How to Remove Personal Information From the Internet in 2026
Reviewed · Updated
Quick answer: You can remove a lot of it for free, one site at a time. Start with Google's Results about you, then opt out of people-search sites, and use DROP if you live in California. When there are too many sites to keep up with, a removal service sends the requests for you (checked 10/09/2026).
- Free: Google's Results about you asks Google to drop results that show your address, phone or email. It removes them from Google Search, not from the sites.
- Free: every people-search site has its own opt-out form. My FastPeopleSearch opt-out took 26 minutes to reach its second form, for one site.
- Free for California residents: DROP sends one deletion request to over 600 registered data brokers.
- Pay when you want dozens of sites handled and rechecked. Optery's free account shows where you appear, and its removals start at $39 a year.
Step 1: Do it yourself for free
Start with what costs nothing. The FTC names two ways to get off people-search sites: “do it on your own, one by one, for free,” or pay a service to do it for you. The steps below are the free route, in the order I’d take them.
Remove your details from Google Search with Results about you
Google’s Results about you looks for search results that show your home address, phone number or email. Google’s help page says you can add a nickname, a maiden name and more than one address, number or email. It can also notify you when new results match.
The tool needs a Google Account. Signed out, the page only offers “Sign in to get started.” Once you’re in, select “Get started,” enter your details and open the “To review” tab. Pick a result and select “Request to remove.” Google emails you to confirm and again when it decides.
Two limits matter. Google says removing a result “doesn’t mean that the info is gone from the internet,” because the page stays on the site. Google also won’t remove results from government or educational sites or newspapers. Some features are still rolling out to adults “in certain markets,” per the same page.
Opt out of people-search sites one by one
People-search sites build reports from public records, public social profiles and other data brokers, the FTC says. Most of them have an opt-out page. The FTC’s method: search for yourself on one site, find its opt-out link and follow the steps, then repeat on the next site.
Each site asks for something different. Whitepages wants the URL of your listing and an automated phone call, or a webform if you’d rather not give a number. FastPeopleSearch emails you a link that opens a second, longer form. Give the minimum each form requires. The FTC notes that opting out may require some information to verify who you are.
Guides for the sites I’ve gone through, and the next ones to check:
- Whitepages opt-out
- FastPeopleSearch opt-out
- TruthFinder opt-out
- Spokeo opt-out
- BeenVerified opt-out
- The full data broker opt-out list
If you live in California, use DROP
California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) is free. You confirm that you’re a California resident, create a profile with the details you choose, and send one request to over 600 registered data brokers.
Since August 1, 2026, brokers must check DROP at least once every 45 days and start processing deletion requests. The state says status updates can take up to 90 days. Only California residents can file, though a parent can file for a child (privacy.ca.gov, checked 10/09/2026).
Opt-out rights vary by state. California residents can also use the CCPA “Delete my personal information” request (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.105).
Stop prescreened credit and insurance offers
Prescreened offers come from lists the major credit bureaus provide. You can opt out at optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). The online opt-out lasts five years, and a signed form makes it permanent.
The FTC says the site asks for your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. It didn’t open from my connection, so this comes from the FTC’s guide (November 2023). It stops only offers based on the bureaus’ lists.
If the option isn’t there
Some sites bury the opt-out link. The FTC suggests searching the site’s name with “opt out” or “remove my information.” For old accounts and posts you control, delete them yourself. Google won’t remove results that show info you can take down on your own.
Step 2: When doing it yourself isn’t enough
The free route runs into three problems: the number of sites, the time each one takes and the repeat work.
California’s data broker registry had 603 entries for 2026, up from 544 in 2025 (both files downloaded 10/08/2026). That’s one state’s list. The people-search sites that show your address and relatives are only part of it.
My FastPeopleSearch opt-out took 26 minutes from the first form to the second one, on 10/08/2026. At that pace, 20 people-search sites would take close to 9 hours.
Those hours repeat. The FTC warns that your details “could re-appear for sale” when your public records change. FastPeopleSearch’s own policy says the same thing and recommends refreshing your opt-out.
No opt-out or service removes your data permanently. Brokers can list you again from new records, so search for yourself every few months.
Step 3: Use one service that does it for you
A removal service finds your profiles, sends the opt-out requests and repeats them on a schedule. I opened a free Optery account for this step because it shows where you appear before you pay anything.
Create a free account
Optery’s sign-up asks for your first and last name, country, email and a password. The next screen asks for your state, city and year of birth. It didn’t ask for a card, a phone number or a Social Security number (checked 10/08/2026 and 10/09/2026).
Create your free account on Optery’s site:
Create a free Optery accountAffiliate link · how it works →
See where you show up
My test account ran its first scan on 10/08/2026. On 10/09/2026 the dashboard showed 1 matched profile and 404 sites marked “Not Found / Search In Progress.” The free plan covers 0 of 633 brokers for removal, so it shows you where to opt out but doesn’t do it.
Below it, the site list had 405 entries. Each row said “Upgrade for coverage” in the exposure column.
Pick a plan if you want removals
With yearly billing, Core was $39.00 for automated removal from 380+ sites, or 152+ without Expanded Reach. Core is bot-only, with monthly scans and removals. Extended was $149.00 for 559+ sites, and Ultimate $249.00 for 636+.
Prices verified on 10/09/2026 on Optery’s site.
Before you pay, know three things. On 10/08/2026 the payment window showed no tax, total or renewal price before a card was entered. Support told me in chat that refunds are full within 30 days. Optery’s help center says many profiles start disappearing in about a week, and the long tail can take 3 to 4 months.
The details are in the Optery review, what Optery’s free plan includes and Optery’s pricing.
If you’d rather use another service
- DeleteMe has no free plan. Standard was $129.00 for a year at checkout, and its published list had 957 unique domains by our count. See the DeleteMe review.
- Incogni has no free plan. Standard starts at $95.88 a year, and its list had 417 unique domains. See the Incogni review.
- OneRep has a free scan, and Individual is $99.95 a year. Its full list of 873 sites needs a Pro plan. See the OneRep review.
| Service | Our score | Free plan | Lowest 1-year price | Entries on its published list | Data asked | Support (ET) | Reviewed on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optery | 8.8/10 | yes | $39/year | 944 | first and last name, country, email, password, state, city, year of birth | 24/7 per the chat widget | 10/08/2026 |
| OneRep | 7.8/10 | yes | $99.95/year | 873 | first and last name, date of birth, phone number, city and state, email address, optional: aliases, past addresses, more emails | Phone 9 a.m.–7 p.m. ET per the help center; chat answered at 12:49 p.m. ET on 10/08/2026 | 10/08/2026 |
| Incogni | 7.6/10 | no | $95.88/year | 417 | email, full name, home address, date of birth, phone number (U.S. customers) | no hours in ET published | 10/08/2026 |
| DeleteMe | 7.1/10 | no | $129/year | 957 | full name, date of birth, current and past addresses, phone number, email address | Phone and chat Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–8 p.m. ET; email anytime | 10/08/2026 |
Counts of entries on each published list are on the Data Removal Coverage Index. Is paying worth it for you? Start with what’s actually free at Optery, or compare every service on the best data removal services page, ranked by our methodology.
For Google alone, see how to remove personal information from Google.
What we checked
- Google Results about you start page and Google's help article on removing personal info, opened 10/09/2026. The tool itself wasn't used: it needs a Google Account, and I had no test account
- FTC guides on people-search sites (July 2022) and prescreened offers (November 2023), read 10/09/2026. optoutprescreen.com didn't open from my connection
- California DROP overview at privacy.ca.gov, read 10/09/2026. Not submitted: DROP is for California residents only
- California data broker registry, 2026 and 2025 files downloaded 10/08/2026 and counted by script: 603 and 544 entries
- Own opt-out runs on 10/08/2026: FastPeopleSearch (26 minutes from the first form to the second, second form not sent) and Whitepages (step 1 of 5)
- Optery: sign-up screen in a clean browser on 10/09/2026, nothing entered. Free test account (created 10/08/2026) opened 10/09/2026: dashboard, site list and plans. No paid plan, so no removals
- Other services: plans, checkout and published broker lists of DeleteMe, Incogni and OneRep from their runs on 10/08/2026
- Where the run stopped: desk review of the free tools (Google, FTC, California DROP); Optery free account: sign-up screen, scan result and plans, no paid removal
FAQ
Can I remove my personal information from the internet for free?
Much of it, yes. Google's Results about you, people-search opt-out forms and California's DROP cost nothing. What you can't do for free is make it stick: brokers can list you again from new records, so you repeat the work every few months.
How long does it take to remove my information?
One people-search opt-out took me 26 minutes to reach its second form. California says DROP status updates can take up to 90 days. Optery's help center says many profiles start disappearing in about a week, and the long tail can take 3 to 4 months.
Does Google's Results about you remove my info from websites?
No. Google says removing a result doesn't mean the info is gone from the internet. It only drops the result from Google Search. To take the page down, opt out on the site itself.
Will my information come back after I opt out?
It can. The FTC says your details could re-appear for sale when your public records change. FastPeopleSearch's policy says the same and recommends refreshing your opt-out. Search for yourself again every few months.
Is a data removal service worth paying for?
It's worth it when there are more sites than you have time for. Before you pay, the FTC suggests checking how many sites a service covers, whether it reports what it removed and how often it rescans. Optery's free account shows where you appear before you decide.
Do I need to give my Social Security number to remove my information?
Not for the steps on this page, with one exception. Optery's sign-up didn't ask for it on 10/09/2026, and the people-search forms I went through didn't either. The FTC says optoutprescreen.com asks for it to stop prescreened credit offers.