Removing your personal information from the internet is one of the most important things you can do for your privacy and safety. Whether you're concerned about stalkers, nosy employers, targeted advertising, or just general overexposure — this guide walks you through the concrete steps.
Fair warning: this isn't a one-time task. Data gets re-listed continuously from public records, and new brokers emerge all the time. But the steps below will give you a dramatically cleaner digital footprint.
Reality check: Complete erasure from the internet is not possible. Public records, news articles, and some government databases are outside your control. But you can remove the most harmful and widely-accessed information — the stuff that enables identity theft, stalking, and reputation damage.
Step 1: Audit Your Current Exposure
Before you start removing anything, understand the full scope of what's out there. This takes about 30 minutes and will guide everything else you do.
Google yourself thoroughly
Search your full name (in quotes), your name + city, your name + phone number, and your name + employer. Open the first 5+ pages of results and note every site showing your information.
Check the major people-search sites directly
Search for yourself on Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, Intelius, MyLife, and Radaris. These are the most commonly used and highest-visibility broker sites.
Search your images
Go to images.google.com and drag a photo of yourself in. Also try TinEye.com. See where your face appears across the web.
Step 2: Opt Out of Data Broker Sites
This is the highest-impact step. Here's how to tackle the major ones:
The big ones to prioritize
- Spokeo: spokeo.com/optout — requires email verification
- WhitePages: whitepages.com/suppression_requests — requires phone verification
- BeenVerified: beenverified.com/opt-out — requires email verification
- Intelius: intelius.com/optout — form-based, takes 24–72 hours
- MyLife: mylife.com/ccpa/index.pubview — CCPA form
- Radaris: radaris.com/page/how-to-remove — email-based request
- PeopleFinder: peoplefinder.com/optout.php — form-based
- Pipl: pipl.com/personal-information-removal-request
- Truthfinder: truthfinder.com/opt-out
- Instant Checkmate: instantcheckmate.com/opt-out
The ongoing problem: Even after successful removal, your data frequently reappears within weeks or months. This is because public records databases refresh automatically. Manual opt-outs require constant repetition — which is why services like STRIPIT handle this on an ongoing basis.
Step 3: Remove Results from Google
Google doesn't host most of this data — it just indexes it. But removing search results makes your information much harder to find.
Use Google's "Results About You" tool
Go to myaccount.google.com/results-about-you. This tool lets you request removal of search results showing your home address, phone number, email, or financial information. Google reviews each request within days.
Request removal of cached pages
Use Google's Outdated Content Removal tool (search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content) to remove cached versions of pages that have already been removed from the source site.
Contact websites directly
For search results that don't qualify for automated removal, contact the website owner directly. Most sites have a contact form. Cite GDPR (for EU residents), CCPA (for California), or simply make a direct request. Be professional and specific about which content you want removed.
Step 4: Clean Up Social Media
Even if you keep your social media accounts, you can dramatically reduce your data exposure:
Audit what you've posted
- Delete or limit old posts containing your address, phone number, or email
- Remove or unlink your birthday (especially birth year)
- Remove your employer from public-facing profiles
- Delete posts showing your home exterior or neighborhood landmarks
Lock down your privacy settings
- Facebook: Settings → Privacy → Future posts = Friends only. Run Privacy Checkup. Limit past post audience to Friends.
- Instagram: Account → Private Account. Review who follows you.
- LinkedIn: Visibility → Profile visibility = Connections only (if you don't need public profile for business)
- X/Twitter: Settings → Privacy → Protect your tweets (makes account private)
Remove yourself from people tagging
On Facebook, disable facial recognition (if still available in your region) and review posts you're tagged in before they appear on your profile.
Step 5: Delete Old Accounts You No Longer Use
Every old forum account, shopping site registration, or app signup is a data point that could be breached or scraped. Deleting dormant accounts reduces your attack surface.
Use JustDeleteMe.xyz to find direct deletion links for hundreds of services. For accounts where you've forgotten the password, use the "Forgot Password" flow to regain access, then delete the account.
Request data deletion, not just account closure
Under GDPR and CCPA, companies must delete your data on request — not just close your account. When deleting accounts, explicitly request deletion of all associated data. Most services will acknowledge your request within 30 days.
Step 6: Stop the Flow of New Data
Removing existing data is only half the battle. Slow the collection of new data:
- Use email aliases: Services like Apple Hide My Email, SimpleLogin, or Fastmail Masked Email create unique addresses for each service. When one gets breached or sold, you just disable it.
- Opt out of data sharing: Every financial product, insurance policy, and retailer loyalty program has a marketing data sharing opt-out buried in their privacy settings. Find it and use it.
- Review app permissions: On iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Review each permission category. On Android: Settings → Apps → Permissions. Revoke what you don't use.
- Use a VPN: A VPN prevents your ISP from selling your browsing history and hides your IP from websites you visit. Use a reputable paid service — free VPNs often monetize your data.
Skip the Manual Work — Let STRIPIT Handle It
STRIPIT automates opt-outs across 500+ data brokers and continuously monitors for your data re-appearing. Start your free 7-day trial today.
Start Free Trial →Realistic Timeline
Here's what to expect if you do this manually:
- Week 1: Audit your exposure, submit opt-out requests to the top 10–20 brokers
- Month 1: Most major brokers remove your data; Google search results start clearing
- Month 3: Significant reduction in visible data; start seeing fewer targeted ads
- Ongoing: Re-submit opt-out requests every 2–3 months as data re-appears
With STRIPIT, the timeline is compressed dramatically — we cover 500+ brokers from day one and handle the ongoing maintenance automatically.