How to remove your personal information from the internet for free
You cannot erase yourself from the internet, but you can make your home address much harder to find.
Start with Google's free Results about you tool, which finds and requests removal of Search results showing your home address, phone number, email, and ID numbers. Then opt out of the people-search sites that publish your profile, one by one, using their own removal pages, and recheck every few months because listings come back. California residents can send one free deletion request to every registered data broker through the state's DROP platform.
Where your information comes from
People-search sites are data brokers that sell reports on individuals. The FTC says they build those reports from other data brokers, public social media profiles, and government records such as property, voter registration, driving, and criminal records. A typical report can show your age, past addresses, relatives, and their addresses.
Opting out of a site removes the listing but leaves the public record underneath it, so the data can come back when records update. Your address can also still appear in the reports of relatives and neighbors, so aim for fewer listings and harder searching rather than zero.
Step 1: Remove personal information from Google for free
Most people find you through a Google search, so start there. Google's Results about you tool watches Search for your contact details and lets you request removal from the results.
- 1Open the Google app, tap your profile picture, and choose Results about you. On a computer, go to myactivity.google.com/results-about-you.
- 2Select Get started and enter the details you want monitored: home address, phone numbers, and email addresses. Google also lets you add other names you go by and ID numbers such as a Social Security, passport, or driver's license number.
- 3Turn on email or app notifications so Google tells you when new results show up.
- 4Review each result in the To review tab and request removal for any that show your details.
Google says removing a result from Search does not delete it from the website, so you still have to get the site itself to take it down, which is step 2. Google also notes some features are still rolling out in certain markets for users over 18.
Step 2: Opt out of data broker sites
The FTC lays out the free manual method. It takes time, so give it an afternoon.
- 1Search each people-search site for your name, phone number, and home address. Start with the sites that showed up in step 1.
- 2Find the opt-out link. If you cannot find one, search the site's name with "opt out" or "remove my information".
- 3Submit the profile URL and follow the confirmation. Use a separate email address for these requests so brokers do not get a better contact for you than they had.
- 4Write down every site and the date you opted out.
- 5Check again every few months and resubmit for anything that reappeared. The FTC warns that information can return when public records change.
On Spokeo's opt-out page, you paste the URL of your profile and confirm by email, and Spokeo processes the request in 24 to 48 hours. Each listing has its own URL and must be removed separately, and Spokeo says listings can reappear. On Whitepages' opt-out page, you also start by pasting your profile URL.
California residents: use DROP
California's privacy agency runs DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, and the state's Delete Act requires registered data brokers to process its requests. One request tells every registered data broker in California, over 600 of them, to delete your information and stop selling it. It is free, and the state says it will never charge for it.
DROP opened to consumers on January 1, 2026. Since August 1, 2026, registered brokers must check the platform at least once every 45 days and process the requests waiting there. The agency says status updates can take up to 90 days to appear. You must be a California resident to file, and you can also file for another California resident, such as a child or an elderly parent. Sign up at consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov.
DROP only reaches brokers registered in California, so everyone outside California still has to use the manual method above.
Step 3: Blur your house on Google Street View
A clear Street View photo shows anyone with your address what your front door looks like. Google lets the owner or tenant request a permanent blur.
- 1Find your home in Google Maps and open the Street View image.
- 2Select Report a problem, then choose My home in the blur request.
- 3Certify that you have the authority to make the request and upload proof of address, such as a utility bill or bank statement from the last six months with your name and account numbers redacted. Google says not to send government IDs.
- 4Submit the form only if you want a lasting change, because the blur is permanent once Google applies it.
Why this matters more if you own bitcoin
Bitcoin in self-custody cannot be frozen or reversed, which makes the owner the target. Jameson Lopp's public list of known physical attacks, which covers what it calls "Bitcoin / crypto asset owning entities", logs 170 incidents in 2025, more than any earlier year, and the list notes that many attacks are never publicly reported. Dozens of entries are described as home invasions.
Exchanges leak that address too. In its May 2025 SEC filing, Coinbase said stolen customer data included names, addresses, phone numbers, government ID images, and balance snapshots. Put together, that tells a stranger who you are, where you live, and roughly what you hold.
Opt-outs shrink what is already out there. To stop adding to it, ship hardware wallets to a PO box or mailbox service instead of your home, never post your holdings, and keep your real address off anything that touches Bitcoin. My credit freeze guide covers the identity theft side, and the digital privacy checklist covers the rest.
Free vs paid removal services
Paid services run the same opt-outs for you on a subscription. They save time but cost money every year, and you hand one more company your full profile so it can find the others.
If you pay for one, the FTC suggests checking how many sites it covers, whether it gives you a report of the opt-outs, and how often it rescans for listings that came back. For most people, Google's tool, a weekend of manual opt-outs, and DROP if you live in California cover the sites that matter for free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove my personal information from Google for free?
Use Google's Results about you tool at myactivity.google.com/results-about-you or in the Google app. Enter your address, phone, and email, turn on alerts, and request removal for each result that shows them. This removes the result from Search, not the page from the website.
Can you completely remove yourself from the internet?
No. Public records such as property and voter files stay public, and the FTC notes your details can still appear in reports about relatives and neighbors. You can remove most people-search listings and Google results, which makes you much harder to find.
Is there a free data broker removal tool?
California residents can use DROP, the state's free platform that sends one deletion request to every registered data broker. Outside California, the free method is opting out of each site on its own removal page and rechecking every few months.
Why does my information keep coming back on people-search sites?
Brokers keep pulling new public records and buying data from other brokers. The FTC warns that your information can reappear when public records change, and Spokeo says the same about its listings. Recheck every few months and resubmit opt-outs.
How do I blur my house on Google Maps?
Open the Street View image of your home, select Report a problem, choose My home, and upload proof of address. Only the owner or tenant can ask, and the blur is permanent once applied.