Spokeo Opt Out & Remove Your Info
Spokeo has 16 to 20 million visitors a month. While we’re sure many of them have harmless intentions, the site is also heaven for stalkers and cybercriminals. So, it’s definitely a good call to remove your personal information from Spokeo as soon as possible.
Thankfully, this isn’t so hard to do. You just have to submit a formal request for Spokeo to remove your data. This will involve locating your record, filling out a removal form, and verifying your request via email confirmation.
Once that’s done, Spokeo should remove your personal information within 72 hours. Unfortunately, things don’t exactly end there. Spokeo may add new listings at any time, meaning you’ll have to revisit this process every once in a while if you want to keep your data off the site.
You can skip this hassle by using an automated data removal service like Incogni. Just sign up and let us remove and keep your personal information off Spokeo and other data brokers automatically.
Opt-out process: 15 – 20 minutes
Removal Requirements: Email
Updated: August 3, 2023
How to opt out of Spokeo?
To opt out of Spokeo do the following:
- Go to https://www.spokeo.com/, look up your full name, email, phone number, or address
- Find your listing and click “SEE RESULTS”.
- Copy the URL from the browser address bar.
- Go to https://www.spokeo.com/optout, paste your profile URL, insert your email address and click “REMOVE THIS LISTING”.
- Check your mailbox and click on the verification link to confirm your opt-out request.
Keep reading for the full opt out procedure with screenshots.
We’ve created around 85 data broker opt-out guides to make manual data removal easy. Click here if you’d like us to automate the process for you.
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* See the full list of data brokers Incogni covers here.
Step-by-step Spokeo opt-out guide
Total Time: 15 minutes
1) Look up your full name, email, phone number, or address at https://www.spokeo.com/
Go to spokeo.com and enter your full name, email, phone number, or address in the search bar. Then click “search now.”
2) Find your listing and click “SEE RESULTS”
Find your listing in the search results and click “see results.”
3) Copy the URL from the browser address bar
Copy the URL of your listing from the address bar.
4) Go to https://www.spokeo.com/optout, paste your profile URL, insert your email address and click “REMOVE THIS LISTING”.
Go to the Spokeo opt-out page, paste the URL of your listing into the URL bar and enter your email. Then complete the CAPTCHA challenge and click “remove this listing.”
TIP: Use a masked email or one that is designated for subscriptions and junk mail to protect yourself. If you don’t have one yet, we reviewed disposable email services in this article.
5) Check your mailbox and click on the verification link to confirm your opt-out request
You will receive a confirmation email. Click the verification link to complete the data removal process.
6) Take your personal info off other data broker sites
With that, you’ve successfully removed your data from Spokeo. If this people search site had your data, though, odds are very high that many others have it also. There are hundreds of data brokers in the US alone.
These companies sell the data to agencies that target you with predatory marketing, insurance companies that use your search history to raise your insurance rates, and credit companies that may deny you loans.
Cybercriminals may also use your data to run even more effective scams or steal your identity. You may even be exposed to stalkers who now have access to your contact info, address, and details about your life such as family members and place of work.
The best way to protect yourself is to take this sensitive information off the market altogether. You can find out which data brokers sell your data by doing an online search using any popular search engine. Just look up your name or data brokers active in your area and start taking down any hits you find.
Here are a few opt out guides to get started:
- PeopleFinders Opt Out
- PeopleLooker Opt Out
- PeopleWhiz.com Opt Out
- PrivateRecords Opt Out
- SearchPeopleFREE Opt Out
- Spydialer Opt Out
- ThatsThem Opt Out
- USA People Search Opt Out
- VoterRecords.com Opt Out
- InfoTracer Opt Out
To get this done much faster and with no time commitment on your part, you can also use an automated data removal service like Incogni.
Spokeo opt-out video guide
Alternative Spokeo opt-out method
You can also opt out by contacting Spokeo customer service via email at support@spokeo.com or phone at (888) 558-9004 5AM-8PM.
In both cases, you should ask them to remove your data from their site or any other site owned or operated by Spokeo. You’ll also have to provide your full name, DOB, current and past addresses, email, and the URL of the record(s) you want to remove.
TIP: If you chose to opt out via a phone call, make sure you record the date, the name of the agent you speak to, and any other relevant information. You might need this later on.
If you chose to opt out via email, you can use the template below:
Subject: Opt-out Request – [Full name]
My name is [Full name]. I don’t want my data displayed or sold on your website. Please remove my personal information from Spokeo.com and any other site owned or operated by Spokeo.
My information:
– [Full name]
– [DOB]
– [Current and past addresses, including city, state, and zip]
– The record(s) I want removed: [URL of your record]
Thank you,
[Your name]
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* See the full list of data brokers Incogni covers here.
FAQ
What is Spokeo?
Spokeo is a people search site that allows users to look up individuals by name, phone number, email, or address. Your personal information may be listed on Spokeo if your data is available on public sources such as social media profiles, government databases, and other data broker databases.
While Spokeo isn’t a free service, anyone can access certain information for free, including:
– Full name and aliases
– Relatives
– Hometown
For a $22.95 a month one-off subscription or a $17.95 a month 3-month subscription, Spokeo users also have access to:
– Age
– Phone numbers
– Email addresses
– Location history
– Marital status
– Associates
– Social media accounts
– Dating site profiles
– Blog entries
– Education history
– Court records
The company was even fined in 2012 for its unsound practices, but this did nothing to slow them down.
With the limitations on what the government can do to protect you, it’s best to take your data off sites like Spokeo yourself. In the wrong hands, your personal data can be used to target you with scams, identity theft, and even online harassment or stalking.
How long does it take Spokeo to process my opt-out request?
Spokeo will process your opt-out request within 72 hours. We recommend you clear your cache and check back on the site after this time. If your data still hasn’t been removed, contact their customer service to follow up on the request.
How long is the Spokeo opt-out process?
The opt-out process should only take you around 5 – 15 minutes to complete.
How did Spokeo get my information?
Spokeo may get your personal information from a variety of sources such as government databases, public social media profiles, marketing firms, and other online directories. Any other websites that include your data, such as personal blogs or forums, can also be scraped by Spokeo.
These can include:
– Consumer indexes
– Phone directories
– Email databases
– Property records
– Social media platforms
– Court records
– Business directories
Will my data appear on Spoke again after I opt out?
Yes. New listings can show up on Spokeo at any time. You may have multiple records under your name, usually with different variations of your personal information. This means that if you’ve used different names before, changed your address, or got a new phone number, new records will likely appear.
For this reason, we recommend you revisit the site (as well as other data brokers) regularly to submit new data removal requests when necessary.
Incogni offers this service automatically. For as long as you’re subscribed, we conduct regular, repeated data removals to ensure your personal information stays off the market.
Does Spokeo have the right to use my data?
Yes, Spokeo, along with most data brokers do have the right to collect, trade, and sell your personal information. However, as they are bound by data privacy laws such as the CCPA, you have the right to request data removal, depending on your location.
How to use Spokeo without paying?
You can use Spokeo for free in a limited capacity. Simply enter a name, email, phone number, or address to find the record you’re looking for and click “see results” to access the free information. You can then click “unlock profile” to view more details for a price.
Can someone tell if you use Spokeo?
Spokeo doesn’t notify an individual when someone looks them up. This means that if you look up someone’s information, they won’t find out. However, this also means that you have no way of knowing if someone else looks up your personal information.
Is Spokeo only in the US?
Spokeo is a US-based people search site that only contains the personal information of individuals residing within the United States. It’s also only possible to purchase a subscription with Spokeo if you’re based in the US.
What do people use Spokeo for?
Spokeo is a people search site that can be used to look people up, reconnect with old acquaintances, learn about online sellers, or block unwanted calls and texts. However, it can also be abused by bad actors with malicious intent, such as identity theft or stalking.
How does Spokeo work?
Spokeo scrapes public sources such as social media profiles for personal information. It then aggregates this data to form detailed personal profiles on individuals. Users can find these profiles by looking up either the name, phone number, email, or address of the person they are looking for.
Who is behind Spokeo?
The group of founders behind Spokeo include Stanford graduates Harrison Tang, Mike Daly, Ray Chen, and Eric Liang. They established the people search site in 2006.
