---
title: "How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet | The Plain Manual"
description: "You have almost certainly given websites your name, email address, phone number, and home address at some point — to shop, to sign up for something, or to"
---

# How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet

[Staying Safe Online](https://ajmm.org/category/staying-safe-online/)

You have almost certainly given websites your name, email address, phone number, and home address at some point — to shop, to sign up for something, or to fill in a form. Much of that information ends up in databases run by companies that collect and sell personal data. These “people-search” or “data broker” sites make it easy for anyone to look up your phone number, address, relatives, and even your approximate age. The good news is that most of them are required to remove your information if you ask — it just takes some time and patience.

## Who Has Your Information?

Data brokers gather information from public records (electoral rolls, court records, property registries), social media profiles, old website registrations, and information bought from other companies. Sites like Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, and UK-specific directories like 192.com and TheTrueNumber hold profiles on millions of people.

Having your information on these sites is not illegal, but it can be used by scammers building a picture of you, or by people you would rather not find you.

## Step 1: Find Out What Is Out There

Before you start removing anything, it helps to know what you are dealing with. The easiest way is to search for yourself:

1. Open a web browser and go to Google (or another search engine).
2. Search for your full name in quotes — for example, **“Jane Smith”** — along with your city or the county you live in.
3. Try variations: your name plus your phone number, your name plus an old address.
4. Note down any results that show personal details — the site name and the URL of the specific page about you.

You might also try searching directly on sites like **192.com**, **BT Phonebook**, or **Whitepages** to see if you have a listing there.

## Step 2: Opt Out from the Electoral Roll (UK)

In the UK, the full electoral register is available to credit agencies and certain other organisations. You have the right to opt out of the “open” register, which is sold to commercial companies:

1. Contact your local council and ask to be removed from the open register. This does not affect your right to vote.
2. You can usually do this in writing, by phone, or by ticking a box on your annual registration form when it arrives.

Being on the full (non-public) register is required to vote and applies to credit checks, but opting out of the open register removes you from many commercial databases over time.

## Step 3: Request Removal from Directory Websites

Most UK and international people-search sites have an opt-out or removal process. Here is how to handle the most common ones:

### 192.com (UK)

1. Go to **192.com** and search for your name.
2. If you find a listing, click **Opt Out** at the bottom of the page.
3. Fill in your details and submit the form. Removal typically takes a few days.

### BT Phonebook and Royal Mail Address Data

If your phone number is in the BT Directory Enquiries database, you can register as “ex-directory” (not listed). Call your phone provider and ask to go ex-directory for new directories, though this will not remove you from existing third-party databases immediately.

### US-Based Sites (Spokeo, Whitepages, Intelius, BeenVerified)

These US sites often have UK residents on file due to data purchasing. Each has a manual opt-out process:

- **Spokeo:** Go to spokeo.com/opt\_out/new and enter the URL of your listing.
- **Whitepages:** Find your listing, click **Control your info**, and submit a removal request.
- **BeenVerified:** Go to their opt-out page and search for your name, then submit the removal form.

Expect each to take a few days to a few weeks to process.

## Step 4: Use Your Data Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to request that companies delete your personal data (the “right to erasure”). This applies to commercial data brokers:

1. Find the company’s privacy policy or contact page.
2. Write a short email saying: *“Under UK GDPR Article 17, I request that you erase all personal data you hold about me, including \[your name, address, any other details they have\]. Please confirm once this is complete.”*
3. They are legally required to respond within one month.
4. If they refuse without valid reason, you can complain to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) at ico.org.uk.

## Step 5: Tidy Up Social Media Profiles

Much of what data brokers hold came from public social media profiles in the first place. Reducing what is visible publicly can prevent new data from being scraped:

- **Facebook:** Review your privacy settings. Set your profile, friend list, and posts to “Friends only” rather than “Public”.
- **LinkedIn:** Turn off “Profile viewing options” that show your full name to public viewers if you are not actively job hunting.
- **Google yourself regularly:** New listings can appear as data brokers buy fresh data. Checking every few months and re-sending opt-outs is part of ongoing privacy management.

## Realistic Expectations

Completely removing yourself from the internet is not realistic — public records, news articles, and accounts you created years ago will persist. But reducing your footprint on people-search sites significantly limits what a stranger can easily find about you. The process takes a few hours to do properly and some waiting time for requests to be processed.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long does it take for removal requests to work?

Most sites process opt-out requests within a few days to a few weeks. Under UK GDPR, companies have one month to respond to a data erasure request. The listing may still appear in search engine caches for a while after removal — these usually clear within a few weeks as well.

### Will removing my information cause problems with credit checks?

No. Credit agencies use the full electoral register (not the open one) and their own databases. Opting out of the open register and removing yourself from commercial people-search sites does not affect your credit score or ability to pass credit checks.

### Can I pay a service to do this for me?

Yes. Services like DeleteMe and Kanary charge a subscription fee to monitor and repeatedly request removal on your behalf, since data brokers often re-add information over time. This can save significant effort if online privacy is a major concern for you. However, you can do it yourself for free using the steps above.

### Why do these sites keep adding my information back?

Data brokers buy fresh data regularly from various sources. Even after removal, your information might reappear if a new data purchase includes you. Checking and re-requesting removal every six months is a sensible routine if this is a concern.

### What about images of me that appear in Google searches?

If you find photos of yourself in Google Search that you want removed, Google has a tool at myaccount.google.com/delete-services that lets you request removal of certain types of personal information, including images. This removes them from Google’s results but not from the original website — you would need to contact that site directly as well.

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