None of us signed up for our personal info to be bought and sold online. Between data brokers, people-search sites and all the other places our details end up, it happens constantly and usually without us even realizing it.
If you’ve ever Googled yourself and found your phone number or home address floating around on some shady-looking website, you know the feeling.
If that’s you, you probably started looking for ways to remedy the situation and may be wondering if it’s better to remove your personal information from the web yourself or use a data removal service. I’ve tried both, and here’s what I’ve learned.
Join the FREE “CyberGuy Report”: Get my expert tech tips, critical security alerts and exclusive deals, plus instant access to my free “Ultimate Scam Survival Guide” when you sign up!
A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Doing it yourself sounds doable, at first
When the data broker problem first got on my radar (granted, it was because data removal services started to emerge), I figured I could just opt out on my own. After all, most of them have opt-out pages with a process. Whitepages, one of the most popular people-search sites, for example, has the following process.
- Search for your name and address on Whitepages, find the correct listing and copy the URL of your profile.
- Go to the Whitepages suppression page, paste the URL into the field and send the removal request. This includes several sub-steps, like verifying your data, stating the reason for your request and providing a contact phone number.
- Whitepages will call you soon after to verify your identity. If you miss the call, you’ll have to start the process again.
This is just one example, but other search sites have similar opt-out processes, give or take a few steps.
A man working on a laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
INSURANCE DATA BREACH EXPOSES SENSITIVE INFO OF 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE
The reality check: Why manual removal becomes overwhelming fast
If you want to remove your information from all (or most) of the data brokers that have it, here’s what you’ll have to do.
- Find the brokers that have your data. There are hundreds out there. You can find the public-facing data brokers, or people-search sites, by doing a quick Google search. However, private data brokers that sell datasets B2B (business-to-business) require a little more digging. You may have to just figure out which ones operate in your area and send removal requests to them all.
- Submit opt-out requests to each one. Read through their opt-out instructions (some of which are intentionally vague or buried) and go through the process one by one.
- Repeat the process periodically. Data brokers often re-collect your info unless you keep checking in and submitting new requests. It’s not a one-and-done situation. If you’re committed to keeping your data private, you’ll need to keep monitoring and removing it.
It’s definitely doable, but not painless. Some sites make it easier, but others require you to upload your ID (not recommended), ask you to send snail mail or outright reject your request unless you use a specific email domain, not to mention all the CAPTCHAs that feel like they were designed to break your spirit.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
HOW TO GET RID OF ROBOCALLS WITH APPS AND DATA REMOVAL SERVICES
Data removal services automate this process
I’ve since tried using a data removal service that automates the opt-out process, handling the complexities on your behalf. See below for what this gives you.
- Comprehensive coverage: They maintain updated lists of data brokers and their opt-out procedures, so your information is removed from more sources than you’d manage on your own.
- Time efficiency: Because most of them use automation, you don’t really have to do anything beyond signing up and monitoring the progress. This saves you significant time and effort.
- Ongoing removals: As long as you’re subscribed, these services continue to monitor and remove your information from data broker sites, so you know it won’t pop up again.
I didn’t have to babysit the process, and I didn’t have to guess whether it was working. I just got updates when the removals were confirmed.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Let’s break it down
If you’re still weighing your options, here’s how the two approaches stack up.
Manual opt-outs demand a significant time investment, requiring you to personally navigate each data broker’s unique removal process. While free, this approach offers variable coverage depending on how diligently you track down brokers, and consistency is challenging; you’ll need to repeat the process regularly to keep your data private. Success also depends heavily on your ability to decipher vague opt-out instructions and adapt to each broker’s requirements.
In contrast, data removal services save time by handling the legwork for you. They provide broad coverage by targeting numerous brokers simultaneously and maintain consistency through ongoing monitoring. While these services come with subscription fees, they eliminate the need for personal expertise, offering a hands-off solution to data privacy.
The bottom line: Why personal data removal services win the privacy battle
After testing both manual opt-outs and automated services, using a personal data removal service emerges as the clear solution for reclaiming your data. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
Kurt’s key takeaways
If you’ve got the time and patience, you can absolutely take the DIY route. But if you’re looking for a way to protect your privacy without sinking hours into research, filling out forms and monitoring, a data removal service makes things a lot quicker and more convenient. For most people, this is likely the better option. Many states have privacy laws that give you the right to request that data brokers remove your personal information, but the system seems to be rigged to make exercising those rights unreasonably difficult. While it shouldn’t be necessary, data removal services offer a way to cheat that system.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Do you think stronger protections are needed to shield you from the challenges and risks posed by data brokers and their handling of your personal information? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
Follow Kurt on his social channels:
Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:
New from Kurt:
Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
