Are you determined to hide your personal information from the internet? Websites like Intelius.com have popped up in Google Search over the years, and aggregate your (and everyone else’s) personal information to share with anyone who may be interested. The various platforms can collect data from many sources, building out a profile with all the information available.

When you visit this information site, which even features the words “Access Information Instantly,” you can expect to find the personal information of millions of people just a few taps or keyboard clicks away.

But what if you’re not comfortable having your information available to total strangers? Do you have options? Yes — you can still remove your personal details from an Intelius people search.

What are people finder sites and how do they compare to Intelius?

Peoplefinder sites are websites used to look up personal information. Beyond Intelius, Spokeo and BeenVerified provide the same services, as do any number of similar sites that seem to appear almost at random without any warning or fanfare.

With an Intelius people search, a number of details will be hidden behind a paywall, including divorce records, criminal records, and other sensitive data. But users can still see basic details for free, and this is especially alarming for anyone trying to hide where they live from a stalker or other unwelcome individual.

Although sites like Intelius might seem like they’re breaking the law by putting this information out in the public eye, the truth is an Intelius people search is 100% legal. All the information you’ll find on Intelius is already out there as public record — Intelius just grabs that info from websites and puts it all in the same place.

What does it take to erase yourself from an Intelius people search?

To remove your data from an Intelius people search, you’ll need to follow a certain set of steps. But the bigger question is, should you take on this task for Intelius — and other sites as well?

The answer is yes, but how you do it, and whether you do it alone, is up to you. Many people, after seeing what a monumental task it is to have their personal info removed from Intelius and other sites, simply hire a reputation management firm to do the boring and tedious work and get listings removed. A reputation management can go through all the steps to have your information expunged from Intelius people searches and people finder sites, and send you clean reports so you can immediately see results.

If you’re serious about removing your personal information from an Intelius people search, as well as searches from other companies, and you decide to go it alone, expect to spend many hours on erasing your online history.

The definitive steps for removing your personal info from an Intelius people search

Like many other sites, getting your data scrubbed from Intelius requires following a number of steps. In fact, we strongly suggest that you use an email address that’s different from your main one. If you’re asked to provide your phone number, sign up for a google voice or other free number — don’t give your own.

        1. Go to the main page and conduct a search. Enter your first name, last name, a city you’ve lived in (or live in now) and a state. Click SEARCH.

        2. Depending on the number of search results (and the rarity of your name), a window may pop up asking you to enter additional info. Enter the info and hit the REFINE RESULTS button. You can also choose to skip this step, but if you do, you’ll end up scrolling through a lot more results than necessary.

        3. Click on the box featuring the record you’d like to have removed.

        4. Open another browser window and enter the following URL: https://www.intelius.com/opt-out/submit/ . This will take you to the Intelius opt-out page.

        5. In a pop-up window, you’ll be asked to start the opt-out process, which includes entering your information again. Remember to use your alternative email address! Hit Continue.

        6. You’ll come to a page featuring a list of records. Find your own and click on the button REMOVE THIS RECORD.

        7. Complete the CAPTCHA challenge and you’ll come to a screen that tells you to check your email to complete your request. Open the email in your alternative email account.

        8. In the email, you’ll be told to follow one more step. Remember that later on, if you want to view your request ID and other info, you can go back to this email. You can also screenshot the email just to keep it for your records. Click on the Confirm Email button.

        9. You’ll be taken back to the site, and you’ll see a message saying that your request is confirmed and that after review, someone will contact you.

While some sites claim that Intelius generally removes records within 72 hours of receiving a request, you can contact the company directly to confirm that timeline. Simply call the Intelius customer service department at (888) 245-1655 during normal business hours.

To truly disappear from these websites, you’ll need to stay vigilant and organized. At a minimum, you should use a spreadsheet to track the services where you’ve requested an opt-out, and mark things complete when you can confirm your info is gone.

If you take the easier path, hiring a reputation management firm to do the work, you’ll never have to worry about contacting each site and verifying if your information is gone. Your reputation management firm will make contact, fill out all your info, and let you know exactly when your profile is gone from a search.

Use the Status Labs removal service

If you’re struggling to have your personal records removed including your address, email, age, phone number, or other info, or you just don’t have the time to track and manage all of these requests, try our service specifically designed to remove your personal data. With our data security removal service, which you can sign up for annually, Status Labs can:

• Conduct a scan to delete information from more than 80 additional data broker sites that have a reputation for making it difficult to remove your info.
• Remove and scan your private, personal data from the 25 most well-known aggregators and data brokers.
• Scan and search the dark web for your personal details. Criminals often use the dark web to track your personal information.
• Use a custom scan to delete court records from the most common legal and court siges including Casetext, Justia.com, and Law360.com.

Have your scan take place quarterly (four scans), or each month (12 scans per year).