HOW TO: Remove yourself from background check sites
A few days ago I had a strange desire to Google myself, just to see what was out there. To my horror, one of the first things that popped up was my address, phone number and family info for anybody to see. (Whatever happened to "don't talk to strangers"?!) Call me paranoid, but it freaked me out.So, I decided to look into how to remove myself from these websites. A Reddit post came up from 2011 that had a list of all the major sites, which was extremely helpful and I thank the OP so much for it! Unfortunately, some of the information and links were wrong or outdated, and so I just wanted to post this updated information for you guys in case you wanted to do this yourself, too. As of now, when I Google myself, almost nothing shows up - I have basically purged my real name from the internet. *Does a dance*Most of these websites don't require any information anymore, other than the listing and an email address. I was able to remove myself and my husband quite easily. The more difficult ones are notated below as well.Of course, please let me know if I missed one or if anything is incorrect. I hope this makes your purging a little easier!Side note: For those who are really wanting to speed the process along, Google has a great tool to remove old links from their search engine.Intelius - https://ift.tt/2UJx1Ch - https://ift.tt/2PFUnEY - Tricky. Must find your listing and then email [privacy@mylife.com](mailto:privacy@mylife.com). Request your opt out. They emailed back with a bullshit excuse why they won't. However, this was inconsistent. I opted both myself and my husband out on 2 different email addresses. They removed my husband no questions asked but refused to remove me. I sent the request again, so as of now, this is pending.Zabasearch - https://ift.tt/2UOz8of faxed documentation according to their website. However, I have removed myself from almost every single website, and as a result, do not show up with Zabasearch.com without needing to opt out.Spokeo - https://ift.tt/2PDFseA - https://ift.tt/2ULarsS - https://ift.tt/2PIK1UW - They use Intelius. https://ift.tt/2UQ50J3 - https://ift.tt/2PIK2rY - Big fucking pain in the ass. https://ift.tt/2UNtOl8 - https://ift.tt/2PENIed - https://ift.tt/2UShH6v - Tricky and annoying. https://ift.tt/2DvmIaW #8 tells you what to do.USA People Search - https://ift.tt/2k5FEY7 Didn't end up needing to purge myself here, as I had already hit the big boys.Spokeo - https://ift.tt/2PH0dGi Records Now - https://ift.tt/2UOlSQI - https://ift.tt/2PJbru1 - https://ift.tt/2JaGYD8 via /r/technology https://ift.tt/2SRH6ep
