How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet (2026)
TL;DR
Right now, someone could Google your name and find your home address, your phone number, and potentially even a list of your relatives on a website you have probably never heard of and certainly did not sign up for. Most people do not think about this until it has already caused a problem. This guide is a step-by-step walkthrough of every free option at your disposal, what each one does and does not cover, and the one paid recommendation that fills in the gaps.
The Two Problems Most People Only Know One Of
Before getting into how to remove your personal information from the internet, it helps to understand what you are actually dealing with — because the problem is two separate things that sound similar but work very differently.
The Dark Web
The dark web refers to corners of the internet that are not indexed by search engines. This is where information from data breaches typically ends up — passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and login credentials. If you have ever received a notification about a data breach, that stolen information likely wound up on the dark web. From there, it gets spread around, traded, and sold so that people can use it for hacking, identity theft, or targeted spam.
Data Brokers
Data brokers get far less attention than the dark web, but they are just as dangerous. There are literally hundreds of these websites, and their entire business model is collecting, packaging, and republishing people’s personal information. That includes your name, home address, age range, salary range, familial connections, and even your purchasing habits — all being bought and sold every single day.
That information gets used by advertisers, potential employers, and anyone else willing to pay for it. Sites like Spokeo, WhitePages, and BeenVerified are among the most well-known, but there are hundreds more operating quietly in the background.
The real issue is that your information does not just get published once. Even if you ask to have yourself removed — which you can — data brokers can republish that same information at any time. Removal is a reduction game, not an elimination game. And it is in that gap between reduction and elimination where the risk lives.
How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet (Free Options)
These four methods are genuinely worth your time and cost nothing. Start here before spending any money.
1. Run a Free Dark Web Scan
Aura offers a free dark web scan — no commitment, no credit card required. It is a one-time snapshot that checks whether any of your personal information from data breaches is circulating on the dark web. It is not a monitoring service, but it gives you an immediate picture of how much of your data has potentially been exposed. It is the fastest way to understand how big of a problem you actually have.
2. Use Google’s “Results About You” Tool
Google has a tool called Results About You that allows you to search for your personal information in Google search results and submit removal requests. Google will review the results and can remove listings where your personal contact information — phone number, email address, home address — appears.
This does not remove your information from the data broker sites that Google is indexing. It only removes the search result itself. But it makes your personal information significantly harder to find through a simple Google search. And frankly, that is not nothing.
3. Submit Manual Opt-Out Requests to People Search Sites
Sites like Spokeo, WhitePages, and BeenVerified all have their own opt-out request systems. Each site has its own forms, verification processes, and timelines. They are all different, and the process is tedious, but they will eventually work to remove your information from those specific sites.
Here is what the manual process looks like for a single site:
- Find the site and locate their opt-out or removal form
- Fill out the form — typically takes a few minutes
- Follow up later to confirm the removal was processed
- Check back a few months later to confirm they have not republished your information
- Repeat if they have
If you want to tackle this yourself, our step-by-step guide to opting out of data brokers walks through the exact removal process for 15 of the most common people-search sites.
Now multiply that by hundreds of sites. Repeat several times per year. That is the scale of what you are choosing to do yourself versus paying a service to handle on your behalf.
Running a free scan periodically helps you review your level of exposure and identify which sites need attention next.
4. Lock Down Your Social Media Privacy Settings
This is one most people do not think about, but data brokers actively scrape social media profiles for personal information. Limit who can see your posts, your contact information, and your friends list. Putting a lid on your social media privacy settings helps prevent data brokers from getting information directly from a primary source.
What the Free Options Will and Will Not Do
An honest summary: the free methods above do make a meaningful difference. You are reducing your exposure and eliminating your information from some places. But the reality is it will pop back up, and you need to stay vigilant — consistently taking stock of where your information is exposed and targeting removal requests. It is a reduction game, not an elimination game.
What the free options will not do:
- Monitor the dark web continuously — a one-time scan shows you a snapshot, not ongoing surveillance
- Automatically resubmit removals when data brokers republish your information
- Monitor your credit across all three bureaus for fraudulent activity
- Alert you if someone tries to open an account in your name
- Provide insurance or recovery support if your identity is actually stolen
These are not hypothetical gaps. Data broker removal without monitoring and recovery is like scrubbing the counters but leaving the floor a mess. It is ultimately just incomplete.
Why Standalone Data Broker Removal Is Not Enough
If you are finding that the free methods are not keeping up, your instinct may be to go with a dedicated data broker removal service. Services like Optery and DeleteMe are legitimate, well-tested options that automate the removal process across hundreds of sites.
But standalone data broker removal comes with a structural problem: it only covers part of the issue. You could conceivably remove your information from every single data broker site out there and that would not necessarily protect you if someone chose to open a credit card using your name, or if your Social Security number surfaced in a space that it should not.
Removal without monitoring and potential recovery steps is only ever going to tackle part of the issue. This is why our primary recommendation goes beyond removal-only services.
Our Recommendation: Aura
Aura is not just a data broker removal tool — one tool for one job. It is a full platform that covers both problems — the dark web and data brokers — plus everything that happens when prevention fails. Here is what Aura gets you in plain language:
Dark web monitoring. Aura continuously scans the dark web for your Social Security number, credit card numbers, and any piece of personal information that may be exposed. You get alerted immediately, giving you time to act and potentially stop fraud before it happens.
Automated data broker removal. No forms, no scheduling reminders, no manual follow-ups. Aura submits removal requests continuously and monitors for reappearances automatically. Your information gets removed and stays removed.
Three-bureau credit monitoring. Aura monitors all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Fraudulent activity shows up on credit reports before most people realize something is wrong. This is one of the fastest ways to catch and stop fraud.
Antivirus and VPN. Device-level protection and encrypted browsing are included in the same subscription. No separate purchases needed.
Identity theft insurance and recovery. If all of that happens to fail — if the worst happens and your identity gets stolen or someone opens a credit account in your name — Aura provides account recovery services and insurance up to $1 million to help you deal with the fallout. Most people will never need the recovery piece. But the people who do need it and do not have it typically remember that decision.
SAVE 68% on Aura — Full Identity Protection
Data Broker Removal Specialists: Optery and DeleteMe
If your only goal is dedicated data broker removal — and you already have identity theft protection elsewhere — these two specialists are worth considering.
Optery removed information from 385 sites in our head-to-head testing, provides screenshot proof of what was found before removal, and offers a free initial scan with no credit card required. It is the most transparent removal service available. See our full Optery vs DeleteMe comparison for detailed results.
DeleteMe covers 750+ data broker sites with a manual, risk-prioritized approach using real staff. It has over a decade of track record and offers phone support with personal privacy advisors. Use code PARTNER20 for 20% off. See our Incogni vs DeleteMe comparison for how it stacks up against budget alternatives.
For international users outside the US, Incogni is worth considering — it covers the US, UK, EU, and Canada, while most competitors are US-only.
FAQ
How do I remove my personal information from the internet for free?
You can remove your personal information from the internet for free using four methods: run a free dark web scan through Aura to check for exposed data from breaches, use Google’s “Results About You” tool to request removal of search results showing your personal details, submit manual opt-out requests directly to people search sites like Spokeo, WhitePages, and BeenVerified, and tighten your social media privacy settings to prevent data brokers from scraping your profiles. These steps meaningfully reduce your exposure but require ongoing vigilance as data brokers regularly republish removed information.
What is the best service for removing personal information from the internet?
For most people, Aura is the best service because it combines automated data broker removal with dark web monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring, antivirus, VPN, and up to $1M in identity theft insurance — covering both the removal and the consequences of exposure. If you only need dedicated data broker removal without identity protection, Optery removed 385 profiles in our testing with screenshot verification, and DeleteMe covers 750+ sites with human-handled removals.
What is the difference between the dark web and data brokers?
The dark web is where stolen information from data breaches ends up — passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and login credentials that get traded for hacking and identity theft. Data brokers are legal websites whose business model is collecting, packaging, and republishing personal information — name, address, phone number, relatives, salary range, purchasing habits — which gets sold to advertisers, employers, and anyone willing to pay. Both expose your personal information, but through completely different channels.
Can I remove my information from data broker sites permanently?
No. Even after successful removal, data brokers can republish your information at any time. This is why ongoing monitoring and repeated removal requests are necessary. Doing it manually is a constant cycle of checking, submitting, and rechecking. Paid services like Aura submit removal requests continuously and monitor for reappearances automatically.
Does Google’s Results About You tool remove my information from websites?
No. Google’s Results About You tool only removes search results where your personal information appears — it does not remove your information from the actual data broker websites that Google indexes. It makes your information harder to find through a Google search, but the underlying data remains on those sites until you submit separate opt-out requests directly to each data broker.
Is data broker removal enough to protect my identity?
No. Data broker removal only covers part of the problem. You could remove your information from every data broker site and still be vulnerable if someone opens a credit card in your name or your Social Security number surfaces in a data breach. Complete protection requires removal plus dark web monitoring, credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance — which is why a full platform like Aura covers all of these in one subscription.
How long does it take to remove personal information from the internet?
Manual opt-out requests typically take a few minutes per site to submit, but each site has its own verification process and timeline. Individual site compliance can take up to 45 days. You need to follow up weeks later to confirm removal, then check again months later because sites frequently republish your data. Multiply this across hundreds of sites several times per year, and the time commitment becomes hundreds of hours annually. Automated services handle this process continuously without manual effort.
Final Verdict
If you want to start taking care of this issue but are not ready to dive in fully yet, start here: use Aura’s free dark web scan, use Google’s Results About You tool, send those manual opt-out requests on the big-name people search sites, and lock down your social media privacy settings. That will do a good deal of work to meaningfully reduce your exposure.
If you want to start tackling the issue and eliminating it rather than just managing it, Aura covers automated data broker removal, continuous dark web monitoring, three-bureau credit monitoring, and up to $1M in identity theft insurance — all in one subscription.
Related: DeleteMe vs Optery vs Aura | Incogni vs Optery vs Aura