Security Checkup

Price captures verified 2026-08-09; overall scores unpublished

How to Remove Personal Information From the Internet

Direct answer: most people can reduce personal information exposure with free steps, self-search, account lockdown, broker opt-outs, and tighter social defaults, before paying anyone. Paid removal automation is optional when listing volume keeps returning faster than you can maintain by hand. This guide refuses fabricated “listings found” counts, broker clearance rates, and prices. Incogni and Aura appear only as pack shortlist options after free work, with overall scores and starting prices not yet published.

Start free data exposure check →
  • Guide · Free-first · ~16 min read

Fastest free path

  1. 1Search your name, email, phone, and address in a private window and save listing URLs
  2. 2Enable unique passwords and MFA on email and financial accounts
  3. 3Submit free opt-outs on the highest-visibility people-search results
  4. 4Tighten social privacy settings and remove stale public contact details
  5. 5Place credit freezes or local equivalents where available if identity risk is part of the worry
  6. 6Only then evaluate paid automation if DIY volume stays unsustainable
Start free data exposure check →

Step-by-step guide

  1. 1

    Find where you appear

    Free

    Start with search, not shopping. Note people-search sites, old profiles, and document leaks you can actually act on.

    • Search variations of your name plus city
    • Check email and phone in breach-notification tools you trust
    • Save links to listings you will opt out of
  2. 2

    Secure the accounts that matter most

    Free

    Removal is weaker if email and banking stay easy to take over. Fix authentication before you chase every broker.

    • Unique passwords or a password manager
    • MFA on email, banking, and Apple/Google accounts
    • Recovery codes stored offline
  3. 3

    Submit free broker and people-search opt-outs

    Free

    Many brokers provide opt-out forms. Expect repeats, listings can reappear. Track dates so you know when to re-check.

    • Use each site’s official opt-out path
    • Avoid sharing unnecessary identity documents
    • Re-check high-priority listings after a few weeks
  4. 4

    Reduce what you publish going forward

    Free

    Lock down social defaults, limit people-finder enrichment from public posts, and remove stale professional details you no longer need online.

    • Review Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X privacy defaults
    • Remove old phone numbers and home addresses from public bios
    • Ask family not to tag precise locations
  5. 5

    Decide if paid removal is worth it

    Optional paid

    Pay only when DIY volume is unsustainable. Prefer services in the pack shortlist after you understand free limits.

    • Estimate hours spent on opt-outs per month
    • Read who should not buy on product pages
    • Use /go/ links only when you choose an affiliate product
  6. 6

    Prioritize accounts over listings

    Free

    A pristine people-search profile does not help if email is still reusable and without MFA. Attackers often skip straight to account takeover. Do authentication work in the same week as your first opt-outs.

    • Email unique password + MFA
    • Banking/card alerts on
    • Recovery codes offline
  7. 7

    Who should not buy a removal service yet

    Free

    Skip paid removal if you have not searched yourself once; if you mainly need a password manager; if you expect public records to vanish; or if you require a verified overall score / published starting price before deciding. Those commercial facts remain in the verification register.

    • Finish at least one free opt-out cycle first
    • Read Incogni vs DeleteMe for diligence without invented scores
    • Use /go/ links only after you choose a pack merchant on purpose

What cannot always be removed

  • Court, property, and other public records that are not controlled by people-search sites
  • Information other people publish about you without your consent (you may need platform reporting tools)
  • Data brokers that ignore or delay legitimate opt-out requests
  • Anything requiring passwords, government IDs, or banking data to “check”, we never ask for those
  • Court and property records outside people-search control
  • Published clearance-rate statistics for any vendor on this draft

Sources

  • Major people-search opt-out help pages (public), Process references only; follow each site’s current official form
  • Incogni and Aura claim ledgers, Verified 2026-08-09 starting_price captures; scores unpublished
  • Vendor marketing pages, aura.com / incogni.com / joindeleteme.com / lifelock.norton.com feature and pricing claims, not independent evidence; re-verify same-day
  • Security Checklist methodology, How commercial pages are structured before scores publish, /methodology/
  • Claim ledger (T014), data/claim-ledgers/aura.json, incogni.json, deleteme.json, lifelock.json, surfshark.json: starting prices verified 2026-08-09; overall scores unpublished

Next steps

Frequently asked questions

Expert guides & insights

Related guides

Stay in the same problem space without jumping brands.

Want launch updates?

The email newsletter is not running yet. Use Contact if you want a human reply when it opens. No fake signup form.

Contact SecurityChecklist