Spokeo Opt-Out: Remove Your Listing
Spokeo is a people-search site that compiles profiles from public records, phone directories, marketing databases, and social networks. A single listing can show your full name, current and past addresses, age, relatives, phone numbers, and email addresses — enough for a stranger to find where you live or answer a security question. The good news: removing your own listing is free and takes about five minutes.
What Spokeo publishes about you
Spokeo aggregates data it does not originate — it re-packages records that already exist across county filings, voter rolls, property deeds, and commercial data brokers. That is why the same details show up on many people-search sites at once, and why removing yourself from one does not remove you from the others. Treat Spokeo as one entry on a longer list you will work through.
Because the data is aggregated rather than authored, Spokeo has no incentive to keep it accurate, and it has no obligation to notify you before publishing. The opt-out described below suppresses the profile from Spokeo's search results; it does not change the underlying public records, which is why a fresh listing can be rebuilt later.
Find your listing first
Before you can opt out, you need the exact web address of your profile. Search your name (and city or state if the name is common) on Spokeo, open the result that matches you, and copy the full URL from your browser's address bar. If several profiles match — an old address, a maiden name, a middle initial — note each one; you may need to submit more than one removal.
The opt-out steps
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Open Spokeo's opt-out form
Start from Spokeo's own privacy or opt-out page — look for the Do Not Sell My Personal Information or Opt Out link in the site footer, which leads to the removal form at a path like
spokeo.com/optout. Starting from the footer guarantees you land on the real form and not a lookalike. -
Paste your listing URL
Paste the profile URL you copied earlier into the form. This tells Spokeo exactly which record to suppress rather than making it guess from your name.
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Enter an email address for verification
Provide an email address that can receive one message. Use an alias (see below) instead of your main inbox. Complete any CAPTCHA and submit.
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Click the confirmation link
Spokeo emails a verification link to confirm the request is really yours. The opt-out does not take effect until you click it, so check the alias's inbox (and spam) and confirm within the time limit stated in the email.
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Repeat for any other profiles
If you found multiple listings, submit each URL separately. Removing one does not touch the others.
After confirmation, the profile is typically suppressed within a few days. Search-engine snippets can linger a little longer while caches refresh, so wait up to two weeks before deciding the request failed.
Use an alias, not your real inbox
Handing your primary email to a data broker — even to opt out — feeds the exact machine you are trying to escape. Instead, use a disposable alias that forwards to you, receive the single verification link, confirm, then disable the alias. Our guide to email aliases explains how to set one up in a couple of minutes. This keeps your main address off Spokeo's records and out of the marketing data it resells.
Re-check because listings return
An opt-out is not permanent. Brokers continuously re-import public records and buy refreshed data, so a suppressed profile often reappears months later under a new URL. Put a reminder on your calendar to search Spokeo for your name every three to six months and submit a new opt-out for anything that has returned. If you would rather not do this by hand forever, the trade-off is a paid removal service — but the manual method costs nothing but a few minutes each quarter.
If Spokeo ignores you: escalate
If your listing is still live after the stated window, or reappears and a new request is ignored, escalate from a courtesy opt-out to a legal deletion request. Email Spokeo's privacy contact and state your rights plainly:
A dated, rights-based request creates a paper trail and a legal deadline. Keep a copy of what you sent and the confirmation you receive.
Frequently asked questions
Is opting out of Spokeo free?
Yes. Spokeo's opt-out is free and you never need a paid account to remove your own listing. If a site asks for payment to remove your data, you are on the wrong page or a copycat site.
How long does Spokeo removal take?
After you click the confirmation link in the verification email, most listings are suppressed within a few days. Allow up to a couple of weeks for search-engine caches to catch up before assuming it failed.
Why did my Spokeo listing come back?
Data brokers continuously re-import public records and buy fresh data, so a suppressed profile can reappear months later under a slightly different URL. Re-check every three to six months and submit a new opt-out for any new listing.
Should I use my real email to opt out of Spokeo?
Use an email alias rather than your primary inbox. You only need it to receive one verification link, and an alias keeps your main address off yet another broker's records. You can disable the alias afterward.
What if Spokeo ignores my opt-out request?
If a listing is not removed after the stated window, send a formal deletion request citing CCPA (if you are a California resident) or GDPR (if you are in the EU or UK). State that you are exercising your right to deletion and require confirmation within the legal timeframe.