How to Remove Yourself From Spokeo in 2026
Reviewed · Updated
Opt-out forms and policies change; we checked this one on 10/23/2026.
Quick answer: Yes, you can opt out of Spokeo for free and without an account. Copy the web address of your listing, paste it into the form at spokeo.com/optout, add an email address and click the link Spokeo sends you. Spokeo's policy says the removal then happens in real time.
- You need the listing's URL and an email address. No phone number, ID or Spokeo account.
- One form covers Spokeo's other sites too, except ThatsThem, which has its own form.
- A removal service makes sense when Spokeo is one of dozens of sites to clear.
What Spokeo shows about you (and where it gets it)
Spokeo, Inc. is based in Pasadena, California. Its privacy policy (revised 06/25/2026) lists eight kinds of records it collects. These include consumer survey indexes, phone directories, email databases, property records, public social profiles, court records, business directories and birth, marriage and death records.
Spokeo’s help center says customers can find contact details, homeowners, social media and court records. It says Spokeo cross-references “over 12 billion” public records and has no feature to edit a listing. You can only opt out of it.
Spokeo, Inc. is a registered data broker in California. Its 2026 entry lists six sites: Spokeo.com, Freepeopledirectory.com, Thatsthem.com, Peoplewin.com, Anywho.com and Family.me.
Step 1: Find your listing and copy its URL
Spokeo’s opt-out works on one listing at a time, by its web address. Its help center gives the steps. Open a private (incognito) window, go to spokeo.com and search your name with your city and state, for example “John Smith, Los Angeles, CA.”
Open the listing that’s you and copy the address from the browser bar. Spokeo says it should look like spokeo.com/John-Smith/State/City/1234567890. If the address contains “purchase” or “&loaded=1,” the form will reject it. Run the search again in a private window to get a clean one.
I couldn’t run this step myself. On 10/23/2026, spokeo.com answered our connection with “403 Forbidden,” and our test browser was outside the U.S. So this guide follows Spokeo’s own help pages and policy, plus a screenshot of the form in DeleteMe’s guide.
Step 2: Open spokeo.com/optout and paste the URL
Go to spokeo.com/optout. The help center also points to the Privacy link at the bottom of any Spokeo page. Scroll down to the section “Opt Out Your Listing from Spokeo” and paste your URL into the box that says “Enter URL here.”
That screenshot is DeleteMe’s, not ours, and dates from May 2024. Spokeo’s help text, edited 08/22/2025, describes the same boxes.
Step 3: Confirm by email
The same form asks for an email address and an “I’m not a robot” check. Spokeo says the email is used to verify the removal. Then open the email from Spokeo and click the link at the bottom.
Spokeo repeated this in a public reply on Trustpilot on 09/24/2026. It said the tool is open to anyone, “regardless of place of residency.” It added that you only submit the profile link and an email address.
Using a separate or masked email address is a fair idea here. Optery’s guide recommends one because brokers can add the address you send them to their own lists.
Step 4: Wait, then check again in a private window
Spokeo’s policy says the tool removes a listing “in real time” once you complete the request. The form text in DeleteMe’s screenshot said 24–48 hours, and DeleteMe’s guide says 72 hours. Search your name again in a private window to check.
If the listing still shows, Spokeo’s help center blames cached results in your browser. Clear your cookies and cache and search again. If an error persists, Spokeo asks you to email privacy@spokeo.com with every listing URL and any error code.
Spokeo publishes its own totals in its privacy policy. For 2025, its opt-out tool got 1,682,854 requests. It complied with 1,675,905 in whole or in part and denied 6,949.
What came back: why your profile can reappear
One request removes one listing. If Spokeo builds a new listing from fresh records, or you have older ones under past cities, each needs its own request. So search for yourself again every few months.
Spokeo’s policy also keeps some rights for itself. It “reserves the right to deny or reverse a request” that it thinks breaks its terms. It may also hand removed records to a buyer of the business.
Some parts of a listing don’t come off at all:
- Phone, address and username pages. Spokeo says it can’t remove these pages. Removing your person listing takes your name off them.
- Court records. Spokeo removes them only if they were expunged or sealed. Email the court order to expungement@spokeo.com and allow up to 10 days.
No opt-out removes your data permanently. Spokeo can list you again from new records, so check again every few months.
Opting out of ThatsThem and other Spokeo sites
Spokeo’s policy says its tool covers “Spokeo.com and other Spokeo-operated websites excluding Thatsthem.com.” Its 2026 California registry entry says the same. So one Spokeo request covers sites like Anywho.com, but ThatsThem needs its own form. See the ThatsThem opt-out.
Opt-out rights vary by state. California residents can also make a CCPA deletion request, but that right covers only data a business collected from them (CCPA, California Attorney General). Their right to stop a business from selling their data has no such limit. They can also send one deletion request to all registered brokers through the state’s DROP platform. DROP doesn’t cover publicly available information, such as government records.
Washington residents with a Washington cell number can also email CustomerCare@spokeo.com to remove that number from reverse phone search. Spokeo’s policy asks for a screenshot of the listing.
What owners report
BBB and Reddit blocked our connection, so I read Trustpilot. Spokeo had 1,629 reviews and a 2.5 rating there on 10/23/2026. In the newest six pages, back to May 2026, most complaints were about charges after a low-cost trial, not about removal.
One long review, first posted 08/20/2026, came from someone living in Europe. They said Spokeo ignored their deletion requests under Nebraska law and the GDPR. Spokeo’s reply of 09/24/2026 said its records are public information and pointed them back to the opt-out tool.
If the form fails for you, Spokeo’s help center offers privacy@spokeo.com. Its Trustpilot reply also lists phone, email and chat support, seven days a week, 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific.
When a removal service is cheaper than your time
One Spokeo opt-out is a URL, an email address and a link to click. The trouble is the count. Spokeo has old listings to find, ThatsThem needs a separate form, and OneRep’s published list alone has 314 people-search sites (10/08/2026).
If you’d rather hand it off, I’d look at Optery. Its Spokeo page marks the site “Covered by Core,” its cheapest paid plan. On 10/23/2026, Core was $39 billed yearly, or $3.99 month to month. Optery’s free Basic account scans first, without a card. More in the Optery review.
See plansAffiliate link · how it works →
| Service | Spokeo on its published list (10/08/2026) | Cheapest plan that lists it |
|---|---|---|
| Optery | Yes, from Core | Core, $39/year |
| Incogni | Yes | Standard, $95.88/year |
| OneRep | Yes, people-search list on every plan | Individual, $99.95/year |
| DeleteMe | Yes, marked Standard | Standard, $129/year |
More on each: Incogni review · OneRep review · DeleteMe review · best data removal services.
Other people-search sites to opt out of
- ThatsThem opt-out
- Whitepages opt-out
- BeenVerified opt-out
- TruthFinder opt-out
- FastPeopleSearch opt-out
- Intelius opt-out
- TruePeopleSearch opt-out
- All data broker opt-outs
- How to remove your personal information from the internet
What we checked
- spokeo.com on 10/23/2026: the site and the opt-out page returned 403 Forbidden to our connection, which is outside the U.S. No search and no form were submitted
- Spokeo's help center, read through its public help-center API on 10/23/2026: 11 articles on opt-out, phone, address and username listings, court records and errors
- Third-party guides: DeleteMe (updated 09/22/2026, with its May 2024 screenshot of the form) and Optery (modified 07/24/2026)
- Spokeo documents: privacy policy revised 06/25/2026 (Wayback Machine copy of 09/10/2026) and Spokeo, Inc.'s entry in the California Data Broker Registry (10/23/2026)
- Owners: Spokeo's Trustpilot page, newest six pages of reviews (May–October 2026) and Spokeo's reply of 09/24/2026. BBB and Reddit blocked our connection
- Removal services: published lists of OneRep, Optery, DeleteMe and Incogni (10/08/2026). Optery's Spokeo page and pricing re-checked 10/23/2026
- Where the run stopped: spokeo.com returned 403 Forbidden to our non-U.S. connection on 10/23/2026, so no search and no form submission. Steps come from Spokeo's help center (read through its public help-center API), its privacy policy and DeleteMe's screenshot of the form
FAQ
Is Spokeo opt-out free?
Yes. Spokeo's help center describes a free form at spokeo.com/optout. You don't need a Spokeo account. You paste the link to your listing and an email address, pass a CAPTCHA and click the link Spokeo emails you (read 10/23/2026).
How long does Spokeo take to remove a listing?
Spokeo's privacy policy says the tool removes a listing “in real time” once the request is completed (revised 06/25/2026). DeleteMe's guide says to expect up to 72 hours. If you still see it, Spokeo's help center says to clear your browser cache and search again.
Why is my information back on Spokeo?
Spokeo's help center blames cached results in your browser first. A new listing built from fresh records can also appear, and each one needs its own request. Spokeo's policy also reserves the right to deny or reverse a removal.
Can I remove my phone number or address from Spokeo?
Only your name on it. Spokeo's help center says it can't remove a whole phone, address or username listing. Removing your own person listing takes your name off those pages.
Does the Spokeo opt-out cover ThatsThem?
No. Spokeo's policy and its 2026 California registry entry say the Spokeo tool covers every Spokeo site except Thatsthem.com. ThatsThem has its own form at thatsthem.com/optout.
Does a removal service cover Spokeo?
All four we track list it. On their published lists, Optery covers Spokeo from its Core plan, OneRep on every plan, DeleteMe on Standard and Incogni on its main list (10/08/2026).