Your personal information could be available on websites you've never visited. Data brokers collect names, addresses, phone numbers, and other details from public records and online sources, and then make that information available to other firms. Iolo's RemoveMe finds and removes these listings automatically.
Right now, the RemoveMe annual plan is down to $86 a year (was $96) when you use our reader-exclusive code RMFUTURE. Alternatively, on the $14.99 monthly plan, you can shave $4 off for three months with code RMFUTURE10.
• Best for: US residents who want personal information removed from data broker and people search websites without having to do all the hard work themselves.
• What we like: RemoveMe scans more than 400 data broker sites, submits removal requests, tracks their progress, and continues monitoring for information that reappears.
Why we recommend it
Data broker websites can collect personal details such as your name, home address, telephone number, email address, age, and relatives' names. Removing these listings manually means finding the relevant websites, following their opt-out procedures, and checking whether the information has actually been taken offline.
RemoveMe handles much of that work automatically. It scans more than 400 data broker websites to identify exposed records, then submits removal requests to sites displaying your information. You can monitor the progress through an online dashboard, which shows the status of removal requests.
The company says the first removals happen within 48 hours of activation, with 70% of sites completing removals within 30 days.
RemoveMe also monitors sites after the initial cleanup. If a broker republishes your information, the service will submit another removal request.
The company offers a free initial scan, allowing you to see which of your details are online before paying for a subscription.
