Spokeo is one of the largest and most popular people search websites, aggregating personal information about millions of individuals. Spokeo collects data from a vast array of online and offline sources, including:
- Social media profiles
- Public records like birth certificates, marriage licenses, and property deeds
- Court records including criminal records, bankruptcies, and traffic violations
- Phone books and utility records
- Consumer and business records like magazine subscriptions and loyalty card memberships
With over 12 billion records, Spokeo makes it easy to find extensive information about almost anyone with just a name, phone number, or email address. Information commonly found in a Spokeo listing includes:
- Full name and age
- Contact info including phone numbers and email addresses
- Current and past home addresses
- Family members and other relatives
- Social media profiles and photos
- Property records and home values
- Professional background and business affiliations
While this information can be useful for reconnecting with old friends or vetting a new roommate, having your personal details so easily accessible comes with serious risks:
- Identity theft: Criminals can use personal info from Spokeo for fraud and identity theft. There were 1.4 million reports of identity theft in the US in 2021, leading to $24 billion in losses.
- Stalking and harassment: An abusive ex or stalker could use Spokeo to find where you live and work. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the US experience stalking.
- Spamming: Email addresses found on Spokeo are often mined by spammers and sold on the black market. The average person receives 19 spam emails per day.
- Discrimination: Employers, landlords, or others could use Spokeo to uncover info about your background and unfairly deny you opportunities.
Spokeo compiles much of this sensitive information without your knowledge or explicit consent. And data broker sites like Spokeo are frequent targets for hackers – since 2019 there have been over 10 reported data breaches of brokers, exposing more than 200 million customer records.
Luckily, Spokeo offers a way to opt out and remove your personal information from the site. The rest of this guide will walk you through the process of finding your Spokeo listing and successfully removing it to protect your online privacy.
How to Remove Yourself From Spokeo: Step-by-Step Guide
Opting out of Spokeo is a relatively simple process that most people can complete in a matter of minutes by following the steps below:
Step 1: Go to spokeo.com and click the search bar. Enter your first and last name in quotation marks and hit Search.
Step 2: On the results page, find your listing and click See Results. You may need to try different name variations if you have a common name.
Step 3: On the results page for your report, copy the URL in your browser‘s address bar. You will need this to submit your opt-out request.
Step 4: In a new browser tab, navigate to spokeo.com/optout. This page has Spokeo‘s official opt-out request form.
Step 5: In the form, paste the URL to your listing that you copied. Enter an email address (consider using a disposable address to protect your privacy). Check the I‘m not a robot box and click Remove this listing.
Step 6: Check your email inbox for a confirmation message from Spokeo. Open this email and click the removal link to confirm your opt-out request.
After following these steps, your Spokeo listing and personal information will typically be removed within 2-3 business days. To confirm your info has been removed, search for your name again after a few days have passed. Your listing should no longer appear.
If your listing is still showing up after 2-3 days, you can try submitting the opt-out request again. Make sure you copied the exact URL and entered the email address correctly.
Here is a quick video walking through the process visually:
[Embed Spokeo opt-out video tutorial]
Advanced Spokeo Opt-Out Tips
The basic opt-out steps above will work to remove most Spokeo listings. But depending on your situation, you may need to try some additional steps:
If you have moved frequently, changed your name, or used different name variations, Spokeo may have multiple listings for you. Perform multiple searches with your current and past names/locations and opt out of each listing you find.
You may want to opt out family members or cohabitants along with yourself. Spokeo cross-references data to identify likely associates, so someone could still find you through a relative‘s listing. Search for family members and submit opt-out requests for them as well.
Since Spokeo continuously adds new data, your information may reappear in the future even after opting out. You can set a calendar reminder to search for yourself on Spokeo every 3-6 months and re-opt out if needed.
If your opt-out request is still unsuccessful after multiple attempts, you can try contacting Spokeo‘s customer support for further assistance at [email protected] or 1-888-906-0849.
Alternative Ways to Remove Info From Spokeo
Manually finding your Spokeo listings and submitting opt-outs can be time consuming, especially if you have a lot of info on the site. Here are some other ways you can streamline the Spokeo opt-out process:
Third-Party Opt-Out Services
A number of reputable online privacy companies now offer services that will handle data broker opt-outs on your behalf. For an annual fee, they will find and remove your personal info from Spokeo and other leading data broker sites.
Two popular opt-out services are DeleteMe and Incogni. Here is an overview of what each service offers:
DeleteMe:
- Removes your info from Spokeo and 35+ other data brokers
- Finds and deletes old posts, comments and profiles
- Monitors 50+ sites for new info about you added
- Subscription options: $129/year for one person, $229/year for two people, $329/year for four people
- Trustpilot rating: 4.6/5
Incogni:
- Removes your data from Spokeo and 180+ data brokers
- Sends opt-out requests instantly with automated tech
- Conducts regular privacy checks to keep your info off broker sites
- Subscription options: $5.79/month, $77.88/year, $137.76/2 years
- Trustpilot rating: 4.4/5
Opting for one of these third-party services will cost some money, but will ultimately save you significant time and hassle if you want to remove your info from multiple data broker sites besides just Spokeo. They can also help keep your info off these sites on an ongoing basis.
Spokeo Premium Opt-Out
For $29.95/month or $69.95/quarter, you can upgrade to a Spokeo Premium membership. One of the perks of Premium is one-click opt-outs – you can remove any listing you want with a single click, rather than having to submit the manual opt-out request.
However, the Premium membership will only let you easily opt out while your subscription is active. If you cancel, your info can still reappear in the future and you will need to complete the regular opt-out process again.
Unless you are planning to use Spokeo frequently yourself for people searches, paying for a Premium plan is probably not the most economical way to opt out. The third-party removal services offer more comprehensive privacy protection for a similar cost.
Online Privacy and Data Brokers: The Big Picture
Spokeo is just one of many data broker websites that collect and sell personal information, largely without consent. Other popular data broker sites include:
- Whitepages
- MyLife
- Pipl
- PeekYou
- BeenVerified
- Intelius
- Radaris
- PeopleFinders
It‘s nearly impossible to completely eliminate your digital footprint in the modern age. Even if you remove your info from data broker sites, your personal data is still being collected from sources like:
- Government and court records
- Credit bureaus and banks
- Retailers and loyalty programs
- Social media and web cookies
- Mobile apps
However, opting out of data broker sites is still a smart way to reduce your online exposure and protect yourself from some of the most common digital privacy threats. It‘s especially important to opt out of data brokers if you have a greater need for privacy due to your personal or professional situation, e.g.:
- Victims of stalking, harassment or domestic violence
- Law enforcement and government employees
- High net worth individuals at increased risk of scams
- Public figures and celebrities
So while you should still take other steps to secure your data online like using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and being careful what you post publicly, opting out from Spokeo and other data brokers is an important piece of the privacy protection puzzle.
FAQs About Removing Info From Spokeo
Still have questions about opting out of Spokeo? Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
Will removing myself from Spokeo hurt my credit score?
No, opting out of Spokeo will not negatively impact your credit score. Spokeo is not a credit bureau and does not report to the credit agencies. Spokeo listings are not used to calculate your credit score.
Can I opt out of Spokeo by phone?
Spokeo accepts opt-out requests by phone at 1-888-906-0849. However, submitting the opt-out form online is typically quicker and simpler than opting out by phone.
Why does Spokeo have the wrong information about me?
Spokeo sources data from thousands of public records, many of which may be outdated or inaccurate. Removing your listing is the best way to get rid of incorrect information. If you spot an error on your credit report, you can dispute it directly with the credit bureau.
What if I only want to remove some of the info on my Spokeo listing?
Spokeo does not currently allow you to pick and choose which specific info is displayed on your listing. Opting out will remove the entire listing. There is no way to remove some pieces of info while leaving the rest of the listing intact.
Is it illegal for Spokeo to post my personal information?
In general, data brokers like Spokeo are legally allowed to collect and share personal data from public records. Some state laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act place restrictions on data brokers, but there are currently no national regulations specifically governing the industry.
What other people search sites are similar to Spokeo?
Other popular people search services similar to Spokeo include:
- Whitepages
- Pipl
- BeenVerified
- Intelius
- PeopleFinders
- TruthFinder
- US Search
Many of these sites have a similar opt-out process you can follow, or use a third-party opt-out service, to remove your personal information.
Spokeo is one of the largest data broker sites, with information on over 350 million US residents. Taking a few minutes to opt out can significantly reduce your online footprint and exposure to threats like identity theft, spamming and stalking. While you will likely need to take additional steps to protect your privacy online, removing yourself from Spokeo is a simple and effective way to secure some of your most sensitive personal information.
