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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Whitepages lets anyone find your individual specifications online.
- You tin petition to region your information utilizing nan opt-out form.
- Data removal services tin grip ongoing opt-out requests.
Whitepages is 1 of nan astir well-known online repositories of US resident data.
Since its inception successful 1997, nan statement -- which calls itself a US online telephone book and reside directory -- has recorded names, interaction information, nationalist criminal records, and spot data. To date, Whitepages claims to person accusation relating to much than 250 cardinal group nationwide.
Also: 5 elemental ways to regain your information privateness online - starting today
If you've ever searched for yourself connected this website by submitting your name, location address, aliases telephone number, you mightiness person recovered a record. While Whitepages claims nan work is designed to thief its customers "stay connected, protected, and make informed decisions," these records tin beryllium utilized for spamming individuals, acold calling, robocalling, and much nefarious purposes.
If you're wondering really to opt retired and region your accusation from Whitepages, travel nan steps below.
How to region yourself from Whitepages
On nan Whitepages landing page, you will find a hunt barroom for names and locations. Submit your sanction and authorities (or location), and click search.
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Whitepages is restricted successful what it will show you for free. But you should beryllium capable to analyse immoderate records that whitethorn bespeak it is your profile. Some nationalist datasets will beryllium available, revealing approximate ages, names, locations, email addresses, and perchance who nan personification is related to -- arsenic good arsenic immoderate nationalist criminal records.
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I person blurred definite datasets for privacy.
I person blurred definite datasets for privacy.
Keep your grounds open. In a caller tab, sojourn nan address whitepages.com/suppression-requests.
Go backmost to your grounds page, transcript nan URL from nan reside bar, and taxable nan URL into nan tab connected nan Whitepages Opt-out page. Click "Next." You will past beryllium asked to corroborate that this is nan grounds you want to remove. Click "Remove Me."
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Whitepages will now want to cognize why you want it removed. You person 4 options:
- My floor plan accusation is incorrect
- I americium receiving junk calls and spam mailings
- I americium being harassed aliases stalked by someone
- I conscionable want to support my accusation private
You tin besides adhd a remark if you wish. Once you person chosen an option, click "Next."
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Whitepages will now require a telephone number, saying, "You will person a telephone from a friends Whitepages robot and beryllium asked to proviso a verification code." If your telephone number is already included successful nan record, you whitethorn not attraction excessively overmuch astir submitting it, but if you would for illustration not to (understandably!), see signing up for a impermanent number work online. Many are only a fewer bucks aliases connection a free proceedings that you tin return advantage of.
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On nan call, you will beryllium fixed a verification codification that you will request to taxable to Whitepages connected nan adjacent page to wrap up your request.
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You tin besides scope retired to Whitepages straight via customer support aliases email (privacyrequest@whitepages.com) to taxable a request.
In theory, that's it! You should beryllium told that your information removal petition has been received. However, there's nary definitive timeline connected erstwhile (and if) your grounds is removed, and location whitethorn besides beryllium aggregate profiles connected you that require you to complete nan steps supra for each record. There are numerous complaints related to removal connected nan Whitepages Better Business Bureau page.
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It is besides imaginable that your grounds will reappear successful nan future, requiring you to acquisition this process again. Furthermore, if you are listed arsenic a family personnel connected personification else's profile, these familial ties will not beryllium affected.
You don't person to manually spell done nan process of trying to region yourself from Whitepages. Alternatively, we urge utilizing a dedicated information removal service.
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A information removal work is simply a institution that handles nan information removal petition process connected your behalf. You will request to supply them pinch immoderate basal information, specified arsenic your sanction and perchance an email address, telephone number, aliases location. Once this is done, nan work will find your records and automatically nonstop retired removal requests.
Data removal services thin to tally automatic removal systems, and truthful if your accusation reappears, different petition will beryllium made without immoderate further input. However, you tin scope retired to them if you request thief pinch a circumstantial website aliases information broker.
Also: The champion information removal services of 2025: Delete yourself from nan internet
All reputable information removal services will supply you pinch an account, reports, and hopefully a dashboard truthful you tin support way of requests made, records removed, and really galore suppression (opt-out) lists you person been added to.
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An illustration of nan dashboard successful my account.
Our favourite information removal services see Incogni and DeleteMe.
Is utilizing Whitepages legal?
Yes, arsenic Whitepages collects and displays publically disposable information.
Even though galore would reason that nan truth this work exists astatine each is invasive and tin surely beryllium uncomfortable for anyone listed connected nan website, it is simply a ineligible believe and could beryllium compared to really aged telephone books utilized to activity -- you could look up someone's telephone number aliases a business address, but nan action to opt retired existed.
Do information brokers and group hunt websites person to region my accusation erstwhile I petition it?
While galore information brokers whitethorn guarantee nan process is time-consuming and a hassle to deter individuals from trying to person their records removed, yes, they must comply if you petition it, but pinch caveats.
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This only applies to information brokers and group hunt websites that run nether information protection laws specified arsenic California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) aliases nan EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If a grounds is public, they whitethorn besides not beryllium obliged to region it -- specified arsenic successful nan lawsuit of spot listings successful circumstantial US states.
Websites that are illegally storing accusation aliases extracurricular of information privateness rule jurisdictions whitethorn disregard information removal requests.
Is my accusation permanently removed?
It depends connected nan service. Sometimes, information brokers and group hunt websites usage automated information postulation systems and algorithms to update their databases. As a result, moreover if you person antecedently submitted a grounds removal petition and your accusation has been removed, it whitethorn reappear wrong a period aliases so.
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You tin sometimes petition to beryllium added to lists that forestall your information from being reintroduced successful nan future, but this is wherever information removal services often travel successful useful -- arsenic they will consistently scan, nonstop removal requests, and use for you to beryllium added to these lists connected your behalf.
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