How do you remove your personal data from the internet?
The short answer
Two routes work. Free: search your name on people search sites, use the opt-out link on each report and check again every few months, because profiles come back. Paid: a removal service such as Incogni files and repeats those requests for you. Californians also have DROP, a free state tool.
In detail
People search sites are a type of data broker, the FTC explains. They pull details from other brokers, public social media profiles and government records such as property deeds and voter registration, then sell the compiled report to anyone who pays. Your age, past addresses, relatives and employers can all sit in one file.
That file is what makes an AI-written scam sound personal. A text that names your street and your sister feels genuine because those details are genuine. Removing them will not stop scams, but it leaves a stranger with less to work with.
Doing it yourself costs nothing. Search your name on the large people search sites, look for the opt-out link on each report and follow the steps, one site at a time. The FTC adds a warning: when your public records change, your profile can reappear for sale, so search again every few months.
Opting out has a limit that no service removes. A site stops selling what it holds, but the underlying public records stay where they are, and anyone can still look them up on a government website.
If you live in California, start with DROP, the state's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform. It is free, and since 1 August 2026 registered data brokers must check it at least once every 45 days. The state warns that a status update can take up to 90 days.
Paid services take over the searching and the repeating. Incogni sends opt-out requests to data brokers and resends them on a schedule; Standard costs $7.99 a month when you pay $95.88 for the year. It is also the only one of these three you can order from Europe, where the checkout shows euros.
Optery sells to residents of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Its free plan shows where you appear, with screenshots, and leaves the opt-outs to you; CORE costs $39 a year, less than Incogni Standard.
DeleteMe is for U.S. residents only, at $8.71 a month on a two-year plan, with a personal privacy expert.
Every service involves one trade-off: to find your records, it first needs your name, addresses, email and phone numbers. If that bothers you, the free route above still works, only slower. Prices and plan details were read on 22 September 2026.
Five ways off data broker sites
| Route | Who can use it | Cost | What is left to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opt out site by site | Anyone | Free | Finding each site, filing each request, checking back |
| DROP | California residents | Free | One request; brokers must check at least every 45 days |
| Incogni | Orderable from the US and Europe | $7.99 a month, billed yearly | Signing up; requests are resent on a schedule |
| Optery | US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa | Free plan, or CORE at $39 a year | On the free plan, filing the opt-outs yourself |
| DeleteMe | U.S. residents only | $8.71 a month on a two-year plan | Signing up; progress reports every quarter |
Source: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-people-search-sites-sell-your-information