You searched your own name, hit Spokeo, and there it was: your age, your address history, old phone numbers, maybe a list of relatives. It feels invasive, and you want it gone.
The good news is that Spokeo runs a self-service opt-out, and you do not need an account to use it. The catch is that the process has a few exact steps, and skipping any one of them (especially the email verification) means your listing stays up.
This guide walks you through the fastest path first (removing a public listing), then the formal privacy requests for deletion, access, and correction. Spokeo is web, phone, email, and mail only; there is no app or device setting to do this. Work through the steps in order.
Why Your Information Is on Spokeo at All
Spokeo is a people-search data broker. It aggregates personal information (name, age, address history, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives, and linked social profiles) from public records, social media, and commercial third-party data partners.
That is why a listing can exist even though you never signed up. You did not put it there; Spokeo assembled it.
Two things to know before you start. First, you likely have more than one listing, tied to name variations, a maiden name, old addresses, or different phone and email combinations. Each one is a separate URL and must be opted out individually. Second, the standard opt-out needs two things from you: the exact profile URL of each listing, and access to an email inbox so you can click a verification link.
Find and Copy Every Listing URL
Before you can remove anything, you have to locate each record and grab its exact link. This is the step people rush, and it is why listings get missed.
- 1.Open spokeo.com in a desktop browser. Use the homepage search and search for yourself, starting with your full name. You can toggle the search type to email, phone, or address. Click Search Now.
- 2.If a name search returns nothing, search again by email and by phone or address. Spokeo can hold a record even when a name search shows no results, so do not assume "no name match" means "no data."
- 3.In the results, find your record and click See Results to open the full listing.
- 4.Copy the profile (personal record) URL from your browser's address bar and save it. This exact URL is what the opt-out form needs to identify your listing.
Repeat this for every variation you find and keep a running list of URLs. If accessing the full profile prompts a payment or trial subscription and you cannot reach the listing, skip ahead to the privacy-request channels (phone or email) below instead.
Submit the Opt-Out on spokeo.com/optout
This is the main removal flow, and for most people it is all you need. Have your saved profile URL ready.
- 1.Go to the opt-out page at spokeo.com/optout. The same form is reachable by scrolling to the bottom of any Spokeo page and clicking the Do Not Sell My Info link. Find the section titled "Opt Out Your Listing from Spokeo."
- 2.Paste your copied profile URL into the URL field, enter your email address in the email field, and complete the security CAPTCHA challenge if one appears.
- 3.Click the submit button to send the request. A confirmation message appears below the button.
- 4.Open the confirmation email Spokeo sends (it usually arrives within a few minutes) and click the verification link inside it to finalize the request. The request will not process unless you click this link.
- 5.After processing, revisit your saved profile URL to confirm it now shows "No Results Found."
Then do the whole thing again for each remaining URL on your list. One submission removes one listing.
Protect the Email Address You Submit
The opt-out form asks for an email, and that address is how Spokeo sends your verification link. Privacy advocates recommend submitting an aliased or disposable email rather than your primary one, because data brokers may add the address you submit to marketing lists or databases.
Whichever address you use, you must be able to open its inbox quickly. The confirmation link expires after 72 hours, and the removal will not process without it. If it lapses, resubmit and verify again.
File a Formal Privacy Request (Delete, Access, or Correct)
The opt-out above removes a public listing. If you want a formal privacy action (a deletion, a right-to-know request, or a correction), Spokeo's official Privacy Policy provides dedicated channels.
- Public-information requests: use the public-information privacy control page at spokeo.com/privacy/control. This "View Your Spokeo Profile" page asks for identity details (first name, last name, with options to add an alternate first or last name), then Location History and Contact Information, then a certification step. Click Next to proceed. The page states you may only submit a request for yourself or as an authorized agent, and that your information will be used only to locate your profile and will not be retained.
- Account or personal-information requests: use spokeo.com/privacy/control/account/results.
- By phone: Spokeo lists 1 (877) 864-0183 for right-to-know, correction, and deletion requests.
- By mail: write to Spokeo at 556 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite #101-179, Pasadena, CA 91105.
- By email: Spokeo's policy lists CustomerCare@spokeo.com for general customer inquiries, expungement@spokeo.com for court-record expungement, and privacy@spokeo.com for the EU Data Protection Officer and for state-privacy appeals.
What Removal Does and Does Not Do
Setting expectations here saves you frustration later. Opting out removes the Spokeo listing only. It does not delete the data at its original public-record source, and your information may still appear on other people-search sites.
Your info can also reappear on Spokeo over time (roughly every three to six months is commonly cited) because Spokeo continuously refreshes from public records, social media, and commercial data partners. Updating a public social profile can trigger a fresh data match and a new listing, so re-check periodically and resubmit as needed.
One more note on what the data is for: Spokeo states it is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA, so its data must not be used for credit, employment, tenant, or similar eligibility decisions.
If the Page or Chat Will Not Load
A couple of common snags have simple fixes. If the live-chat "Get Help Now" button fails to load, disable any ad blocker you have running and try again.
Processing times vary by report (figures circulate at 24 to 48 hours, 24 to 72 hours, and two to three days). Treat about 72 hours as a safe upper bound before you re-check your saved URL. If a listing is still live well past that and you verified the email link, resubmit that URL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Spokeo account to opt out?
No. The opt-out at spokeo.com/optout works without an account. You only need each listing's profile URL and access to an email inbox for the verification link.
I submitted the form but my listing is still showing. Why?
The most common reason is the verification step. Your opt-out is not complete until you click the link in the confirmation email, and that link expires after 72 hours. Check your inbox (and spam), click the link, then allow up to about 72 hours before re-checking the URL.
A name search returns nothing. Am I safe?
Not necessarily. Spokeo can hold a record that a name search does not surface. Search again by email and by phone or address, because each match can be a separate listing under its own URL.
Why do I have to opt out more than once?
You can appear in multiple listings under name variations, a maiden name, old addresses, or different phone and email values. Each is a distinct URL, and one submission removes only one listing, so you must repeat the process for every URL you find.
Will my information come back after I remove it?
It can. Spokeo continuously refreshes from public records, social media, and commercial data partners, and re-listing roughly every three to six months is commonly reported. Re-check periodically, and avoid assuming a one-time opt-out is permanent.
I can't reach my full profile without paying. What now?
If accessing the listing prompts a payment or trial, you can skip the URL-based form and use Spokeo's privacy-request channels instead: the phone line at 1 (877) 864-0183 for deletion, right-to-know, or correction requests, or the privacy control pages at spokeo.com/privacy/control.
