How to Protect Your Own Information Online

Understanding how people search works also helps you protect yourself. The same public records and online data that let someone reconnect with an old friend can reveal your address, phone number or relatives to people you would rather not hear from. You cannot erase every trace of yourself, but you can reduce what is easy to find and make your identity harder to misuse.

This guide covers the most effective steps, starting with the quickest.

Where your information comes from

Personal information online usually comes from a few main places:

• Public records: property deeds, court filings, business registrations and, in some states, voter information. Our guide on searching public records by name explains what these contain.
• Data brokers: companies that collect and sell personal information about people they do not have a direct relationship with, often combining public records with marketing and commercial data.
• What you share: social media profiles, posts, photos, reviews, comments and online sign-ups.
• Data breaches: information exposed when a company that holds your data is hacked or leaks it.

Step 1: Search for yourself

Start by seeing what others see. Search your full name in a few search engines, alone and together with your city, phone number and email address. Check image results too. Make a list of the sites that show your address, phone number, age or relatives. That list becomes your to-do list for opt-out requests.

Step 2: Opt out of people search sites and data brokers

Most people search sites and data brokers offer a way to request that your listing be suppressed or removed. Look for a link labeled "opt out," "do not sell my information" or "privacy choices," usually in the site's footer or privacy policy. The process typically involves finding your listing, submitting a request and confirming by email or phone.

A few tips make this easier:

• Use a separate email address for opt-out requests to limit new exposure.
• Keep a simple log of which sites you contacted and when.
• Check back every few months. Listings can reappear when new records are added.
• Opting out of one site does not remove you from others, since each company maintains its own data.

California residents: the DROP platform

California has gone further than other states. Under the state's Delete Act, the California Privacy Protection Agency runs the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), which lets a California resident send a single deletion request to more than 600 registered data brokers. Starting August 1, 2026, data brokers must check DROP at least once every 45 days and begin processing deletion requests. The agency notes it can take up to 90 days for a status update to appear. Residents of other states should check whether their state privacy law offers similar deletion or opt-out rights.

Step 3: Cut down on unwanted mail and calls

Prescreened credit and insurance offers are another way your information circulates. The FTC's guide on how to stop junk mail explains that you can opt out of these offers for five years or permanently through optoutprescreen.com or by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688), a service operated by the major credit bureaus. The FTC also points to DMAchoice.org for reducing other marketing mail. For telemarketing calls, you can register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry.

Step 4: Tighten your social media settings

Social profiles are often the richest source of personal details, and you control them directly:

• Set profiles to private or limit posts to friends, and review who can see your friends list.
• Remove or hide your birth date, phone number, home city and workplace if you do not need them public.
• Think twice before posting photos that show your house number, car plate or children's school.
• Turn off location tagging, and wait until after a trip to post about it.
• Be cautious with quizzes that ask about your first pet, first car or mother's maiden name, since those are common security questions.

Step 5: Freeze your credit

Limiting what is public helps with privacy. A credit freeze helps protect against identity theft. According to the FTC's guide to credit freezes and fraud alerts, while a freeze is in place nobody can open a new credit account in your name. There is no cost to place or lift a freeze, it does not affect your credit score and it lasts until you lift it. To place one, contact each of the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can temporarily lift it when you apply for credit.

If you suspect fraud, you can also place a fraud alert, which tells businesses to verify your identity before opening new credit. An initial fraud alert lasts one year and can be renewed, and you only need to contact one bureau, which must notify the other two.

Step 6: Watch for signs of identity theft

The FTC's guide to identity theft lists warning signs worth watching for: bills that stop arriving, charges you did not make, withdrawals you do not recognize and unfamiliar accounts on your credit reports. Reviewing your statements and credit reports regularly helps you catch problems early. Shred documents that contain account numbers or your Social Security number before throwing them away.

If you think someone has stolen your identity, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC says you will get a personal recovery plan with next steps, and the site can generate pre-filled letters to send to credit bureaus, businesses and debt collectors.

Extra protection for people at risk

If you are protecting yourself from someone who may want to harm you, ordinary opt-outs may not be enough. Many states run address confidentiality programs for survivors of domestic violence, stalking and similar crimes, which provide a substitute address for public records. Contact your state's Secretary of State or Attorney General's office, or a local victim advocate, to learn whether a program is available to you.

Make it a habit

Protecting your information is ongoing rather than one and done. Set a reminder to search yourself and recheck opt-outs a few times a year, keep your credit frozen when you are not applying for credit and think before you share. Knowing how others look people up, as covered in our guide to the FCRA and permissible use, helps you understand which protections apply to which kinds of data.