Data Broker Opt-Out Checklist
Companies legally buy and sell your address, phone number, and family connections. Use this checklist to systematically remove yourself from their databases.
Why is this dangerous?
Data Brokers (or "People Search" websites) scrape public records, social media, and purchase data from other companies to build massive profiles on almost every adult in the US and Europe.
While anyone can pay $5 to find out where you live, the real danger is Spear-Phishing. Scammers use this publicly available data to craft highly convincing, personalized emails or phone calls.
The Scam Example:
A scammer calls you pretending to be the IRS. Normally you would hang up. But because they looked you up on a data broker site, they can say, "Is this John Smith? We know you live at 123 Main St, and we are about to call your wife, Jane, at her phone number if you don't pay this fine." This weaponizes your public data to cause panic.