How To Fully Remove Your Information From Whitepages

Can You Opt Out From Your Data Being on Whitepages.com?

With over 200 million personal records — sourced from public records and third parties including credit card companies, phone companies, and criminal records — Whitepages is the largest available database of personal information on U.S. residents [*]. 

Through a simple search of Whitepages.com, someone could potentially uncover your date of birth, cell phone numbers, landline numbers, home addresses, financial records, property deeds, and more. 

But while Whitepages claims these services are meant to be used for finding people and conducting background checks, the truth is that having such a large amount of personal information publicly available can put you at risk of harassment, hacking, and even identity theft. 

The Whitepages opt-out process can help protect your privacy, but it’s not your only — or even the best — option available.

How To Opt Out of Whitepages.com

You can see the data that Whitepages has on you by using their online form or by entering your full name and location in the search box on the company’s homepage.

At a bare minimum, you should be concerned if your contact information is available on Whitepages, as this can expose you to unwanted phone calls, junk mail, and even scams. 

Unfortunately, data brokers like Whitepages, BeenVerified, and Spokeo take advantage of state laws protecting “public information” [*] — which means these companies don’t always have to comply with your opt-out requests. A quick glance at the Whitepages’ Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile highlights numerous complaints about ignored opt-out requests and data being re-added later [*].

Nonetheless, following the company’s opt-out process is the best place to start. Once you’re ready to remove your personal information, you have three ways to opt out of Whitepages: 

Use the Whitepages online opt-out tool

The most straightforward way to remove your information from Whitepages is by using the website’s native tool. Here’s the step-by-step Whitepages opt-out process:

• Visit Whitepages.com. You can search for your profile by entering your full name and your city or state. There are two Whitepages listings — Whitepages Premium and free — and you must submit Whitepages opt-out requests for both.
• Copy the profile URL. Once you find your listings, click on View Full Report in your Premium listing and View Details on the right side of your free listing. Next, copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.
• Visit the Suppression Requests page. You must paste the copied URL of your profile on the Whitepages opt-out page. Follow the prompts to provide details about the profile you want to remove, including a reason for the request.
• Verify your request to complete the Whitepages opt-out process. You will need to enter your phone number before receiving an automated call to verify your request. Enter the verification code you receive in the robocall to finalize the opt-out process. 

📚 Related: How To Remove Yourself From Data Broker Sites →

Contact Whitepages customer support

If you aren’t confident about handling the removal process manually, customer support can help ensure your deletion request is processed correctly.

• Send an email. If you don’t want to use the Whitepages opt-out form, you can email your opt-out request to privacyrequest@Whitepages.com.
• Provide supporting information. When you lodge your removal request, provide all relevant URLs and personal information that appear on the Whitepages website.
• Wait for confirmation. You should receive a response from Whitepages within 30 days of submitting the removal request. If you don’t get confirmation in that period, contact customer support at support@Whitepages.com.

Use a data broker opt-out service

Even if you complete the Whitepages opt-out process, data brokers can re-add deleted information — create secondary profiles to avoid suppression requests — and use other workarounds to retain your personal information. 

Unsurprisingly, numerous users have lodged complaints about Whitepages with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Many are frustrated with the Whitepages opt-out process despite repeated data removal requests. Some users claim they "received no assistance or even acknowledgment of the request" from Whitepages [*]. 

For a more permanent way to safeguard your privacy, consider Aura. Aura’s award-winning platform scans 30+ popular data broker databases and sends takedown requests on your behalf — preventing brokers from re-adding your information. You’ll also get identity monitoring, digital security and online privacy tools, and 24/7 support.

How To Keep Your Personal Information Off of People Search Sites

Unfortunately, as data brokers collect and aggregate information from publicly available sources — including federal, state, and local government records — current data privacy laws don’t prevent brokers from sharing or selling the information. 

This means that the Whitepages opt-out process is only a temporary remedy. The best thing you can do is remove your personal information to minimize what’s available to all data brokers and people search sites.

• Share less information online. You should be mindful of what you post online, as scammers can use stolen personal information to impersonate you or target you and your family with scams. Avoid posting sensitive details such as your phone number, home address, or Social Security number (SSN).
• Decline cookies. On Apple mobile devices, iOS versions 14.5+ let you disable cross-app tracking. Otherwise, you should manually reject any requests or pop-ups that ask if you want to share data. 
• Tighten in-app privacy settings. You can adjust the online privacy settings on your social media accounts and mobile apps to limit who can see your information. Review these settings regularly to ensure that your data is protected.
• Remove unused apps and extensions. It's a best practice to delete mobile apps and browser extensions that you no longer use. Unused apps can still collect and share your personal information, which may leave you vulnerable if the software is outdated. 
• Delete old accounts and content. You can reduce your digital footprint by closing old accounts and profiles online. From outdated social media networks to e-commerce store accounts — the more you delete, the less exposure you’ll have. 
• Stop search engines from tracking you. When you use privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo, you can stop unwanted tracking from advertisers and data brokers. 
• Browse with a virtual private network (VPN). When using a VPN, your internet traffic is encrypted, protecting your browsing history from being tracked by your ISP and other third parties. This security is especially useful when using public Wi-Fi networks, as they tend to be unsecured. 
• Create a secondary email address. An excellent way to keep your primary email safe from potential security risks is to use a secondary email address when signing up for new services and newsletters. 
• Use anti-tracking tools. Another way to prevent websites from collecting and sharing your data is by using dedicated anti-tracking software. Aura’s anti-tracking features protect your privacy from both legitimate and malicious trackers.
• Request data removal from brokers. You can contact data brokers directly to request the removal of your personal information. Alternatively, data removal services like Aura can automate this process and ensure that your data remains private.

📚 Related: How To Protect Your Personal Information & Privacy Online →

Whitepages Opt-Outs Won’t Protect You — Aura Will.

The Whitepages opt-out process is far from perfect. You’ll need to provide your phone number and agree to the company’s Terms of Service before Whitepages will remove your personal data. Even then, Whitepages may re-add your information later. 

In addition, Whitepages.com is just one of hundreds of data brokers in the United States alone. Performing manual takedown requests is a tedious, time-consuming process with little guarantee that the companies will keep your information private. 

You can save time and get comprehensive online protection with Aura. Aura’s Privacy Plans include automated data broker opt-outs, digital security tools, ID and credit monitoring, and up to $1 million in insurance coverage.