How to Get Your Name and Address OFF the Internet!
A few months ago, I saw a Facebook post that detailed how to get personal information off the site Spokeo.com. I didn’t realize my personal information was on Spokeo, but when I looked at the site, my mouth dropped open. Spokeo had my name, address, phone number, a satellite photo of my house, a map on how to get there, my occupation, my marital status, my relatives, my education history, how much I paid for my house, and my e-mail addresses, all available for a low fee to anyone who wanted them.
Thanks to the Facebook posting, I was able to quickly remove the personal information of everyone in my family, but then I wondered– If Spokeo had all that info on me, what other sites were making that same information available?
I decided to find out.
It turned out that two major sites, Spokeo.com and MyLife.com, both publish our personal information online, but there are a number of other sites that keep similar data on you as well, especially if you have a home-based business or have purchased a house. The easiest way to figure out where your personal information is publicly stored is to do a search that includes both “[your name]” and “[your street address].” That’s how I found about a half dozen sites that published that information.
The good news? All of those sites included a privacy policy that allowed me to remove my personal information (although some sites make it more difficult to remove the info than others), and now, as far as I can tell, my personal info is now at least a lot more difficult to access online.
Here’s how to remove your personal info from Spokeo:
1. First, search for your profile on Spokeo. When you get to the page that contains all your info, copy that URL.
2. Go to the Spokeo home page and scroll down to the very bottom. Click on “Privacy.”
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the “Privacy” page and click on “opt out form.”
4. Fill out that form and paste the URL from your profile. Voila! You’re off the site.
It’s harder to figure out how to delete your personal info from MyLife.com, but I’ve done the dirty work for you. Either call customer care at 1-888-704-1900 or e-mail them at privacy@mylife.com. It would probably be helpful to include the URL to your profile in the e-mail as well. To the site’s credit, when I e-mailed and requested that our family’s personal information be removed, they responded very quickly and the information was taken down.
In addition, I found that even though we are unlisted in the white pages, several other phone number sites listed our name and number. To find out if this is the case for you, do a search for your telephone number and see which sites turn up with your information.
411.info was one site that listed our name and number. To remove it from the site, go here http://wpremove.411.info and follow the instructions. It’s a weird process (you have to call a number from your own number), but it works. Our information was removed after my phone call.
Other sites that might have your personal information:
A good rule of thumb is to find the site’s privacy policy- Information on removing your info is generally hidden somewhere in that policy. If all else fails, contact the site directly.
I search for our address and phone number every month or two– New information sites pop up all the time and it’s best to be vigilant. So far, I’ve had no problems getting my information removed, once I figured out the process.
I did all of this work to remove our personal information from the web because of my husband’s job as a TV reporter — not because of the fact that I write stories on the Internet. I’ve honestly never had any problems with Internet “stalkers” or anything like that. My husband, on the other hand, routinely does stories on criminals and “bad guys,” and, well, you know. Better safe than sorry.
That said, literally two weeks after I gone through all of these sites and removed our info from them, a random man online began e-mailing me and texting me via e-mail several times a day, begging me for my phone number so that we could talk and “be friends.” He used every available online method to try to contact me and get my phone number. It was creepy, to say the least. Interesting, isn’t it, that I had JUST removed that information from the web!
I believe that if someone REALLY wants to get your personal information, they can, unfortunately. But why not make it as difficult for them as possible?
Got more tips or information you can add to the subject? Leave a comment and share!
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Image via JanetMck/Flickr
January 24th, 2013 at 10:35 am
Thanks so much for this info! I knew about Spokeo, but didn’t know there was a way to get my information off of it. I am doing that TODAY!
January 24th, 2013 at 10:54 am
Whoa! Thank you Lindsay!
January 24th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Just so you know, Spokeo may gather that info again and republish it. I think you have to go back regularly to remove it.
January 24th, 2013 at 4:55 pm
That’s ridiculous. It should be illegal for Spokeo to re-add you after you’ve opted out.
February 6th, 2015 at 6:41 pm
I think all such sites should be outlawed and especially when you pay to have your name, address and phone kept OUT of the phone book and directory assistance. I am sick of illegal marketing practices that violate my privacy. For that matter, the idea that if I were to buy a home, my name and address would be plastered all over the internet as “public record” infuriates me. How does one keep safe with these practices in place? Anyone who owns property (I never have) cannot escape this violation.
March 24th, 2015 at 8:48 pm
buy your house in a trust as many people do for estate purposes, solves that particular issue.
June 17th, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Good idea, but now they think you have money too. Advertisers, credit card companies etc. inundate your mailbox. Oh yes, don’t forget, the trustee’s name is public accessable. So, your info is still out there and nobody is willing to help or work with you once your idendity is stolen or compromised
July 5th, 2015 at 7:54 am
None of this will change until we get after our Senators and Congresspeople, and get after them hard.
December 29th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
yep, you do. I just checked. They promise all would be removed but there it all is again.
October 28th, 2014 at 10:08 pm
White pages will do the same thing.
January 24th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
Phonenumberdata.net wants to charge me $4.95 to remove my data from their site! And I can’t get through to 411.info (busy signal for the past 30 minutes). UGH.
January 24th, 2013 at 4:55 pm
$4.95?! Whaaaaa?!
I wonder if 411.info is busy because people are reading this post? It’s getting passed around. Try again tonight. I got through with no problem several weeks ago…
April 16th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Anyone figure how to remove personal info from Everyone411??????
May 7th, 2014 at 1:45 pm
A domain ownership check reveals the everyone411.com site is owned by MICHAEL WALLY. He is a federally convicted felon computer hacker. No surprise he is operating a site illegally, with no permission to use people’s private info, and with no way to remove it.
May 7th, 2014 at 2:05 pm
File an FTC complaint.
May 10th, 2014 at 8:27 pm
What do you file the complaint under?
December 8th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
According to this Yelp review, filing a BBB complaint worked:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/telephony-research-services-llc-san-francisco?hrid=smg5tA5fc9iwYofIYUl6FA
File the complaint here:
http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/telephone-communications/telephony-research-services-in-san-francisco-ca-458771
October 21st, 2013 at 12:49 am
That sounds like a spam? A rip off. See if you can report it to the phone company actually.
January 28th, 2013 at 9:50 am
Thanks for the info. I found myself on Spokeo and it said my house was only worth $12,000. Hopefully nobody will try to rob that 🙂
January 29th, 2013 at 9:51 pm
I’ve never heard of Spokeo and they did not have a listing for me in the house we’ve lived in for two years. But they had our old address, which they valued at one million dollars. We sold it for $156,000. Hope we weren’t cheated. 🙂
It was freaky because it also had three of my previous addresses associated with me.
April 15th, 2013 at 6:21 pm
With havin so much written content do you ever run
into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any methods to help reduce content from being ripped off? I’d certainly appreciate it.
August 2nd, 2013 at 9:42 am
thanks a bunch………you wouldn’t happen to know how to deal with the find a grave site would you ?? to remove information from there. any help would be appreciated greatly.
August 13th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Also, if you’ve purchased a home, a service called Listings Magic has published interior photos of your home all over the Internet. A nice map once anyone has looked you up using any of these services.
October 21st, 2013 at 12:47 am
I just had someone on a social network ask me “do you work at..” and then they mentioned my employer. So I did a search and on one site they have all my info and that I’m related to among people I’ve never heard of before they mention my ex-husband. Not my ex- died before the web was invented (yes I’m old) So where are our privacy rights? where is his?
November 21st, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Thank you so very much for the info. I’d never heard of Spokeo, either. But I was bothered that my info could so easily be found at 411. I run a blog, too, so keeping where I live private is very impt!
December 27th, 2013 at 7:52 am
Everyone411.com is another site with info on people!
March 7th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
I saw this… how do you opt-out of this one? There isn’t a way on the privacy or terms of service options at the bottom of the page. This is irritating because I have a non-published number
April 15th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
Did you remove it
May 7th, 2014 at 1:46 pm
A domain ownership check reveals the everyone411.com site is owned by MICHAEL WALLY. He is a federally convicted felon computer hacker.
May 7th, 2014 at 2:04 pm
File a complaint with the FTC. (ftc.gov)
June 6th, 2014 at 11:46 am
I see the WHOIS on the domain coming back as Ali Fulladi.
December 8th, 2014 at 6:09 pm
According to the following Yelp review, filing a BBB complaint worked:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/telephony-research-services-llc-san-francisco?hrid=smg5tA5fc9iwYofIYUl6FA
File the complaint here:
http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/telephone-communications/telephony-research-services-in-san-francisco-ca-458771
January 9th, 2014 at 8:02 am
Thank you for this information!
February 3rd, 2014 at 1:16 pm
Hi, all your information on how to opt out is precious, I was not lucky though. I can’t find my URL!
March 27th, 2014 at 1:36 pm
I followed instructions to remove my name on spokeo and it worked for one state but the other one when you search my name the first page that pops up that is not my profile page still shows my city and state and it will not let me delete! My location is the main thing I am trying to erase! I have already sent an email to them trying to fix. So just be careful and double check your name to make sure its really gone all the way!
April 26th, 2014 at 6:21 am
contact@everyone411.com,
March 5th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Try telling WHY we should??
May 14th, 2014 at 11:30 am
how would I get my info taken of everyone411 they have my phone number!!
June 14th, 2014 at 3:58 am
Good article, thanks for taking the time to write it. That said, MyLife is the biggest pain in the butt to remove. Also look for yourself at:
veromi.com
checkpeople.com
peoplefinders.com
instantcheckmate.com
peoplesmart.com
ussearch.com
June 30th, 2014 at 10:44 am
Thanks a million for this. You’re the best!
July 9th, 2014 at 11:30 pm
Whitepages also has all your personal info (even if your phone number is unlisted!!) and it is impossible to remove. I tried creating an account to take control of my profile but I keep getting logged out without being able to delete my info. It’s a joke! Also, even though I managed to get my info removed from 411, it still appears on the Google snipped and Google keeps denying my request to remove it and update their snippet!!!
February 3rd, 2015 at 3:12 pm
scrumbags. just goes to show how noone gives a damn about a person in this country and we have no say in anything.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:02 pm
What a fucked up country. What one has to go through to have their personal information removed is outrageous. It is a full time job that does not pay you in return – A never ending battle one will never win. Time, aggravation, and effort all for nothing. My efforts have now been redirected in finding a way to be compensated…I’m creative- I’ll find it. Thanks for the info never the less.
August 22nd, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Here is a link to step-by-step tutorials for opting out of 7 major directories. http://what-is-privacy.com/category/opt-out-2/ Feel free to contact me via the contact form on what-is-privacy.com if you run into any issues or have any questions. Hayley
September 18th, 2014 at 8:04 pm
Not cool,I was found by a lunatic husband,”that I had to have neck surgery ,he almost killed me,moved while he was in jail so I wouldn’t be found”,because of this site,SHOULD BE Illegal!!!!
Might as well have left bread crumbs
September 23rd, 2014 at 12:40 pm
I agreee. This internet is a great tool…but getting to personal and carried away. Drives me crazy.
October 27th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Wow, thank you! Spokeo, done. On to the next one.
November 15th, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Does anyone know how to find out which “public records” Spokeo gets information from? I am not married, have no property, all of my social accounts are private and no criminal record, so I have no idea how to prevent myself from being found by these predatory websites. I’m skeptical about contacting them with more personal information just to get myself removed.
November 17th, 2014 at 10:44 am
Thank you
December 8th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
This is exactly what I am talking about! No privacy these days,411.ca should be a law suite
August 28th, 2015 at 6:14 am
Also WhitePagesCanada.CA is a big time violator of privacy and does not let you opt out so far in my case
August 28th, 2015 at 6:14 am
Also WhitePagesCanada.CA is a big time violator of privacy and does not let you opt out so far in my case
December 13th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
When I past the URL it keeps saying it can’t find that directory. Don;t tell me you have to actually purchase your own profile in order to opt out?
December 13th, 2014 at 1:32 pm
No, don’t buy anything. From: Disqus To: suburban.turmoil@yahoo.com
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January 4th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
This article gives clear idea designed for the new users of blogging,
that really how to do blogging and site-building.
http://www.bnmc.org
January 4th, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Veery good article! We are linking to this particularly great post on our website.
Keep up the good writing.
January 21st, 2015 at 10:54 pm
I’ve had to go to Spokeo and White Pages to remove my information. They had my current address, phone number, etc….information that I do NOT want my exhusband to find as I believe he is dangerous! I don’t know how they got my information but it should be illegal to publish it w/o my consent!
July 5th, 2015 at 7:57 am
They’re getting people hurt and killed, and they just don’t care.
People need to contact their political representatives. This is what Government is for.
October 23rd, 2015 at 9:27 pm
The government is 15years behind on everything. They were still sending out mail with SSN’s up til about 3 years ago. They would say that SSN’s are public information and not to be used as identification. Then all of a sudden they became very precious, like money.
DMV was selling DVD’s with everyones personal information for $50. The DVD’s are still out there in criminals hands being sold and copied over and over.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:01 pm
Anyone had issues getting their information off of bizapedia? All our info is published!!! Totally scares me!
March 14th, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Yes, we all hate the way our system values profits over everything, including people’s personal privacy and safety. I am adding my comment just to thank the creator of this page for showing us how to get our listings removed, even if only temporarily.
March 15th, 2015 at 8:27 pm
These sites are symptoms. Find out how they get it in the first place.
April 20th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Does anyone know how to get off everyone411.com? – having this information on here make me in rage! I have emailed them a number of times, never have received a response and my information is still out there.
May 3rd, 2015 at 7:14 pm
[…] Ferrier writes in Suburban Turmoil of her attempts to remove her information from various sites. She was apparently successful, but […]
May 4th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
Many thanks for this great information!!!
May 28th, 2015 at 1:13 am
Thank you for this blog. How do I get personal info removed from ancestry.com as there is a person who is researching my personal family tree and is sending me my personal info and it is giving me the creeps. I thought this person was ok, but he asks too many personal questions about my family and I.
June 11th, 2015 at 10:43 pm
Intelius.com is another one. They want a copy of your driver’s license to “verify your identity” before removing the entry…seriously??
October 6th, 2015 at 9:18 am
Have you had any experience with deleting your information for Intelius? they require a government issued ID. I don’t trust them with my info. Who else but me would want my information removed?
October 23rd, 2015 at 9:33 pm
You can blank out your picture and DL number, they just need your name address and official emblems. Oh, and yes, they already have it anyway.
October 23rd, 2015 at 9:31 pm
It’s one thing to have criminals stealing your identity and causing financial problems for innocent people, but often it is a dangerous stalker looking for revenge. Google better think about the consequences this can bring. No morality? No conscience?
There are now for profit companies that will do this work for you, but they charge $200- $400 per year to do it.
Maybe someone will do it for $99 per year eventually.
February 17th, 2016 at 11:03 am
How about suing those sites and google with altogether???
February 17th, 2016 at 11:03 am
How about suing those sites and google with altogether???
October 25th, 2015 at 9:52 am
Whitepages and 411.com posted my address without my permission there should a law in place to prevent the companies from putting out peoples personal information without their consent. These companies are going to be responsible for a lot of deaths. If some lunatic pops up at my door unknown and unwanted I’m shooting first. Then tell the family to blame the public information sites. The maybe they’ll take it serious.
December 7th, 2015 at 2:46 pm
I just tried your steps for Spokeo and found that the opt out steps won’t accept the URL that includes other people, and that there’s no way to narrow what I see down to my own page without joining Spokeo. Is that what you did? That’s required in order to even go through your steps? Thanks!
January 27th, 2016 at 12:02 am
I just wanted to say thank you for this information. I have had serious threats from a mentally ill person through my workplace and was able to remove my address and phone number and (hopefully) avoid this person knowing how to get to me at home. Seriously, thank you,
January 27th, 2016 at 12:02 am
I just wanted to say thank you for this information. I have had serious threats from a mentally ill person through my workplace and was able to remove my address and phone number and (hopefully) avoid this person knowing how to get to me at home. Seriously, thank you,
February 28th, 2016 at 1:04 pm
This article was useful. Thanks! But it looks like 411.com charges money to remove or hide a profile. Seems very sleazy to me. I don’t know if they’ve changed their policy since you wrote this blog post or whether they’ve made the free way to remove profiles much harder to find.
March 5th, 2016 at 11:58 am
The question is:
where did:
Spokeo
MyLife.com
411.info
Manta.com
City-Data.com
Phonenumberdata.net
Whitepages.com
Get the information in the first place?
What needs to happen is legislation that prevent the sources from divulging the information and these above listed outfits from acquiring and publishing it.
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:23 am
How do you get yourself off of arivify.com without paying their $40 ransom fee? Google your name and arivify and see how scary the results are.
March 22nd, 2016 at 3:23 am
How do you get yourself off of arivify.com without paying their $40 ransom fee? Google your name and arivify and see how scary the results are.