How to Remove Yourself from Spokeo

What Is Spokeo and Why Does It Have Your Data?

Spokeo is a people-search site that aggregates publicly available records from government databases, social media, phone directories, public records, and marketing data brokers. It was founded in 2006 and is one of the most heavily indexed people-search sites — meaning your Spokeo listing often appears near the top of Google results when someone searches your name.

A typical Spokeo listing includes:

• Full name and age
• Current and past home addresses
• Phone numbers (landline and mobile)
• Known relatives and household members
• Estimated household income and home value
• Social media profile links
• Email addresses

Spokeo doesn't collect this data maliciously — most of it comes from public records that are legally accessible to anyone. But aggregating it into a searchable profile creates genuine privacy risks, particularly for people concerned about stalking, harassment, or identity theft.

Manual Opt-Out — Step by Step

Spokeo has an opt-out page that, if followed correctly, will remove your listing. Here's exactly how to do it:

1. Go to spokeo.com/optout Open your browser and navigate to spokeo.com/optout. This is Spokeo's official opt-out form. Do not use third-party opt-out tools that claim to do this for you — go directly to Spokeo's site.
2. Search for your listing Enter your full name and the city and state where you live (or have lived). Click Search. Spokeo will show you a list of matching profiles.
3. Find your profile and click "This is me" Browse the results to find your specific listing. Profiles include name, general location, and sometimes age ranges to help you identify the right one. When you find yours, click the "This is me" link beneath your profile.
4. Enter your email address Spokeo requires an email address to process the opt-out. You don't need to use your primary email — a secondary address works fine. Note: Spokeo does NOT add you to a marketing list from this process — the email is only used to send your confirmation link.
5. Check your email and click the confirmation link Spokeo will send a confirmation email within a few minutes. Open it and click the opt-out confirmation link. You must complete this step — without clicking the link, your removal request will not be processed.
6. Wait 24–48 hours for removal After confirming, Spokeo typically removes the listing within 24–48 hours. In some cases it may take up to a week. After that time, search for your name on Spokeo to verify the listing is gone.

How Long Does the Spokeo Opt-Out Take?

The process itself takes about 5 minutes per listing. Spokeo typically processes the removal within 24–48 hours of email confirmation.

However, removal is not permanent. Spokeo re-imports data from their source databases on a rolling basis. Most users find their information reappears within 3–6 months. Plan to re-check and re-opt-out quarterly.

The Problem with Manual Removal

You've opted out of Spokeo. That's a real win — Spokeo is one of the most-visited people-search sites and ranking highly in Google results for your name is the primary risk.

But here's the reality: there are over 200 data broker sites that likely have your information. Spokeo is one. BeenVerified, Whitepages, Intelius, Radaris, MyLife, TruthFinder, FamilyTreeNow, ZabaSearch, and dozens more all have similar data.

Manually opting out of all of them — and re-doing it every quarter — takes 40+ hours per year.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Opt-Out Guides

Now that you've removed yourself from Spokeo, here are the next highest-priority sites:

• How to Remove Yourself from BeenVerified →
• How to Remove Yourself from Whitepages →
• Best Automated Removal Services (for all 200+ brokers) →