What you can actually delete, and what stays online forever
You cannot delete information from the entire internet. What you can do is remove your personal details from the places where they are easiest to find: search engine results, data broker websites, and the accounts you control. Google will delist your home address from its search results if you ask. Data brokers like Spokeo and BeenVerified will remove your name and phone number if you submit a request. But information already published on someone else's website, archived by the Internet Archive, or spread across thousands of forums stays there unless the original publisher deletes it or a court orders its removal.
The realistic goal is to make yourself harder to find and to remove your information from the places where strangers can buy it. This takes time and repetition, but it works.
Key Takeaways
- Google Search can remove your home address, phone number, or email from its results if you submit a removal request through Google Search Console, though the information stays on the original website.
- Data brokers like Spokeo, BeenVerified, and Whitepages must remove your information when you request it, but new data gets added regularly so you may need to request removal again later.
- You can delete accounts you created yourself — email, social media, shopping sites — and this removes the information you posted, though cached versions may exist elsewhere.
- Information published by news outlets, government agencies, or other people stays online unless they choose to delete it or a court orders removal.
- The fastest approach is to start with Google Search removal and the three largest data brokers, which takes a few hours and covers where most people will find your information.
Removing your information from Google Search results
Google Search does not host the information — it only links to it. When you ask Google to remove a result, the link disappears from Google's search results, but the information stays on the original website. This is still worth doing because most people stop at Google and do not dig further.
Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console). Sign in with the Google account associated with your website, or create one if you do not have a site. Click "Removals" in the left menu, then "New Request." Enter the exact URL of the page containing your information — for example, the specific page on a data broker site that lists your phone number. Google will remove it from search results within a few days, though it may reappear if the original page is updated.
If you do not own the website where your information appears, you can still request removal through Google's removal tool at google.com/webmasters/tools/removals, but Google will ask you to prove you have a legal right to have it removed — for example, a court order or a law like GDPR in Europe. For most personal information on data broker sites, the data broker's own removal process (covered below) is faster.
Removing your information from data broker websites
Data brokers collect your information from public records, previous addresses, phone directories, and other sources, then sell access to it. The largest ones are Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, and PeopleFinder. Each has a removal page where you can request that your information be deleted.
For Spokeo (spokeo.com), search for yourself, click on your profile, scroll to the bottom, and click "Remove this listing." You will need to verify your identity by email. For BeenVerified (beenverified.com), find your profile, click "Remove my information," and follow the verification steps. For Whitepages (whitepages.com), search for yourself, click your listing, and select "Remove my information." Each site will ask you to confirm your email address or answer security questions to prove you are the person requesting removal.
Removal usually takes one to two weeks. However, data brokers add new information regularly, so your name may reappear in a few months. When it does, you can request removal again. Some people set a calendar reminder to check these sites every six months.
Deleting accounts you created yourself
Email accounts, social media profiles, shopping accounts, and forums where you posted information are under your control. Deleting them removes the information you shared, though cached versions may exist on archive sites or in search engine caches.
For Gmail, go to myaccount.google.com, click "Data & Privacy" in the left menu, scroll to "Your data & privacy options," and click "Delete your Google Account." Google will delete your email, photos, calendar, and other Google services associated with that account. You have 30 days to change your mind before deletion is permanent.
For Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Deactivation and Deletion. Choose "Delete Account" (not deactivate, which is temporary). Facebook will delete your profile, photos, and posts, though it keeps backups for 90 days in case you change your mind. For Instagram, go to Settings > Account > Delete Account. For Twitter/X, go to Settings & Privacy > Account > Deactivate Your Account.
Before you delete an account, read your data if you want to keep copies of your photos or posts. Most platforms offer a read option in their settings or privacy pages. Once you delete, that information is gone from the platform, though the Internet Archive (archive.org) may have cached versions of public pages you posted.
Dealing with the Internet Archive and cached pages
The Internet Archive (archive.org) is a nonprofit that saves snapshots of websites as they appeared on past dates. If your information was on a public webpage, the Archive may have a copy. You can request removal of your information from the Archive without having to delete the original page.
Go to archive.org, search for the URL of the page containing your information, and click on a snapshot. Scroll to the bottom and click "About this capture." Look for a link to request removal or contact the Archive directly at info@archive.org with the specific URL and a brief explanation of why you want it removed. The Archive usually honors removal requests within a few days.
Google's cache works similarly — Google stores a temporary copy of pages it has indexed. To remove a page from Google's cache without removing it from search results, go to Google Search Console, click "Removals," and select "Cached URL." Enter the URL and Google will remove the cached version within a few days, though the original page will still appear in search results.
Information you cannot remove
Court records, property records, business filings, and news articles are published by government agencies or news outlets, not by data brokers or platforms you control. You cannot remove these through the methods above. If a news outlet published your information, you can contact the publication and ask them to remove or redact it, but they are not required to do so unless the information is factually wrong or violates their own policies.
If your information appears in a court record or property record, removal is usually not possible without a court order. Some states allow you to request that your address be kept private in property records if you have safety concerns, but this varies by state and requires going through your local assessor's office or clerk of court.
If someone posted your information on a forum, Reddit, or another website you do not control, you can contact the site's moderators or support team and ask them to remove it. Many sites will remove posts that contain someone else's private information, but they are not required to. If the post violates the site's terms of service — for example, by sharing someone's address without consent — the site is more likely to take it down.
Protecting your information going forward
Once you have removed your information from the places where it is easiest to find, the next step is to limit how much new information gets published. Use privacy settings on social media to make your profile visible only to people you know. When you sign up for websites, use a separate email address that is not your primary one, so if the site is breached, your main email is not exposed. Consider using a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password to create unique passwords for each site, so a breach at one site does not compromise your other accounts.
When you shop online, uncheck the boxes that allow the retailer to share your information with partners. When you fill out forms, leave optional fields blank. The less information you put online in the first place, the less there is to remove later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to remove my information from data brokers?
Most data brokers process removal requests within one to two weeks after you verify your identity. Some are faster — Spokeo sometimes removes information within a few days. If you do not see your information removed after three weeks, contact the data broker's support team with your removal request number.
Will my information come back after I remove it?
Yes, data brokers add new information regularly from public records and other sources. Your name may reappear in a few months or a year. You can request removal again when it does. Some people check these sites every six months and submit new removal requests as needed.
Can I remove my information from news articles or Wikipedia?
You can contact the news outlet or Wikipedia and ask them to remove or redact your information, but they are not required to do so. News outlets have editorial judgment about what to publish. Wikipedia has policies against removing information about public figures unless it violates their rules. If the information is factually wrong, you have a better chance of getting it corrected or removed.
What if someone else posted my personal information online?
Contact the website where it was posted and ask them to remove it. Many sites have policies against sharing someone else's private information without consent. If the site does not respond or refuses, you may be able to report it to the platform as harassment or doxxing. In some cases, you can pursue legal action, but this is expensive and slow.
Do I need to pay a service to remove my information?
No. You can remove your information yourself for free by going directly to each data broker's removal page and submitting requests. Services that charge money to do this for you are doing the same thing you can do yourself. The only reason to use a paid service is if you do not have time to submit requests to multiple sites.