How to Remove Personal Information From People-Search Sites
How to Remove Personal Information From People-Search Sites
Job-search privacy and personal-data protectionCreateCV Editorial TeamAug 27, 2026قراءة 7 دقيقة
الصورة الرئيسية
Before you network, interview, or apply for a job, it is worth checking what someone can find by searching your name. People-search sites may display information such as an address, phone number, relatives, education, employment history, or court records. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explains that these sites can compile data from public records, social media, and other data brokers. For a California job seeker, that can create unwanted exposure before a recruiter, employer, or stranger has spoken with you.
The practical answer is not one universal deletion button. You need to identify the sites showing your details, submit their free opt-out or deletion requests, and then use California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) if you are eligible. DROP can send one request to more than 600 registered data brokers, but it does not remove every kind of information from every place online. This guide explains how to combine both approaches and how to keep privacy cleanup separate from decisions about what belongs on your resume.
Why people-search results matter during a job search
A people-search report can connect details that you would not normally put in a job application. According to the FTC’s guide to people-search sites, the information may include phone numbers, addresses, relatives, education, employment history, and court records. The same source notes that these sites draw from public records, social media, and other data brokers.
That does not mean every recruiter will search for you, or that every result is accurate. It does mean that a job seeker should understand the difference between information deliberately presented in a professional profile and information exposed by a people-search report. A public professional profile can support your candidacy; an old address or family connection may be irrelevant to it. Reducing unnecessary exposure is therefore a privacy task, not a way to rewrite your work history.
Privacy cleanup also does not replace sensible resume choices. Use a professional email address, avoid unnecessary home-address details, and review what is publicly visible on professional and social profiles. If you are revising your resume structure, you can compare practical layouts in these or browse the available . Those decisions control what you choose to publish; opt-out requests address information held or displayed elsewhere.
Start with a small audit. Search your full name, phone number, and address using the variations that may appear in older records. Record the page or site, the information displayed, and whether the result appears to be your record. Keeping a simple log prevents you from repeating the same work and gives you a reference point for later checks.
Search your name in quotation marks and review the results that appear to be people-search pages.
Search your phone number and address separately, including older addresses if they may still be associated with you.
Record the site name, the exposed details, and the date you checked it. Do not send extra personal information until you understand the site’s request process.
Open the site’s privacy, opt-out, or deletion instructions and look for its free request option.
Save the confirmation page, email, case number, or other tracking detail after submitting the request.
Repeat the process across multiple people-search sites, then schedule a later review for information that may have reappeared.
The FTC recommends repeating the process across multiple sites and checking again for newly reappeared information. One opt-out may not result in complete removal. Information may remain in a relative’s or associate’s report, return when public records change, or remain available through government records. Treat your log as an ongoing monitoring record rather than proof that every online copy has disappeared.
Use California DROP for registered data brokers
California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP, launched in January 2026. It allows eligible California residents to submit one deletion request to more than 600 registered data brokers. Data brokers began processing DROP requests on August 1, 2026. The California Privacy Protection Agency’s DROP overview is the relevant starting point for the platform and its current process.
DROP uses identifying information to try to match you with records held by participating brokers. The platform can use names, dates of birth, ZIP codes, email addresses, and phone numbers. You may also be able to provide optional identifiers such as mobile advertising IDs, connected-TV IDs, and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). According to the Agency’s explanation of how DROP works, submitting more matching information may improve the chance of locating a record.
Use only information you are comfortable submitting through the official platform, and review the request carefully before sending it. A successful match can lead to deletion of the non-exempt personal information held by that data broker, not merely the identifier you entered. That distinction matters: the request is not limited to deleting only the phone number, email address, or other detail used to find the record.
DROP is not a universal internet-removal service. Publicly available data, exempted data, and information that you gave directly to a business are not necessarily removed through DROP. Information visible on a government record, on a professional profile, or in a business relationship may therefore require a different decision or request. Continue the individual people-search opt-out process even after submitting DROP.
Understand the DROP processing timeline
A pending request does not necessarily mean that nothing is happening. Data brokers must access and process DROP requests at least every 45 days. During the initial processing period, consumers may wait up to 90 days for status updates. The difference between those timeframes explains why a broker’s processing cycle and the update visible to you may not happen on the same day.
Use this timeline to set realistic follow-up expectations rather than treating an immediate pending status as a failed request.
Stage or timing
What it means for your request
What you should do
January 2026
DROP launched for eligible California residents.
Use the official platform if you meet the eligibility requirements.
August 1, 2026
Data brokers began processing DROP requests.
Submit the request and retain its confirmation details.
At least every 45 days
Data brokers must access and process DROP requests at least this often.
Allow the required processing cycle before assuming there is a problem.
Up to 90 days initially
Consumers may wait this long for status updates during the initial processing period.
Keep your tracking information and check status before submitting duplicate requests.
Keep the platform’s 8-digit tracking ID with the date you submitted the request. The Agency’s “How DROP works” information describes tracking and status categories, so use the official status information rather than guessing from the absence of an immediate result. If a people-search site still displays your information, that may reflect its separate database, public records, an associate’s report, or the fact that DROP does not cover that information.
Combine DROP with individual opt-outs
A practical workflow has two tracks. First, submit each people-search site’s free opt-out or deletion request. Second, submit DROP to address matches held by registered data brokers. Neither track removes every copy of your information, so the final step is monitoring.
A simple follow-up script
When you contact a site about a request, keep your message brief and factual: “I am requesting removal of the personal information associated with my record. Please provide confirmation of the request and any reference number so I can track its status.” Use the site’s stated privacy or opt-out channel and retain the confirmation. Do not assume that one email or one site removes records held by other companies.
After the initial cleanup, schedule another search of your name, phone number, and address. Compare the new results with your log. If information returns, submit the site’s opt-out request again and note what changed. The FTC specifically warns that information can reappear and recommends checking again, which is why periodic monitoring belongs in the process rather than being an optional extra.
Keep your professional information intentional
Removing personal information from people-search sites is separate from deciding what an employer should see in your application. A resume should present relevant professional information, while a privacy audit asks where unrelated personal details are exposed. Do not add a home address simply because it appears in a people-search result, and do not rely on deletion requests to make a public professional or social profile private.
Before applying or networking, use this final checklist: review your resume for unnecessary personal details, use a professional email address, inspect public professional and social profiles, search your name and contact details, submit individual opt-outs, submit DROP if eligible, save all confirmations, and recheck later. This approach helps keep your job-search materials focused on information relevant to your candidacy while making privacy follow-up easier to manage.