TIP #1: REMOVE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS FROM DATA BROKER SITES

The sad truth is that it is extremely difficult to keep your mailing address private. But removing it from people search sites can at least make it a little harder for people to find your information. If you’ve got $129 to spare each year and live in the U.S., you can pay Abine for their DeleteMe service, which will get you off of multiple data sites. You can also take steps to remove yourself from these databases (instead of — or in addition to — the service), but be aware that it’s not always possible to opt out.

Action Item: A good place to begin is by using an aggregator site like Dirt Search to see where you are listed, and by putting your name and address or name and phone number in a search engine to see if there are other places that Dirt Search missed.

Here are opt-out links for some of the most popular data brokers:

• BeenVerified: https://www.beenverified.com/faq/opt-out/
• CheckPeople: httphttps://www.checkpeople.com/opt-out (updated link)
• Instant Checkmate: https://www.instantcheckmate.com/optout/
• Intelius: https://www.intelius.com/optout.php
• PeekYou: http://www.peekyou.com/about/contact/optout/index.php
• PeopleFinders: http://www.peoplefinders.com/manage/
• PeopleSmart: https://www.peoplesmart.com/help (requires an email)
• Pipl: https://pipl.com/personal-information-removal-request (updated link)
• PublicRecords360: http://www.publicrecords360.com/optout.html
• Radaris:
• Spokeo: http://www.spokeo.com/opt_out/new
• USA People Search: https://www.usa-people-search.com/manage (updated link)

For more removal guides, visit https://joindeleteme.com/help/deleteme-help-topics/opt-out-guide/

PrivateEye:  Requires multiple steps available here.

Check out more of our digital hygiene lessons:

1. Removing public data
2. Privacy protection on domain names
3. Https everywhere
4. Anonymous “Tor” cloak or VPN
5. Prepare for a DDos attack
6. Two-step verification
7. Privacy plug-ins/cookies
8. Third-party permissions
9. Image “hidden pixels”
10. Links and attachments
11. Install patches and updates
12. Use a password manager/strong password
13. Strengthen security questions
14. Encrypt hard drive/backup data
15. Click to play
16. Use end-to-end encryption