How to Disappear from Data Brokers

There are companies you've never heard of that know your name, address, phone number, email, age, and the names of your relatives.

They're called data brokers. They collect information from public records, social media, purchases, and other data brokers — then sell it to anyone willing to pay. Advertisers, scammers, whoever.

The good news: if you're in Europe, you have strong legal rights to make them delete your data. The process is still tedious, but the law is on your side.

Your Rights Under GDPR

If you're in the EU, EEA, or UK, the General Data Protection Regulation gives you powerful tools:

Right to Access (Article 15) — You can request a copy of all personal data a company holds about you.

Right to Erasure (Article 17) — The famous "right to be forgotten." You can demand deletion of your personal data.

Right to Object (Article 21) — You can object to processing of your data for direct marketing. They must stop.

Companies have 30 days to respond to GDPR requests. If they refuse without valid reason, you can file a complaint with your national data protection authority.

For Iceland specifically: Persónuvernd (personuvernd.is) handles GDPR enforcement.

The Magic Words

When contacting data brokers, use language that invokes your legal rights:

"Under Article 17 of the GDPR, I request the erasure of all personal data you hold about me. Please confirm deletion within 30 days as required by law."

Include:

Your full name (and any variations they might have)
Your email address
Enough identifying info for them to find your records
A clear statement that you're exercising your GDPR rights

This works better than a simple "please remove me" because you're citing specific legal obligations.

Major International Data Brokers

These operate globally and likely have your data:

Acxiom

One of the largest data brokers worldwide.

Go to isapps.acxiom.com/optout
Submit your information for removal
For full GDPR erasure, email: gdpr@acxiom.com

Oracle Data Cloud (BlueKai)

Oracle bought several data brokers and combined them.

GDPR requests: privacyinquiries_ww@oracle.com
Opt-out portal: datacloudoptout.oracle.com

Experian (Marketing Services)

Yes, the credit bureau also sells marketing data.

UK/EU opt-out: consumer.support.uk@experian.com
Be specific that you want marketing data removed, not just credit data

Nielsen

Collects consumer behaviour data globally.

GDPR contact: privacy.department@nielsen.com
Be explicit about invoking Article 17

Epsilon

Major marketing data company.

GDPR requests: privacy@epsilon.com

European-Specific Data Brokers

118 Services (UK/EU)

People-search directories.

Submit removal requests through their individual sites
Reference GDPR Article 17 in your request

Infobel

European directory service.

Contact: privacy@infobel.com
They operate in multiple European countries

Local Directory Services

Search for your name + country + "directory" and you'll likely find regional services. Each must honour GDPR deletion requests.

Social Media and Search Engines

Google

Request removal of personal info from search results:

support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730
Google will remove phone numbers, addresses, and other personal data from search results
This doesn't delete the source — just hides it from Google

Facebook/Meta

Even without an account, Facebook may have a "shadow profile" of you.

Submit a GDPR request: www.facebook.com/help/contact/540977946302970

Privacy settings: remove yourself from search engines
GDPR requests via their privacy portal

Automation Options

Doing this manually takes hours. Some services handle it for you:

Incogni (~€6/month, owned by Surfshark) — Handles GDPR requests to data brokers automatically. European-friendly.

DeleteMe (~€10/month) — US-focused but handles international brokers. Works for US data exposure if you've lived/worked there.

Mine (free tier available) — Discovers which companies have your data and helps send deletion requests.

Privacy Bee — Monitors and removes your data continuously.

Are these worth it? If your time is valuable, yes. They handle the tedious follow-up that you'd otherwise neglect.

What About US-Based Brokers?

If you've ever had any US connection (visited, bought from US companies, signed up for US services), American data brokers probably have your info too:

Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified, PeopleFinder, etc.

The bad news: GDPR doesn't apply to US companies with no EU presence. The good news: many still honour opt-out requests because it's easier than maintaining separate systems.

For these, you'll need to use their individual opt-out pages. Search for "[company name] opt out" and follow their process.

Practical Steps

Week 1: Discovery

Google yourself (your name, email, phone, address)
Use haveibeenpwned.com to see which breaches exposed your email
Search for your name on people-search sites
Make a list of everywhere you find your info

Week 2-3: GDPR Requests

Draft a template email citing Article 17
Send to each company on your list
Keep copies of all requests (you'll need them if filing complaints)

Week 4+: Follow Up

Check responses within 30 days
Send reminders to non-responders
File complaints with your data protection authority for companies that ignore you

Ongoing

Set a calendar reminder every 6 months
Re-search yourself and repeat the process
Your data will reappear — this is maintenance, not a one-time fix

If Companies Ignore You

This is where EU law really helps. If a company ignores your GDPR request:

Send a formal follow-up referencing your original request
Set a deadline (7-14 days)
If still ignored, file a complaint with your national DPA:
- Iceland: Persónuvernd (personuvernd.is)
- Ireland: Data Protection Commission
- Germany: Your state's Datenschutzbeauftragte
- etc.

The DPA can investigate and issue fines. Companies take this seriously.

Reducing Future Exposure

Opt-outs are reactive. To limit new data collection:

Use masked emails — Services like SimpleLogin or Firefox Relay create unique email addresses. When spam starts arriving, you know who sold your data.

Limit social media exposure — Set profiles to private. Remove personal details.

Be careful with "free" services — If it's free, your data is often the product.

Use privacy-respecting alternatives — ProtonMail instead of Gmail. Signal instead of WhatsApp. DuckDuckGo instead of Google.

Think before entering info — Every form, contest, and loyalty card is potential broker fodder.

Is This Actually Effective?

Partially.

You can remove yourself from most consumer-facing data brokers. This stops casual searches and makes stalking/doxxing harder.

But you can't remove yourself from:

Government records (most are public by law)
Legitimate business relationships (companies you have accounts with)
Data that's already been sold and resold before your request

The goal isn't invisibility — it's making your information harder to find than average. That's achievable.

The Bottom Line

In Europe, you have real legal power over your personal data. Use it.

Start with the big international brokers, Google yourself regularly, and file complaints when companies ignore you. It takes time initially, but maintenance is just a few hours twice a year.

Your data has value. Reclaiming control over it is worth the effort.