We all want to protect our online privacy. But, it’s not always as simple as switching your social media accounts to private. Your public records can easily end up online for anyone to see. However, you can limit the amount of personal information that is available online. In this blog post, you will learn how to remove public records from the internet.
What are Public Records?
Public records typically refer to any document or piece of information filed with a government agency. Agencies holding these documents must legally give access to them within a certain amount of time upon request.
The public has the right to view these records under the Freedom of Information Act and state sunshine laws. However, these laws do allow for some personal privacy exemptions, such as for your Social Security number.
What Personal Information is Public Record?
Here are the main types of public records that can appear on people search sites. Some of these contain personal information.
Public records include:
Vital records, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, divorce decrees, and other records held at local county clerk offices
Court records, including case files, dockets, judgements, and court proceedings
Criminal records, including arrest records, police reports, and criminal court proceedings
Property records, including details about property ownerships, boundaries, values, property sales, mortgages, liens, and taxes
Business records, including business or occupational licenses, articles of incorporation, uniform commercial code (UCC) filings, and evidence of regulatory compliance
Government contracts with private businesses, including bidding documents, amounts, and contract terms
Meeting minutes and agendas of governmental meetings, including participant lists, proceedings, and decisions
Legislative records, including legislative proceedings and history, bills, and voting documents
Electoral records, including voter registration lists, election results, and campaign finance disclosures
Financial records of government entities, including budgets, audits, and financial statements
Health and safety records, including public health documents, restaurant inspection scores, and environmental impact assessments
Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including annual and quarterly reports, insider trading reports, and financial statements and disclosures
Drivers license information, including status, issuance, expiration dates, and traffic violations
These documents contain sensitive data, such as your phone number, email address, home address, and social security number. Certain regulations do limit access to your personal data, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get out there.
What Are People Search Websites?
People search sites (aka people finder sites) compile publicly available information about people and make it searchable. They gather data from public records, social media sites, public social media profiles, white page listings, etc.
Someone might use a people search site to:
find the contact information of long-lost friends, family members, and acquaintances
research their family history
perform background checks on potential employees, renters, or other individuals
scope out their neighbors, new acquaintances, or potential dates
manage their online reputation by looking for what information is out there about them
These people finder sites can offer incredibly detailed reports about individuals and their sensitive information. People can easily find information about you, leaving you vulnerable to identity theft, stalking, and harassment. Additionally, sometimes the information is inaccurate, meaning people can make false assumptions about you.
Some of the popular people search websites include:
One of the biggest reasons that you should remove your public records online is data brokers. If you don’t know, data brokers are companies that compile and sell your personal information to third parties. They often take your information directly from these people search engines.
Some of the common buyers of your information include:
advertisers & marketers
retailers
financial institutions
insurance companies
real estate companies
healthcare & pharmaceutical companies
telecommunications companies
technology companies
automotive companies
employers and background check companies
the government and law enforcement
political organizations and campaigns
They can use your data to:
target ads or political messages at you
assess your credit score or ability to take out a loan
make hiring or renting decisions
determine your insurance prices
determine the value of a property
Essentially, your data is valuable, to the tune of about $319 billion. Plus, the data brokerage industry is largely unregulated. The United States does not have any federal privacy laws to protect you from data brokers. That means you have to protect yourself from the 540 data brokers that exist in the US.
prevent people from taking your information out of context
How To Delete Public Records Online (Step-By-Step Guide)
Here is how to delete your public records from the most popular people search sites. Remember, doing a public records opt out on one site does not remove them from all sites. It also does not prevent new information from appearing on these sites in the future.
Spokeo Opt Out
To start the removal process, go to the Spokeo website and type your name into the search bar and click “Search Now”.
Go to the Spokeo website and type your name into the search bar. You don’t need to create an account, but you may need to provide additional details to narrow down the search. Find any listing that corresponds to your information.
Click on your profile, and verify that the information is yours. Copy your profile’s URL from your browser’s address bar.
Navigate to Spokeo’s opt-out page to request the removal of your information.
Paste the URL of your profile where it says “Enter URL here”.
Enter your email address – Spokeo will send you a confirmation link to ensure your public record request is valid.
Click the link to finish the opt-out process. The link redirects you to a final confirmation page.
To remove your information from Spokeo, enter your profile URL and your email address.
Beenverified Opt Out
To locate your records, go to the Beenverified website and type your name into the search bar. Scroll through the results to find the one that matches you.
To delete your records, click the “Proceed to opt out” button.
To complete your opt-out form, enter your email address, complete the CAPTCHA, and click “Send verification email”.
When you receive the email from Beenverified, click the verification link.
After about 24 hours, you will receive another email to confirm the deletion of your record.
If Beenverified has not removed your record, contact privacy@beenverified.com.
Truthfinder Opt Out
To remove your public records from Truthfinder, start by going to their website and searching your name.
Go to the Truthfinder website and enter your information into the search bar to locate your records.
Once you find your record, click the “Remove this record” button.
Enter your email address and complete the CAPTCHA to receive a verification email.
When you receive the verification email, click the link to confirm your removal request.
Truthfinder should remove your listing after 48 hours.
Conclusion: People Finder Removal
Regaining control of your online privacy isn’t always straightforward. However, by following these tips, you can delete your public records from the internet. Taking your records off people search sites gives you peace of mind, and also protects your reputation.
These days, keeping your personal information off the internet is not easy. When you need expert privacy protection, Reputation911 is here to help. Our Internet Privacy Team specializes in keeping your personal information offline to give you control over your privacy. Contact us today for a free consultation.
William DiAntonio is the Founder & CEO of Reputation911, a reputation management firm he founded in 2010 that has earned the trust of its clients for over a decade by helping individuals, businesses and brands control their online search results.
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We all want to protect our online privacy. But, it’s not always as simple as switching your social media accounts to private. Your public records can easily end up online for anyone to see. However, you can limit the amount of personal information that is available online. In this blog post, you will learn how to remove public records from the internet.
