Remove Yourself from Search Sites: 20 Tools Every Cybersecurity Pro Should Know

Ever Googled your name and found your phone number, old home addresses, or even your family's info splashed across a page you've never…

Very Lazy Tech 👾

~8 min read · February 13, 2026 (Updated: February 13, 2026) · Free: No

Ever Googled your name and found your phone number, old home addresses, or even your family's info splashed across a page you've never heard of? You're not alone. Nearly 70% of cybersecurity professionals have had their personal info exposed by data brokers or "people search" sites. It's a privacy nightmare — and, let's be real, it's an OPSEC fail that attackers love to exploit.

If you're into pentesting, bug bounty hunting, or just not a fan of strangers tracking you down, it pays (sometimes literally) to control what's out there. I've jumped into these data trenches myself, so consider this your hands-on guide to removing yourself from search sites — and the 20 tools that truly work.

Why Search Sites Are Every Hacker's Recon Playground

Let's admit it: before you break out Burp Suite or Nmap, you start recon. Google dorking, scraping LinkedIn, scouring data broker sites — it's all part of the playbook. Sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, and MyLife aggregate everything: your addresses, emails, Step 3: Automate Removal Wherever Possible, even criminal records. For ethical hackers, these sites are a jackpot — OSINT goldmines. But when you're the target, it's a disaster. In real-world bug bounty hunts, I've found phone numbers and passwords from brokered sources linked to privilege escalation and social engineering. And it's not just embarrassing. Attackers use people search results for phishing, spearphishing, RCE via targeted payloads, or even good old credential stuffing. The less your info floats around, the fewer attack surfaces you present. Time to turn the tables. Let's clean up your digital footprint.

The 20 Best Tools to Remove Yourself from Search Sites

Let's dig in. For each tool below, I'll cover what it does, why it matters for cybersecurity, and how you can use it.

Incogni

What it does: Incogni is a SaaS powerhouse that automates data removal requests to 180+ data brokers. You sign up, authorize, and let it fire off opt-out requests on your behalf.

Cybersecurity application: Reduces your exposure to OSINT, preventing pretexting or phishing based on your leaked data.

How to use:

Register at incogni.com.
Fill in your basic details (name, email, address history).
Sign the e-consent (needed for requests).
Incogni generates and tracks removal requests automatically.
Log in anytime to track progress.

In practice: I ran this for an old alias and watched three dozen broker profiles disappear over 2 weeks.

2. DeleteMe

What it does: DeleteMe is another big name. It offers a subscription-based service, with real agents manually submitting opt-out requests. Quarterly privacy reports and ongoing monitoring included.

Cybersecurity win: Helps reduce surface area for targeted attacks like social engineering, XSS via custom phishing payloads, and SIM swapping.

Quickstart:

Sign up at joindeleteme.com.
Enter your info.
Receive your first privacy report in about a week.
Updates sent quarterly, showing where your data's been removed.

3. Optery

What it does: Optery automates removal from 200+ broker sites, but with more granular control. You can pick which brokers to zap and keep an eye on which still hold your data.

Why it's good: Great for pentesters who want to test specific exposure before/after removal — or just get that little dopamine hit from seeing a "Removed" badge.

Step-by-step:

Visit optery.com and create an account.
Run a free scan to see your exposure.
Subscribe for automated removals.
Use dashboard to monitor (with before/after proof!).

4. PrivacyBee

What it does: Similar to DeleteMe, with a twist: PrivacyBee's dashboard shows risk scores and prioritizes which brokers to tackle first.

For cybersecurity: A handy way to spot which sites leak the most about you, so you can focus your manual efforts.

How to try:

privacybee.com registration.
Complete the guided setup.
Use the risk heatmap to decide where to focus extra manual removal.

5. OneRep

What it does: OneRep is all about automation — it claims to cover 190+ sites with little user input. Pretty hands-off.

Why it matters: The less manual work, the more likely you'll actually finish purging your info.

How it works:

Create an account at onerep.com.
Enter your details.
Sit back; OneRep sends out requests and tracks progress for you.
Check the dashboard for updates.

6. Kanary

What it does: Kanary lets you scan for your info, then guides you through automated and manual removal.

Cybersecurity angle: Useful for tracking which details (emails, phone numbers, aliases) are exposed — and where.

How to use:

Go to kanary.com.
Run a free scan.
Follow the guided opt-out process per site.

7. Removaly

What it does: Removaly offers guided broker removal with a focus on transparency. They email you every time they find new exposures.

Why pick it: If you want regular alerts for new leaks (e.g., after a big data breach), Removaly is a strong choice.

Try it:

removaly.com signup.
Enter your info.
Get notifications when your data pops up — and see opt-out requests in real time.

8. SayMine

What it does: SayMine focuses more on "right to be forgotten" for data you've shared with companies, but also helps with broker removals.

Why it's cool: It scans your email inbox to find every company that holds your data — not just brokers, but also SaaS, e-commerce, bug bounty platforms, etc.

How to use:

Connect your email to mine.com.
Let it scan for data footprints.
Trigger deletion/opt-out requests with one click.

9. PrivacyDuck

What it does: PrivacyDuck is a white-glove service — real humans do all the dirty work, including phone calls and snail mail opt-outs.

Cybersecurity fit: Especially useful if you need deeper OPSEC, e.g., bug bounty pros who don't want their family or side gigs exposed.

Getting started:

pricacyduck.com — schedule a consult.
Pick a service level (Basic, Executive, etc.).
Let them handle the rest.

10. Jumbo Privacy App

What it does: Jumbo is a mobile app that manages privacy settings, automates broker removals, and even scrubs your social media.

Why it matters: A good "set and forget" solution for busy infosec pros.

How to get it:

Download Jumbo from the App Store/Google Play.
Follow the onboarding wizard.
Enable people search removal and social cleanup.

11. Mozilla Monitor

What it does: Known for breach alerts, Mozilla Monitor now helps with data broker opt-outs, highlighting where your personal info appears.

For hackers: Great for ongoing monitoring — handy if you want to know when a new leak hits OSINT databases.

Setup:

monitor.mozilla.org — create an account.
Enter your email, name, addresses.
Receive alerts and removal recommendations.

12. Reputation Defender

What it does: Besides managing your Google results, Reputation Defender can remove you from select people search sites.

Cybersecurity note: If you need a more "public" cleanup (say, for a professional alias), this is a strong candidate.

How it works:

reputationdefender.com — sign up.
Order a custom privacy plan.
Let their team handle removal/monitoring.

13. BrandYourself

What it does: BrandYourself offers privacy scans, broker opt-outs, and Google result suppression.

Why it's relevant: If your hacking handle or bug bounty alias is getting doxxed, BrandYourself can help bury old content.

Example workflow:

Scan your exposure on brandyourself.com.
Follow automated opt-out instructions.
Use tools to boost positive results.

14. Custom Scripts: DIY Broker Opt-Out

Now, here's where it gets fun for coders. Many brokers use predictable URL patterns and email workflows. With a bit of Python, you can automate some opt-outs — or at least script the email process.

Practical example: Let's say you want to automate sending opt-out emails to a broker with a known address.

import smtplib
from email.message import EmailMessage

EMAIL_ADDRESS = 'your_email@example.com'
EMAIL_PASSWORD = 'your_app_password'
BROKER_EMAIL = 'privacy@broker.com'

msg = EmailMessage()
msg['Subject'] = 'Opt-Out Request'
msg['From'] = EMAIL_ADDRESS
msg['To'] = BROKER_EMAIL
msg.set_content('Please remove my personal information as found on your website. Name: John Doe, Address: 123 Main St.')

with smtplib.SMTP_SSL('smtp.gmail.com', 465) as smtp:
    smtp.login(EMAIL_ADDRESS, EMAIL_PASSWORD)
    smtp.send_message(msg)

Why code it yourself? Let's face it, some brokers are slow — but they do respond to formal requests. Keep logs for your own records.

15. GitHub Repo: "Opt-Out List"

What it does: Not a service, but a curated, frequently updated list of data brokers with direct opt-out instructions. Found at github.com/yaelwrites/Big-Ass-Data-Broker-Opt-Out-List.

Why it rocks: No paywalls. Just open-source, step-by-step instructions for manual removal.

How to use:

Visit the repo.
Find the broker you want to target.
Follow their instructions (CAPTCHA, snail mail, phone, whatever's needed).
Mark off as completed!

16. Deseat.me

What it does: Deseat.me automates account deletion across hundreds of sites, focusing more on old logins than brokers — but it's gold for credential hygiene.

Cybersecurity boost: Weak, reused credentials = privilege escalation. Deseat.me helps you nuke old, forgotten accounts before they're breached, scraped, or used for recon.

To use:

Go to deseat.me.
Authorize access to your email.
Review the list of old accounts and delete, one by one.

17. JustDelete.me

What it does: Like GitHub's list, but as a web directory. JustDelete.me tells you how to delete accounts (and sometimes broker listings) from hundreds of sites.

Why it matters: Not every breach comes from a broker — sometimes, the weakest link is that 10-year-old forum account you forgot about.

How to try:

justdelete.me — search for the site.
Follow the color-coded difficulty and instructions.

18. DIY Google Removal (Search Console)

Alright, let's go semi-nuclear. If Google caches a broker page about you, deleting your entry alone might not be enough — you may need to delist the page.

Step-by-step:

Go to Google Search Console's Remove Outdated Content tool

2. Enter the broker URL that still shows your info in search.

3. Submit for removal.

4. Google will process — often within a day or two.

Tip: Works best after you've completed opt-out on the original broker site.

19. Unroll.Me

What it does: Primarily an inbox cleaner, Unroll.Me also helps you unsubscribe from data broker newsletters and alert emails (which often confirm your info, ironically).

Cybersecurity reason: Every "You've been added!" email is a potential phishing vector — or an entry point for XSS or spoofed payloads.

How to use: