Spokeo removes a listing for free. Find your listing on spokeo.com and copy its web address. Paste it into the form at spokeo.com/optout, enter an email address, pass the "I'm not a robot" check, then click the link in the confirmation email. Spokeo says each listing has its own URL and must be opted out on its own, and that requests should be processed in 24 to 48 hours. ThatsThem, which Spokeo also runs, needs a separate opt-out.
Every step below comes from Spokeo's own help and privacy pages and its California data broker filing, read on November 7, 2026, and each one is linked. For the other large people-search sites, see the Whitepages opt-out guide and the guide to removing your personal information.
What Spokeo is and what it shows
Spokeo is a people search. Its opt-out page says it "aggregates only publicly available information from third party sources" and describes 13+ billion public records from thousands of databases. The same page takes a firm position on the law: "Although publicly available data is exempt from state privacy laws," Spokeo says it lets people opt out anyway. Its privacy policy calls the removal process voluntary.
The company runs more than one site. In its filing with California's data broker registry for 2026, Spokeo, Inc. lists six names it does business as: Spokeo.com, FreePeopleDirectory.com, ThatsThem.com, PeopleWin.com, AnyWho.com and Family.me. In the same filing it answered "Yes" when asked whether it had shared or sold consumer data in the past year to the federal government, to other state governments and to law enforcement when no subpoena or court order required it.
Keeping a number private does not always keep it off these sites. Someone posted on r/privacy that a phone number they had given only to family and friends showed up on Spokeo and similar sites. The replies could only guess at where it had leaked from.
Before you start
You need the web address of each listing and an email address. Spokeo's form asks for nothing else: no ID, no phone number and no account.
Listings come in two formats, according to Spokeo's troubleshooting article:
- Name listings look like the opt-out page's example, spokeo.com/Smith-Sample/Houston/TX/p12345678.
- Email listings look like spokeo.com/social/profile?q= followed by the email address.
The confirmation goes to the email you enter, so an address you set up only for opt-outs keeps those messages in one place.
How to opt out of Spokeo, step by step
These steps follow Spokeo's help article, How do I remove my information from Spokeo?
- Search for your name on spokeo.com and open the listing you want removed.
- Copy the web address from your browser's address bar.
- Go to the opt-out page and scroll to the section "Opt Out Your Listing from Spokeo."
- Paste the address into the URL box.
- Enter your email address. Spokeo says it is used to verify the removal.
- Tick "I'm not a robot" and complete the picture or code check, then click Opt Out.
- Open the confirmation email from Spokeo and click the link at the bottom.
If the URL gives you an error, the help article suggests trying again in an incognito window.
Repeat it for every listing
The opt-out page is direct about this: "you may have multiple listings on Spokeo. Each one is identified by a unique URL and must be opted out individually." Search again with other spellings of your name, older cities, and your email address and phone number, since Spokeo also runs email, phone and address searches. Send each listing you find through the form.
Someone on r/privacy who was trying to get off BeenVerified and Spokeo was asked for more addresses, phone numbers and relatives to prove who they were, and did not want to hand over any more. Spokeo's own form asks for a listing URL and an email address only.
If the opt-out does not work
Spokeo's troubleshooting article covers the two common problems.
An error when you submit. Check that the URL matches one of the two formats above. The opt-out page also shows a payment-page address as an example, but the troubleshooting article says a URL that includes "purchase" or "&loaded=1" can cause the error. Run the same search again in an incognito window and copy the listing address from there.
The listing still shows after removal. Your browser may be showing a stored copy. Clear your cookies and cache, then search again.
If neither fixes it, email Spokeo's privacy team at privacy@spokeo.com. The article asks you to include "the URLs for all listings to be removed from public view as well as any error codes that may have appeared." The opt-out page also points to Spokeo's customer care team, and its contact page lists 1 (888) 558-9004, 7 AM to 5 PM Pacific time, Monday to Sunday.
How long removal takes
Spokeo gives two answers. The opt-out page says requests "should be processed in 24-48 hours," depending on the request and the amount of data. The privacy policy says a request submitted the right way "is processed in real time following completion of the submission."
The policy also publishes its 2025 numbers. The Remove A Public Listing tool received 1,682,854 requests, processed 1,675,905 of them in whole or in part, and denied 6,949. Spokeo says the tool is open to people in every state, so those numbers are not limited to California.
Clearing old results from Google and Bing
Search engines can keep showing an old Spokeo page after it is gone. Someone on r/privacy opted out of Spokeo and several other sites, and six months later Google still listed the dead pages with snippets of their details. One reply pointed to Google's outdated content tool.
Google's Remove Outdated Content tool updates results when Search shows information that is no longer on the site, per Google's help page. Bing's Content Removal Tool asks Bing to refresh a result, per Bing's help page. Use them after the Spokeo listing is removed. Each asks you to sign in.
What the opt-out removes, and what it does not
Spokeo's privacy policy says the tool "limits the display of the specific listing You identify." It covers public listings on Spokeo.com and other Spokeo-operated websites, except ThatsThem.
The same section lists what it does not reach:
- listings available to customers of other Spokeo products
- "Regulated Data that is excluded from the scope of state privacy laws"
- the original sources, "such as phone books, social networks, or government records"
The policy adds that, because Spokeo's records are updated regularly, "information about You may appear in a different or new listing or search results in the future."
ThatsThem and Spokeo's other sites
ThatsThem needs its own request. Spokeo's privacy policy points to the ThatsThem opt-out tool, separate from Spokeo's. In 2025 that tool received 5,641,889 requests and denied none, according to the policy.
The ThatsThem form asks for more than Spokeo's does: your full name, street address, city, state, ZIP code, email address and phone number, all required. The page says requests are typically processed within 72 hours and that a confirmation email follows. It also says the opt-out removes your data from ThatsThem's public search results only, not from other services or public records.
AnyWho, PeopleWin, FreePeopleDirectory and Family.me are also Spokeo sites, per its registry filing. The privacy policy says the Spokeo tool covers Spokeo's other sites, but it does not explain how a listing on one of them is matched. Search your name on each after your Spokeo removal goes through, and email privacy@spokeo.com with the URL of any listing that is still there.
Your rights under state law
Spokeo is listed in California's 2026 data broker registry, so a request through the state's free DROP system reaches it. Its filing also says the information it sells is mostly "publicly available information," which California's privacy law leaves out of its definition of personal information. So the listing opt-out above is the dependable way to take a listing down, in California and everywhere else.
Requests to know, correct or delete the personal information you gave Spokeo work differently. The privacy policy sends them to Spokeo's privacy control page or to 1 (877) 864-0183 during business hours, and says you will need to log in or provide matching information so Spokeo can verify the request.
If your listing comes back
Spokeo warns about this on its opt-out page: "Since we continually receive new and updated records from public sources, your information may reappear on Spokeo in the future without notice." It asks people to check regularly for new listings.
Put a reminder on your calendar to search your name every few months, and send any new listing through the form again. The removal guide explains why people-search profiles get rebuilt and when a paid removal service is worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Spokeo opt-out free?
Yes. The form on Spokeo's opt-out page asks for a listing URL and an email address. It asks for no payment and no account.
Do I have to give Spokeo my ID or phone number?
No. Spokeo's form needs only the listing URL and an email address. ThatsThem, Spokeo's other site, is different: its opt-out form requires your street address and phone number.
How long does the Spokeo opt-out take?
Spokeo's opt-out page says 24 to 48 hours. Its privacy policy says requests are processed in real time once submitted. Search engines can keep showing the old page longer.
Why does my listing still show after I opted out?
Start with your browser, as Spokeo's troubleshooting article suggests: clear your cookies and cache and search again. You may also have a second listing with its own URL, or Google may still show a copy of the old page.
Does the Spokeo opt-out remove ThatsThem and AnyWho?
Not ThatsThem. Spokeo's privacy policy excludes it, and it has its own opt-out form. The policy says the Spokeo tool covers Spokeo's other sites, which include AnyWho, but check AnyWho yourself after the removal goes through.
Is closing my Spokeo account the same as opting out?
No, they are separate steps. Spokeo's help article on accounts says you can close access to your account through customer care or the privacy control page, and that purchase records are kept for a period because the law requires it. A public listing comes down through the opt-out page.
Can I get help by phone?
Spokeo's contact page lists 1 (888) 558-9004, 7 AM to 5 PM Pacific time, Monday to Sunday. For opt-out problems, the troubleshooting article asks you to email privacy@spokeo.com with every listing URL and any error codes.
If a step above no longer matches what you see on Spokeo, the editorial standards page says how to report an error and how this site checks its sources.
