Taking control of your personal information
Updated September 2026 · 5 min read
Most of what strangers can find about you comes from people-search and data broker sites that compile public records, marketing data and social profiles. You can opt out of them one by one, lock down your accounts, and share less from now on.
Where your details come from
Data brokers buy and gather information from property and court records, voter files where allowed, marketing lists and public social profiles, then combine it into profiles they sell or publish. People-search sites are the public face of that business.
Five steps
- Search your own name, city and phone number to see what is out there.
- Opt out of the people-search sites that list you; the Privacy Handbook has instructions for each.
- Remove Google results that show your contact details.
- Lock down your social media privacy settings.
- Check again every few months: profiles often reappear after an opt-out.
Your address is on people-search sites
That is how scammers find you. Safe Shepherd removes you and keeps watching for you to reappear.
Create a Free AccountQuestions
Why does my information come back after I opt out?
Data brokers keep collecting new records and some rebuild profiles over time, so opt-outs need checking and repeating.
Related
Safe Shepherd is not affiliated with any government program or the organizations linked here.