What is How to Remove Your Information Online?

Removing your information from the internet is a multi-step process that requires patience and ongoing maintenance.

Step 1: Audit Your Exposure

• Google your name (in quotes) + city, phone number, email
• Check major people search sites: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, FastPeopleSearch
• Search for old forum posts, social media accounts, and comments
• Check if your email appears in data breaches (Have I Been Pwned)

Step 2: Remove from Data Brokers

• Manual: Visit each site's opt-out page. Tedious (200+ sites) but free.
• Automated: Compare vetted tools on /remove (e.g. Optery, DeleteMe). They handle opt-outs and many offer monitoring for reappearance.

Step 3: Delete Old Accounts

• Use JustDeleteMe.xyz to find deletion links for services
• Don't just deactivate — fully delete accounts
• Remember old forums, shopping sites, and social networks

Step 4: Clean Up Search Results

• Request removal of outdated content from Google (Search Console)
• Contact webmasters directly for content you can't control
• Publish positive content to push down unwanted results

Step 5: Prevent Future Exposure

• Use aliases and separate emails for different services
• Use an anonymous LLC for business registrations
• Use privacy-protected domain registration
• Use a VPN and privacy-focused browser
• Strip metadata from photos before sharing

Step 6: Monitor Ongoing

• Set up Google Alerts for your name
• Periodically re-check data broker sites
• Use ongoing monitoring services