How to Remove Your Personal Information From the Internet (2026): Free Steps First, Then Paid Options

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Quick answer: how to remove your personal information

When someone searches your name, people-search sites and data brokers are often what shows your address, phone number and relatives: the FTC describes them as sites that collect and sell your information. You can remove a lot of it for free:

Find where you’re listed by searching your name and city, or with a free exposure scan.
Opt out of each people-search site using its opt-out page. In Consumer Reports’ 2024 test, doing this by hand removed about 70% of profiles within a week.
If you live in California, file one free request through the state’s DROP tool to reach 650+ registered data brokers.
Remove results from Google Search with Google’s free “Results about you” tool.
Check again every few months, because the FTC warns your info “could re-appear.”

If you’d rather not do it yourself, a paid removal service can handle the opt-outs and re-checks for you. But independent tests show none of them removes everything, so start with the free steps either way.

What you can’t remove: the FTC says “opting out of people search sites doesn’t delete your information from public records,” and “your information may still appear in the reports of your relatives, neighbors, or associates.” Google’s tool only removes search results; it “doesn’t mean that the info is gone from the internet.” Expect to reduce your exposure, not erase it.

Step 1: Find out where your information appears

Search yourself: look up your full name with your city, your phone number and your email address. Note which people-search sites show up.
Use a free scan: Optery’s free plan gives you an exposure report showing which sites list you, and Incogni and DeleteMe offer free scans too. You don’t have to buy anything to use them.
Check data breaches: Mozilla Monitor’s free breach alerts still work (its paid removal service shut down in December 2025).

Try Incogni’s free exposure scan →

Step 2: Opt out of people-search sites yourself

The FTC’s advice: search each people-search site for your name, find its opt-out page, follow the steps, and repeat for the next site, then “periodically check the people search sites.”

It works better than you’d think: in Consumer Reports’ 2024 study (32 volunteers, 13 people-search sites), manual opt-outs removed about 70% of profiles within one week, more than any paid service at that point. (Optery notes the manual testers were experienced.)
Some sites are harder: Consumer Reports found CheckPeople, PublicDataUSA and Intelius the hardest to get removed from, and PeopleFinders, ClustrMaps and ThatsThem the most cooperative.
Use a free how-to: removal companies publish free step-by-step opt-out guides for individual sites, like Incogni’s opt-out guide library, so you don’t have to figure out each form.
Protect yourself while you do it: consider using a separate email address for opt-out confirmations, since you’re handing that address to data brokers.

See free opt-out guides →

Step 3: California residents: use DROP (free)

If you live in California, the state’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), run by the California Privacy Protection Agency, lets you send one free request to all registered data brokers (over 650) to delete your data and stop selling it. “We will never charge you to use DROP,” the agency says. Brokers began processing requests on August 1, 2026, must check DROP at least every 45 days, and status updates can take up to 90 days. It doesn’t cover public records or data you gave a company directly.

Go to California DROP →

Step 4: Remove your info from Google Search

Google’s free “Results about you” tool watches Google Search for results showing your phone number, home address or email (and, where available, ID numbers like your Social Security number), alerts you, and lets you request their removal from search results. Google is clear that this removes results from Google only and “doesn’t mean that the info is gone from the internet”; to remove it at the source, you have to contact the website. It generally won’t remove news, government or educational results.

Set up Google’s Results about you →

Step 5: Clean up social media

Removal services can’t delete your social media for you; DeleteMe says platforms don’t let third parties delete on your behalf. Use each platform’s own privacy settings to hide your phone number, email, birthday and location, and delete old accounts you don’t use.

Step 6: Keep checking

Data brokers re-list people. The FTC says your info “could re-appear” when public records change, so search yourself again every few months and repeat any opt-outs. This ongoing re-checking is the main thing paid services automate.

Should you pay for a data removal service?

Paid services send the opt-out requests for you and keep re-checking. They save time, but testing shows they’re far from perfect: in Consumer Reports’ study, the services removed only 35% of profiles after four months on average, and every volunteer still appeared on some sites.

Service	Price, 1 person	Independent results
EasyOptOuts	$19.99/yr	65% removed after 4 months (Consumer Reports)
Optery	Free plan; paid from $39/yr	68% removed after 4 months on its top plan (Consumer Reports)
Incogni	$95.88/yr or $15.98/mo	76.6% success in a 2025 academic study (self-reported); not in Consumer Reports’ test
DeleteMe	$129/yr	27% removed after 4 months (Consumer Reports); includes human help and custom requests

Prices from each company’s site on November 1, 2026. For the full side-by-side, see our best data removal services comparison.

See EasyOptOuts →

See Optery’s free and paid plans →

See Incogni’s plans →

See DeleteMe’s plans →

FAQ

Can you completely remove yourself from the internet?

No. The FTC says opting out of people-search sites doesn’t delete public records, your info may still appear in relatives’ reports, and it can reappear later. You can greatly reduce what’s easy to find.

How do I remove my information from people-search sites for free?

Search each site for your name, use its opt-out page and confirm by email, as the FTC describes. In Consumer Reports’ 2024 test, manual opt-outs removed about 70% of profiles within a week.

How do I remove my address from Google?

Use Google’s free Results About You tool to request removal of search results showing your home address, phone number or email. It removes them from Google Search only, not from the website itself.

What is California DROP?

A free state tool from the California Privacy Protection Agency that lets California residents send one deletion request to all 650+ registered data brokers. Brokers began processing requests August 1, 2026.

Do data removal services work?

Partly. In Consumer Reports’ test, services removed 35% of profiles after four months on average; the best (Optery, EasyOptOuts) removed about two-thirds. They mainly save time and keep re-checking.

How long does it take to remove personal information?

It varies by site. In Consumer Reports’ test, manual opt-outs removed about 70% of profiles within a week. California’s DROP can take up to 90 days for status updates.

Why does my information keep coming back?

Data brokers refresh their data from public records and other sources, so the FTC says your information could re-appear. Check again every few months, or use a service that repeats requests.

Is it safe to give my information to a removal service?

You have to share details like your name, addresses and birth date so they can find you. Choose an established service, read its privacy policy, and consider using a separate email for opt-out confirmations.