation found that most tested brokers re-added removed listings within about three months. Opting out is not a one-time task — it's a recurring one, which is exactly the problem paid subscription services are selling a fix for.
Using nah.tools to generate the requests
The data removal tool covers 25+ brokers. For each one, it gives you a pre-filled search URL so you can find your own listing, and generates an opt-out request — grounded in CCPA or GDPR language depending on your situation — that you review and send yourself, whether that's by email or through the broker's own form.
Be direct with yourself about what this is: a generator for the request, not an automated removal service. Nothing is submitted on your behalf, and no account or payment is involved — you stay in control of what gets sent and to whom.
What this won't do
It won't guarantee removal — no tool can, free or paid, since the brokers control whether they actually honor a request. It isn't legal advice. And it won't stop a broker from re-listing your data months later, which is why it's worth treating this as something to revisit periodically rather than a single pass.
Frequently asked questions
Does nah.tools remove my data automatically?
No, and it's worth being direct about that: the tool generates the opt-out request for a given broker — grounded in CCPA or GDPR where applicable — but you review and send it yourself. nah.tools doesn't act as your authorized agent and can't guarantee any broker actually removes your listing.
Why do I need to do this more than once?
Because brokers re-list data. A 2024 Consumer Reports study found a majority of tested brokers re-added removed data within 90 days — the removal problem tends to recreate itself, which is exactly why paid subscription services exist. See our full investigation for the numbers.
Is this actually free?
Yes, completely — no account, no subscription, no upsell. The tool covers 25+ brokers with pre-filled search URLs to find your listing and CCPA/GDPR-grounded opt-out email templates.
Is this legal advice?
No. The templates are grounded in real privacy law (CCPA, GDPR) but this isn't a substitute for a lawyer, and nothing here guarantees a specific outcome.