Did you know there are hundreds of databases that scrape your publicly available private information and display it online? These websites are called people search databases, and they'll sell your whole file for a couple of bucks. Some of these peoplefinder sites include intelius, spoko, whitepages, zabasearch, and peoplesmart, and they all make a living of selling your private data. We'll show you detailed instructions on how to remove your personal information from 20+ of the most popular background check sites, and offer some tips on how to reduce the amount of your private information that leaks out.

1. How to:
Delete your personal information
from background check websites
Step-by-step instructions to remove your info
from 17 top people search databases

2. Advertisers & your personal data
You're probably aware that social media sites scrape your
personal information in order to target specific
advertisements to you.

3. But did you know there's another category of
websites known as people search databases that
will sell your data to anyone interested for a
nominal fee as a 'background check?'
Image credit: @violetblue on ZDnet.com

4. There are 2 types of these
peoplefinder sites:
1. Primary sites that collect your information firsthand
from your local public records office.
2. Aggregator sites that piggyback off the primary
peoplesearch sites. They also scrape data from
social networks and public forums.
Most of this information has been publicly available
for decades, but the internet has made your private
information easy for anyone to access anywhere,
anytime, with just one click of a button.

5. A typical listing on the people search site Spokeo.
com, complete with a satellite photo of your house.

6. How do these sites get your data?

7. So what can you do?
1. Take stock of which sites you're on.
● Search for your name on a few of the top sites:
Intelius, Spokeo, Whitepages, Pipl, and
DOBSearch.
● Google your name- including alternate spelling,
middle names, and with/without quotes.
2. Complete the opt-out instructions for any sites
you appear on.
3. Take steps to protect your public information
4. Get professional privacy help (if necessary)

8. How to opt-out
The good news: most peoplesearch sites will
remove your information if you ask them to.
The bad news: these sites make the procedure
difficult to discourage you from doing it.
● Some sites have simple opt-out forms
● Some will require a fax or mailed form
● Others will even require a scanned copy of your
driver's license (always cross out your photo
and license #)

9. Send the following info when opting
out:
1. Specific URLs or copies of the records you'd like removed.
2. A list of the following personal information:
● First, last name, & middle initial
● Any aliases, AKAs, or nicknames
● Current address & any addresses going back 10+ years
● Full date of birth
● Email address (not all sites need this)
3. A professional note to the effect of:
"As per your privacy policy please remove my listing and
all records from your site and any affiliated databases.
Thank you."
4. Include any necessary proof of ID

10. These sites are all owned by Intelius and they all
require a scanned/faxed ID. You can do them all at
once by requesting it on the form.
Online opt out
Or: fax written request to 425-974-6194

11. These are all owned by confi-chek.com and ce be
opted out by referncing them all in a single letter.
They do require ID.
Mail your letter containing all pertinent info to:
Opt-Out - PrivateEye.com
1821 Q Street
Sacramento, CA
95811

12. These sites are easy- they all provide
online forms for opting out.
Opt out here
Opt out here - More info here
Opt out here
Locate your listing then opt out here
Opt out here - More info here
Privacy policy - opt out by finding
your listing and clicking on the page.

13. Email opt-outs
Search your email address on this page. If you're in
their records you'll get an email with how to proceed.
Email support@beenverified.com titled "opt out
request." Then include all pertinent info about yourself.
Send an email to privacy@mylife.com with your removal
request. You can also call 888-704-1900

14. LexisNexis is unique in that they only allow certain
individuals to remove their private information.
People who may request removal of their info:
● Law enforcement or public officials
● if you have threats of physical harm against you
● cases of identity theft
If you meet these criteria you can read more & opt
out here.

15. Pipl and Yasni are two secondary aggregator sites
that refuse to unlist any information under the
pretense that "it's all public information anyways."
The good news is Pipl and Yasni only pull data
from other sites, so if you successfully remove the
source of the information they won't be able to find
anything on you.

16. Protecting your private information
So you've contacted the
offending sites and had your
records removed. Great! Now
what?
Even after removing your
information, these sites are
constantly scouring public
records offices for new records
to publish.
Just because they took down
your info once doesn't mean
they won't try to post it again.

17. Ask yourself: do I really need this?
Since the peoplefinder sites pull
from public records, limit the
amount of information you make
public.
Do you really need another
grocery store club card?
Don't sign up for big
sweepstakes or take part in
public contests.

18. Get a P.O. box
To protect your home address, get a post office
box and use that as your address for major public
records forms.

19. Get professional help
Online security leaders Reputation.com and Abine
both have excellent paid services to protect your
private information from these databases:
Reputation.com - MyPrivacy
Abine - DeleteMe
Abine also has a great free resource to manually
removing your information from these people
search sites.

20. Keep your information safe online
Prevent your personal information from being accessed
by people and companies you don't know with
Sgrouples (sounds like 'scruples').
Sgrouples is the first true privacy network
that gives you total control over who gets to
see your content and who you share with.
That's why we drafted the Online Privacy Bill
of Rights.
In addition Sgrouples will never track, scrape, or share
your private information with anyone. So check us out
and Join the Online Privacy Revolution!

21. Recources & Credits:
Abine - comprehensive opt-out list
Abine - DeleteMe
Reddit - Remove yourself from all background check sites
Reputation.com - Myprivacy
Sgrouples - Online Privacy Bill of Rights
ZDnet - how to remove yourself from people search websites
ZDnet - how people search sites get your information
Sgrouples - Join the Online Privacy Revolution!