How I Contact is a data broker that collects and sells your personal information
How I Contact is a company that gathers data about people — names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and sometimes financial or health details — and sells that information to other businesses. You did not sign up with them directly. Instead, they bought your data from other sources: public records, data brokers, websites you visited, or companies you gave your information to years ago. How I Contact then packages that data and sells it to marketers, debt collectors, skip tracers, and other companies looking to reach you.
The company operates in the background. You will not see their name on a website you visit or a form you fill out. But if you have ever wondered how a telemarketer got your number, or how a debt collector found you at a new address, How I Contact or a company like it is often part of that chain.
Key Takeaways
- How I Contact buys your personal data from other sources and sells it to third parties without asking your permission first.
- You can request that How I Contact remove your information by visiting their opt-out page or sending a written request, though removal is not permanent.
- Opting out of How I Contact reduces — but does not eliminate — the amount of your data circulating among data brokers and marketers.
- Your data can reappear in their system months or years later if you interact with a company that shares data with them again.
How your information ends up with How I Contact
How I Contact sources data from multiple places. Public records — property deeds, voter registration, court filings — are one major source. They also buy lists from other data brokers, subscribe to information from credit bureaus, and receive data from websites and apps that collect your information when you sign up or make a purchase. Some of that data is decades old; some is updated constantly.
The company also uses what is called "data appending" — they take a partial record (say, just a name and address) and match it to other records to fill in missing details like your phone number or email. This matching is not always accurate, which is why you may receive mail or calls meant for someone else with a similar name.
What How I Contact does with your data
Once How I Contact has compiled your information, they sell it. Their customers include marketing companies, insurance firms, financial services, and debt collection agencies. A marketer might buy a list of people in a certain age range and income bracket. A debt collector might buy a list of people with unpaid accounts. A skip tracer — someone hired to locate a person — might buy access to current addresses and phone numbers.
How I Contact also operates websites where people can search for others by name. These sites generate revenue through advertising and premium subscriptions. If someone pays to search for you on one of these sites, How I Contact profits from that transaction.
How to remove your information from How I Contact
How I Contact offers an opt-out process, though it requires you to take action. You can visit their website and use their opt-out tool, which usually asks you to verify your identity by answering security questions or confirming details they have on file. Alternatively, you can send a written request by mail asking them to remove your information.
The process takes time — typically two to four weeks — and removal is not may provide to be permanent. If your information is sold to How I Contact again by another source, it can reappear in their database. For this reason, many people opt out of multiple data brokers rather than relying on a single removal.
Keep records of when you submitted your opt-out request and to which company. If you start receiving mail or calls from How I Contact again months later, you have documentation that you already asked them to remove you.
The difference between How I Contact and similar companies
How I Contact is one of hundreds of data brokers operating in the United States. Others include Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, and Intelius. Some focus on people-search websites; others work entirely behind the scenes, selling data to businesses. Some are more transparent about their sources and practices; others are deliberately obscure.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversees data brokers but does not require them to ask your permission before collecting or selling your data. This means removal from one broker does not remove you from others. If you want to reduce your exposure across multiple companies, you may need to opt out of several.
Why data brokers matter for your privacy and safety
Data brokers create a market for your personal information. The more companies that have your data, the higher the risk that it will be misused — sold to scammers, used for identity theft, or shared with someone trying to locate you without your knowledge. Domestic abusers, stalkers, and harassers sometimes use people-search websites to find their targets.
Data brokers also enable mass marketing and profiling. Companies use the data to target you with ads, offers, and solicitations based on your age, income, location, and behavior. While not always harmful, this profiling can exclude you from opportunities or expose you to predatory offers designed for vulnerable people.
What you cannot control about data brokers
Even if you opt out of How I Contact and every other data broker, you cannot stop the collection of public records. Property deeds, voter registration, and court filings are public by law and will always be available to anyone who searches for them. You also cannot prevent companies you do business with from selling your data to brokers, unless you explicitly ask them not to and they honor that request.
Some states have passed laws requiring data brokers to honor opt-out requests and to disclose what data they hold. California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah have the strongest laws so far. If you live in one of these states, you may have additional rights to know what data a broker has and to demand its removal. If you live elsewhere, your options are more limited.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal for How I Contact to sell my data?
No, it is not illegal in most cases. Data brokers operate in a legal gray area. They are allowed to collect and sell personal information unless a specific law in your state prohibits it or you have explicitly asked them to stop. The FTC regulates how they use data but not whether they can collect it in the first place.
If I opt out of How I Contact, will my data stop appearing everywhere?
No. Opting out of How I Contact removes you from that company only. Your information will still be held by other data brokers, sold by companies you do business with, and available through public records. To reduce your exposure, you would need to opt out of multiple brokers and contact companies directly to ask them not to sell your data.
Can I sue How I Contact if they sold my data to someone who harassed me?
It depends on your state and the specific circumstances. Some states allow lawsuits against data brokers for negligence or privacy violations. Others do not. Consulting with a lawyer in your state is the best way to understand your options. The FTC also accepts complaints about data brokers if you believe they have violated privacy laws.
How often do I need to opt out of How I Contact?
Opt-out requests are not permanent. Your data can reappear if How I Contact acquires it again from another source. Many people opt out once and then monitor whether their information reappears. If it does, they opt out again. Some people set a reminder to opt out annually as a maintenance step.
What should I do if I do not recognize the information How I Contact has about me?
Contact How I Contact directly and ask them to correct or clarify the data. Inaccurate information — a wrong phone number, an old address, a name misspelling — can cause problems if it is sold to debt collectors or used to locate you. Requesting a correction is different from opting out and may be worth doing even if you plan to remove yourself entirely.