How to remove your personal information from the internet (2026 guide)

Your name, home address, age, phone number, relatives, and past addresses are almost certainly published online right now, gathered from public records and sold by data brokers, and scattered across old data breaches. This guide walks through exactly how to find where you are exposed and remove or neutralise it, in priority order.

The fastest way to see your own exposure is a free breach scan: it checks an email you own against known breaches in about 30 seconds, with no password required.

Two different problems: breaches vs data brokers

Getting your information off the internet means tackling two separate things, and the approach for each is different:

Data breaches are leaked databases from sites that were hacked. Once a breach is public, the data exists permanently across countless copies. Nobody can delete it from the internet. What you can do is make it useless: change any exposed password and turn on two-factor authentication.
Data brokers and people-search sites (like 192.com or Whitepages) are companies actively republishing your details. These you can genuinely remove, because they are legally required to offer opt-outs — in the UK and EU, via your right to erasure. This is where most of your effort should go.

Step 1: Find out where you are exposed

Start by checking your email against breach databases with a free scan, then search your own name on Google (in quotes, with your town) to see which people-search sites list you. Make a short list of the sites that actually show your details.

Step 2: Cut off the source (UK)

If you are in the UK, the single highest-impact step is opting out of the open electoral register. It is the root source most UK data brokers buy from, so opting out stops your details flowing to them in future editions. Then remove your existing listings:

Step 3: Opt out of US people-search sites

US people-search sites each need their own opt-out. Most work the same way: find your listing, copy its URL, and submit it on the site's opt-out page, then confirm by email. Work through the big ones:

Step 4: Clean up search results and global brokers

Step 5: Respond to breaches

For every breach your email appears in, change the password on that site and anywhere you reused it, and enable two-factor authentication (an authenticator app or passkey is far stronger than SMS). A password manager makes unique passwords painless. Remember: you are not removing the breach, you are making the leaked credentials worthless. You can browse major data breaches to see what was exposed in each.

Step 6: Keep it removed

Data brokers re-list people every few months as they ingest fresh public records, and new breaches happen constantly, so this is ongoing maintenance, not a one-off. Re-check every few months, or turn on continuous monitoring so you are alerted the moment your email shows up in a new breach.

See your exposure in 30 seconds.Nullivo's free scan checks your own verified email against known breaches, then gives you a prioritized cleanup plan. No password, no signup, and we only ever scan your own email. Run your free scan →

Frequently asked questions

Can I completely remove my information from the internet?

Not entirely. Data leaked in old breaches can't be deleted once it's out, but you can remove yourself from data brokers and people-search sites — which is where most of your exposed personal details live, and where removal genuinely works.

Is it legal to remove myself from data brokers?

Yes. In the UK and EU, the UK GDPR / GDPR right to erasure (Article 17) lets you demand deletion, and companies must respond within one month. In the US, most people-search sites are legally required to offer an opt-out.

I'm in the UK — where should I start?

Opt out of the open electoral register first: it's the root source most UK data brokers buy from. Then remove your existing listings on 192.com and other sites. Opting out doesn't affect your right to vote or your credit file.

How long does data-broker removal take?

Individual opt-outs are usually processed within 48 hours to a few weeks. Because brokers re-list people as they ingest fresh public records, it's ongoing maintenance rather than a one-off — re-check every few months.

Will removing myself affect my credit score or ability to vote?

No. The open register and data-broker marketing files are separate from the full electoral register (used for voting and credit checks) and from your regulated credit file. Neither is affected.

Last reviewed July 2026. See the full removal guide library for every site we cover.