Who Has Your Personal Data Right Now?
Data brokers are companies that collect personal information from public records, social media, loyalty programs, and other sources, then sell that data to advertisers, marketers, background check services, and anyone else willing to pay.
Right now, there are likely dozens of websites that list your full name, home address, phone number, estimated income, family member names, and past addresses. These sites are legal. Removing your data from them takes either significant time or money.
What Data Brokers Actually Sell
The most common data categories sold by brokers include:
- Contact information: home address, phone number, email
- Personal history: past addresses, relatives, neighbors
- Financial estimates: income range, property value, credit score range
- Online activity: browsing behavior, purchase history, device identifiers
This data gets used for targeted advertising, background checks, and unfortunately, doxxing. If someone wants to find your home address, data broker sites make it trivial.
Why Manual Removal Does Not Scale
You can contact each data broker directly and request removal. Most are legally required to comply under CCPA (California), GDPR (EU), and similar laws. The problem: there are 750+ active data broker sites. Each has a different removal process. Many require ID verification. And most re-add your data within months from new public record updates.
Doing this manually takes 50-100+ hours. Then you have to repeat it every six months.
The Two Best Automated Removal Services
DeleteMe: Best for US Users
DeleteMe sends removal requests to 750+ data brokers using a team of human reviewers, not just bots. Human verification matters because many brokers require you to confirm removals through email links or secondary steps. Automated tools miss these steps, so data reappears quickly.
DeleteMe provides detailed PDF reports showing exactly which sites had your data and what was removed. Annual re-scans catch reappearing data. Family member add-ons extend coverage to your household.
Pricing: $10.75/mo (billed annually). Coverage is primarily US-focused.
Incogni: Best for EU Users and Budget Users
Incogni, built by the Surfshark team, uses GDPR and CCPA legal frameworks to send removal requests. Brokers are legally required to respond to these requests, which gives Incogni real leverage that informal automated requests lack.
Incogni covers 180+ brokers, fewer than DeleteMe's 750+, but its GDPR coverage makes it particularly effective for users in Europe where data broker operations are tightly regulated. At $6.49/mo, it costs roughly half what DeleteMe charges.
DeleteMe vs Incogni: Quick Comparison
| DeleteMe | Incogni | |
|---|---|---|
| Brokers covered | 750+ | 180+ |
| Price/mo | $10.75 | $6.49 |
| Geographic focus | US | US + EU |
| Removal method | Human-verified | Automated (GDPR/CCPA) |
| Reporting | Detailed PDF reports | Dashboard |
| Family add-ons | Yes | No |
Other Steps Worth Taking
Data removal services handle broker sites, but they do not cover everything. These steps complement them:
- Google yourself and request removal of any search results showing your address via Google's Results About You tool.
- Delete old social media accounts you no longer use. Inactive profiles are data collection points.
- Use a VPN to stop your ISP from logging your browsing activity and selling it.
- Opt out of data sharing in apps you use. Most have settings buried in privacy menus.
The Verdict
If you are in the US and want comprehensive coverage, use DeleteMe. The human verification step and 750+ broker coverage justify the higher price.
If you are in the EU, on a budget, or want a fully hands-off automated process, use Incogni. The legal framework it uses gives it real power with EU brokers specifically.