There are a ton of these data aggregators; new ones pop up all the time and you can’t expunge all your public records, so the short answer is maybe not entirely. But you might be able to put a nice dent in the amount that is easily available online.
The good news is that many of the data collectors have ways to opt out and have your data removed from their sites by making a request online, by fax or via physical mail. Some require things like your email address for verification purposes or a copy of your driver’s license or other state ID to prove your identity, although having to send them more personal information may be disquieting. You can usually find opt-out instructions on their sites, often at the bottom of their home page, but there are places that gather lists of data brokers and their opt-out methods, if available, such as the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
The bad news is some of the data might re-aggregate on the sites you had expunged or pop up on other similar sites. Some people-finder sites may also have multiple listings for you due to name variations, misspellings and other issues, so you may have to do multiple searches and put in multiple requests.
Other factors that may affect your ability to control your information include the location of the company or the countries in which it does business. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 requires companies to disclose what information they have about their customers, as well as the right to correct or remove it. Unfortunately, it’s really for California residents and doesn’t help non-residents as much.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the toughest privacy policies in the world. Passed in May 2018, it applies chiefly to EU residents but also affects businesses that collect information on EU residents as customers. If you wonder why all of a sudden it seems like most websites launch pop-ups that ask you to agree to their privacy policies, it’s because those sites want to do business with European Union residents. The GDPR requires them to disclose what information they’re collecting and opt out of unnecessary tracking.
The GDPR also incorporates aspects of the EU’s previous so-called “right to be forgotten.” Essentially it says that EU residents have the right to ask organizations to delete their personal information, especially if it’s no longer being used for its original purpose. Privacy and security laws such as these are becoming more common around the world and may help you by limiting the amount and types of information available to data brokers.
In the event that you’ve submitted an opt-out request to a data broker in the United States and it reposts or fails to remove your data, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has some suggestions on how to take action. In 2022, the agency itself filed a lawsuit against one data broker accused of selling geolocation information that may reveal sensitive personal information. You can contact other governmental or political groups to help lobby for policy changes, such as making some of the more egregious practices illegal.
If asking a large number of sites to remove your data seems like a Herculean task, and you don’t want to wait for an act of Congress, there are growing numbers of sites that say they can delete your data from many of the data aggregators. Some of these providers include OneRep, DeleteMe, ReputationDefender and Kanary. Prices range from low monthly fees to hundreds of dollars, depending upon the company and level of service you require. Many of them have automated methods of finding and removing your data from the popular people-search sites. Some will also undertake manual methods for requesting removal if they can’t be achieved online, or advise you how to do it yourself, and alert you when your data pops up online again.
You might even find personal data on a regular website that isn’t a data aggregator, and there likely won’t be a formal removal process, but you may be able to contact the site owner and ask politely that your data be removed.
