TruthFinder removes your report for free, and Instant Checkmate does too, through the same form. Both opt-out links, truthfinder.com/opt-out and instantcheckmate.com/opt-out, open PeopleConnect's Suppression Center. Enter an email address, click the link in the verification email, then find your Background Report and choose to suppress it. Keep your Suppression Center account afterward, because PeopleConnect says deleting it deletes your suppressions.
Every step below comes from TruthFinder's, Instant Checkmate's and PeopleConnect's own pages and their California data broker filings, read on November 8, 2026, and each one is linked. The Intelius opt-out guide covers the same Suppression Center in more depth, including everything it leaves showing. For other sites, see the guides to the Whitepages, Spokeo and BeenVerified opt-outs.
What TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate are
Both sell people-search and background reports, and both belong to PeopleConnect, whose privacy policy covers TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius, US Search and Classmates. TruthFinder's own privacy policy, revised September 29, 2026, says it collects public data "from various databases, government entities, commercial data providers, and websites to create our reports."
That policy is direct about the law. It says the privacy rights of the states it lists "do not apply to this Publicly Available Information and Public Data," and that TruthFinder has "voluntarily elected" to let people limit how it is shown. It also says the details you give TruthFinder as a user are not put into its reports.
Each company runs several sites. In their filings with California's data broker registry for 2026:
- TruthFinder, LLC lists 8: TruthFinder.com, CourthouseDirectory.us, GetFullReport.com, UnitedStatesBackgroundChecks.com, CourtLocations.com, LocateRecord.net, RecordLocator.net and BackgroundChecks.us.
- Instant Checkmate LLC lists 4: InstantCheckmate.com, CellPhoneDirectory.com, CheatersLie.com and FreePeople-Search.com.
Before you start
You need an email address, and you agree to PeopleConnect's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to continue. PeopleConnect says the email is used only to process your suppression request, and that the tool costs nothing.
How to opt out of TruthFinder, step by step
- Go to truthfinder.com/opt-out. It opens PeopleConnect's Suppression Center.
- Enter your email address, agree to the terms, and click Continue.
- Open the verification email and click the link.
- Find your Background Report and choose to suppress it.
PeopleConnect says that once you suppress it, "a report with your information will not be provided if a user attempts to search you by name." One suppression covers name searches on all its people-search sites, so the same request takes care of Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search.
Keep the account
PeopleConnect's privacy center has a button to delete your user data. Do not press it after you opt out. PeopleConnect says deleting your user data deletes "any and all suppressions associated with your user," and that you "must maintain your user information on file with the Suppression Center" to stay suppressed.
The suppression also has limits. Your name can still show in phone, address and email lookups, and Classmates is not covered. The Intelius guide lists everything PeopleConnect says the tool leaves out.
If the opt-out does not work
Two people on r/privacy described what went wrong for them.
One was trying to opt out of TruthFinder and found the setting would not stay: they set their results to suppressed, refreshed the page, and saw them displayed again. Confirmation emails did not always arrive. A reply suggested emailing the privacy address with a link to the report. What finally worked for them was deleting their opt-out account and starting again. If you try that, remember PeopleConnect's rule above: deleting your account removes every suppression, so suppress each report again from the new account.
The other was trying to get off Intelius and TruthFinder. The tool showed only old email addresses and phone numbers they could no longer reach. Support said it could not confirm who they were and kept asking for more addresses and numbers.
PeopleConnect's Suppression Center says to contact it if you still see your data after using the tool. Email privacy@peopleconnect.us or TruthFinder's own address, privacy@truthfinder.com, with a link to the report or a screenshot of it.
Old results in Google and Bing
If the report is gone but a search engine still shows an old snippet, use Google's Remove Outdated Content tool or Bing's Content Removal Tool. Both are for pages that have already changed, per Google's help page and Bing's help page.
How long it takes
PeopleConnect does not give a time for the Suppression Tool. TruthFinder's privacy policy says it responds to access requests within 30 days.
| What | TruthFinder | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deletion requests (its latest yearly report) | 66,667 received, 3,516 denied, median under 1 day | TruthFinder privacy policy |
| Opt-out of sale requests | 487,758, none denied | CPPA registry |
| Instant Checkmate opt-out of sale requests | 152,823, none denied | CPPA registry |
Your rights under state law
California: DROP
TruthFinder's privacy policy says: "As a registered data broker, TruthFinder is required to process deletion requests submitted through the California Privacy Protection Agency's DROP platform." It processes them on the state's schedule, with the same legal exceptions as a direct deletion request. Instant Checkmate's privacy policy has a DROP section too. California residents can send one free request to every registered broker through DROP.
Connecticut: a new deletion right
Since October 1, 2026, Connecticut residents have the right to have TruthFinder delete publicly available information that is "collated and combined to create a consumer profile" on a public website or offered for sale, and any inference drawn from it, according to TruthFinder's privacy policy. This goes further than a suppression, which only hides the report.
To use it, email privacy@truthfinder.com with the subject line "Connecticut Publicly Available Information Deletion" and include:
- your first name, middle name or initial, and last name
- your date of birth
- the city and state where you live now
- your current email address
You can also add current or past phone numbers, email addresses or street addresses to help them find you. Instant Checkmate's privacy policy has a Connecticut deletion section too, and its privacy address is privacy@instantcheckmate.com.
Washington: phone numbers
Instant Checkmate's privacy policy offers Washington residents with a Washington area code cell phone a free way to check whether the number is in its services, and to remove it.
TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate each also have a privacy center with their own tools: TruthFinder's Privacy Center lists its "Public Data Tools," and Instant Checkmate's is at instantcheckmate.com/privacy-center.
If your report comes back
Search your name on TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate every few months. If a report shows up again, email privacy@peopleconnect.us with the link. The removal guide explains why people-search profiles get rebuilt and when a paid removal service is worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TruthFinder opt-out free?
Yes. TruthFinder's opt-out link opens PeopleConnect's Suppression Center, which says the tool does not cost money.
Does opting out of TruthFinder also remove Instant Checkmate?
Yes, for name searches. Both are PeopleConnect sites, and one suppression covers all of PeopleConnect's people-search sites, including Intelius and US Search.
Why does my TruthFinder report still show after I opted out?
The suppression may not have saved, or the tool may not have matched every report to you. Email privacy@peopleconnect.us or privacy@truthfinder.com with a link to the report. Your name can also still appear in phone, address and email lookups, which the suppression does not cover.
Can I delete my TruthFinder data instead of hiding it?
If you live in California, a DROP request reaches TruthFinder. If you live in Connecticut, you can email TruthFinder with the subject "Connecticut Publicly Available Information Deletion." Elsewhere, the suppression is the main option.
Should I delete my account after I opt out?
No. PeopleConnect says deleting your user data deletes all your suppressions.
Do I need to give my date of birth?
Not to start. The Suppression Center asks for an email address first, and PeopleConnect's privacy policy says the tool can collect details such as your date of birth to find your report. TruthFinder's Connecticut deletion route does ask for it.
If a step above no longer matches what you see, the editorial standards page says how to report an error and how this site checks its sources.
