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How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet (Without Losing Your Mind)

Updated: Sep 28


If you’ve ever typed your name into Google and felt your stomach drop, you’re not alone. In minutes, anyone can pull up your name, address, phone number, relatives, and old photos—sometimes even more. That exposure fuels identity theft, harassment, and reputation damage. The good news: you can clean it up. This post walks you through how to remove personal information from the internet, prioritize what matters, and keep it from coming back.


Why this matters (and what’s at risk)

Three big reasons to take action now:

  • Identity theft: Public PII + reused passwords = account takeovers and financial fallout.

  • Privacy invasion: People-search sites make doxxing easier than ever.

  • Reputation hits: Old posts, court listings, or scraped pages can dominate results for your name.

Understanding the “why” helps you stay consistent with the “how.”


Step 1: Audit what’s out there

Start with a simple discovery process:

  • Google yourself: Search your full name with city/state, nicknames, and common misspellings. Check Images and the first 3–5 pages.

  • Review social profiles: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn—note public info (phone, email, workplace, photos).

  • Make a tracker: A quick spreadsheet with columns for URL, site name, what’s exposed, date requested, and status will save your sanity.


Step 2: Tackle the people-search and data-broker sites

This is the core of most cleanups. Common brokers include Whitepages, Spokeo, Intelius, BeenVerified, MyLife, PeopleFinders, Radaris, TruthFinder, FastPeopleSearch, Nuwber and more.

  • Find your listing on each site and copy the exact profile URL.

  • Submit the opt-out following the site’s instructions (many require email confirmation or CAPTCHA).

  • Track timelines: Some removals take 24–72 hours; others can take a few weeks.

  • Expect relisting: Databases refresh; your info can reappear. Re-submit as needed.

Pro tip: Work in batches (5–8 sites at a time) so you can confirm each round before moving on.

Step 3: Lock down or clean up social media

Social accounts leak more than you think.

  • Tighten privacy settings: Hide friends lists, birthdays, and contact details.

  • Remove public posts & tags that reveal addresses, travel patterns, or employer info.

  • Deactivate or delete truly unused accounts to reduce your overall footprint.


Step 4: Remove data from search engines (when possible)

Search engines aren’t the “source,” but they amplify sources.

  • Use Google/Bing removal tools for doxxing, explicit content, and certain sensitive PII that violates policy.

  • Request cache updates after a site edits or deletes a page so outdated snippets disappear faster.

  • Recheck quarterly to catch new pages that slipped into results.


Step 5: Ask sites directly to take content down

When your information lives on a specific website:

  1. Look for Contact, Privacy, or Do Not Sell/Share links.

  2. Send a polite, specific request describing what should be removed and why (privacy/safety).

  3. Keep records and follow up. If ignored, consider contacting the host/platform.


Step 6: Shrink your ongoing digital exhaust

Cleaning up once is good. Preventing new leaks is better.

  • Use privacy-focused search (DuckDuckGo, Startpage) and browsers with tracker blocking.

  • Review app permissions on your phone; revoke anything non-essential.

  • Harden accounts with unique passwords (use a manager) and multi-factor authentication.


Step 7: Monitor—because the web changes, and so will your results

  • Set Google Alerts for your name (and common misspellings).

  • Quarterly scan pages 1–3 of results for your name.

  • Revisit privacy settings after major platform updates.


When you might want help

Consider professional support if:

  • You’re dealing with harassment or doxxing and need urgent, safety-first removals.

  • You’re showing up on hundreds of broker sites and can’t keep up with re-listings.

  • You need coordination with legal counsel (e.g., certain court records or publisher policies).


If you’d rather not live in spreadsheets, Digital Takedown can run a free security audit to show where your data appears and outline a removal plan.

 
 
 

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