Delete Personal Information from Data Brokers
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What data brokers are collecting about you and how they profit from it
- The risks of leaving your information exposed — from spam and scams to identity theft
- How the data removal process works and what kind of timeline to expect
- Why manual removal is so time-consuming (and often temporary)
- How automated services like Incogni handle it for you with ongoing monitoring
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Data brokers are at the center of the online privacy problem.
They collect, package, and sell your personal information: everything from your name and email to your home address, job history, and even relatives’ names.
This data is then resold to advertisers, background check sites, and sometimes shady third parties you’d never knowingly deal with.
If you want to reclaim your privacy, the first step is clear: delete your personal information from data brokers.
What Data Brokers Collect
Here are just a few of the details they gather:
- Full name, date of birth, age
- Home and past addresses
- Phone numbers and email addresses
- Relatives and family connections
- Job titles, employment history, income data
- Shopping habits and browsing history
- Location data from apps and devices
Once compiled, this information is sold to marketers, insurers, recruiters, and — more worryingly — anyone who pays a fee on people-search sites.
The Risks of Staying Exposed
Leaving your data in broker databases increases your risk of:
- 📞 Robocalls & Spam Emails – Your phone and inbox flooded by marketing lists
- 🎯 Phishing Scams – More convincing because scammers already know personal details
- 🕵️ Identity Theft – Criminals using your info to open accounts or loans
- 🚪 Harassment or Doxxing – Strangers having easy access to your home address
The Process of Data Removal
Deleting your data from brokers involves three key steps:
#1) Identify Brokers with Your Data
Automated tools scan hundreds of broker databases to find where you’re listed.
#2) Send Removal Requests
Requests are submitted using privacy laws like GDPR (UK/EU) or CCPA (US). Each broker has its own process — forms, email requests, sometimes even photo ID.
#3) Ongoing Monitoring
Even after deletion, brokers can re-add you when they refresh their lists. Ongoing monitoring ensures fresh requests are sent when needed.
Timeline: What to Expect
- Week 1 – Automated scans begin, and initial removal requests are sent.
- Week 2–4 – Brokers start responding. Some removals happen quickly; others drag their feet.
- Month 2+ – You’ll notice fewer spam calls, fewer marketing emails, and your details disappearing from people-search sites.
- Ongoing – Regular re-scans catch and remove new exposures so your data stays suppressed.
Before and After: Privacy in Action
Before Removal
- Google search of your name shows phone number, address, relatives.
- Multiple people-search sites have full profiles available for a fee.
- Daily spam calls and phishing attempts.
After Removal
- Cleaned-up search results — less personal data tied to your name.
- Profiles vanish from major people-search sites.
- Noticeable drop in robocalls, spam, and phishing attempts.
- Peace of mind knowing your private details aren’t for sale.
Which Brokers Are Covered?
Top data removal services target hundreds of brokers, including the biggest names:
- Whitepages
- Spokeo
- BeenVerified
- Intelius
- TruthFinder
- PeopleFinders
- Radaris
- US Search
- Instant Checkmate
- MyLife
In total, services like Incogni work with 250–270+ brokers, ensuring broad protection.
Why Use a Service Instead of DIY
You can remove yourself manually, but here’s the reality:
- 100+ brokers = 100+ opt-out processes
- Each requires different forms, IDs, and follow-ups
- Data can reappear, forcing you to start again
- Expect 50–100 hours of work just to scratch the surface
Automated services cut this to 10 minutes of setup and run in the background, saving time and keeping your info suppressed long-term.
Recommended Solution: Incogni
Incogni is the most balanced and effective tool for deleting your information from data brokers.
- Targets 250+ brokers across the US, UK, and EU
- Sends and tracks removal requests automatically
- Uses GDPR and CCPA laws to enforce compliance
- Provides real-time progress reports in your dashboard
- Keeps scanning and re-submitting requests so your data stays gone
Data brokers won’t stop collecting and selling your information. If you want privacy, you need to take action, and deleting your data from these databases is the single most effective step you can take.
You can do it manually, but it’s slow, repetitive, and never-ending. Or you can let an automated service like Incogni do the work for you: scanning, removing, and monitoring continuously.