How to opt out of Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search
Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search all belong to PeopleConnect, and one free request at suppression.peopleconnect.us covers all four. You start with an email address and a verification link. No payment is needed.
By the editors of ProtectYour.com Last reviewed 5 min read
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Key takeaways
- Go to suppression.peopleconnect.us, enter an email address, and follow the verification link to suppress your Background Report.
- One suppression covers name searches on TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search. It is free.
- It does not cover Classmates.com, and phone, address or email lookups may still show your name.
- Judges, police and other protected people in states with laws like Daniel's Law have a separate request route on the same page.
Four sites, one company, one request
Search your name and you may find yourself on Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate and US Search, each with a slightly different-looking report. They share an owner, PeopleConnect, and PeopleConnect handles removals for all of them from one place: its Suppression Center at suppression.peopleconnect.us.
PeopleConnect describes the tool as a free way to manage the display of your "Background Report" on all the people-search sites in its family, naming TruthFinder.com, InstantCheckmate.com, Intelius.com and USSearch.com. If you suppress the report, it is not shown when someone searches for you by name on those sites. So there is no need to hunt for an opt-out page on each brand. If a brand's own site sends you somewhere else, the Suppression Center is still the place to go.
What one PeopleConnect suppression covers
| Site or feature | Covered? |
|---|---|
| Name search on TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius, US Search | Yes |
| Phone, address or email reports on those sites | Not fully: PeopleConnect says your name may still appear in them |
| Classmates.com and other PeopleConnect sites | No, use each site's own privacy options |
| Data you gave as a customer (account data) | No, handled separately on each site |
| The original public records | No |
Step by step
- Go to suppression.peopleconnect.us and use the section marked "Free - Start Here".
- Enter an email address and tick the box agreeing to the terms and to transactional emails about the Suppression Tool. PeopleConnect says the address is used only to process your request.
- Press Continue. PeopleConnect emails you a verification link.
- Open the link to continue in the Suppression Center, find the Background Report that is you, and choose to suppress it.
- A few days later, search your name on each of the four sites to check the report no longer comes up.
Because everything starts from an email address, use one you are happy to keep for as long as you want to manage the suppression. A dedicated email alias works well, as long as you will still be able to receive mail at it next year.
Free step
What the suppression leaves visible
PeopleConnect is unusually specific about the limits, and they matter:
- Reverse lookups. Even after you suppress your report, PeopleConnect says your name and other details may still appear in phone, address or email reports, for someone who searches by those rather than by your name. Try a reverse lookup of your own phone number afterwards to see what shows.
- Sex offender lists and similar public registries are named as an exception.
- Messy data. PeopleConnect warns that discrepancies and inaccuracies in public records can make it hard to remove everything associated with you. If you still see data about you after using the tool, it asks you to contact it for help.
- Other sources. Suppressing a report does not affect the third-party sources the data came from, or other companies that bought the same records.
PeopleConnect also says the tool is offered at its discretion and that it may change or restrict it. That is one more reason to check your name every few months rather than treat this as permanent.
Judges, police and other protected people
The Suppression Center page has a separate section for judges, law enforcement officers, public officials and other "covered" people who live in a state whose law lets them demand removal of certain public data. New Jersey's Daniel's Law is the best known. Those requests go to PeopleConnect's privacy team by email rather than through the self-service tool, and PeopleConnect lists what to include: your name, date of birth, city and state, contact details, the law you are relying on and your protected status. It says a denied request can be appealed.
If you qualify, use that route as well as the standard tool. A legal request carries obligations the voluntary tool does not.
The rest of the list
One request clearing four sites is the best ratio you will get. The next most visible sites usually are Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified and the free sites such as TruePeopleSearch and FastPeopleSearch. California residents should also file one request through the state's free DROP platform. It reaches the data brokers registered with the state. Our data broker removal guide puts it all in order.
Common questions
How do I remove myself from Intelius, TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate?
Use PeopleConnect's free Suppression Center at suppression.peopleconnect.us. One suppression hides your Background Report from name searches on TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, Intelius and US Search, because all four are PeopleConnect sites.
Is the PeopleConnect suppression tool free?
Yes. PeopleConnect states its Suppression Tool does not cost money. You need an email address to receive a verification link.
Will my name still appear on TruthFinder after I opt out?
Possibly in some features. PeopleConnect says that after suppression your name and other information may still appear in phone, address or email reports, and on registered sex offender lists, even though name searches no longer return your report.
Does the PeopleConnect opt-out cover Classmates.com?
No. PeopleConnect says the Suppression Tool covers its people-search sites only and does not apply to Classmates.com or to account data. Use each site's own privacy settings for those.
Your next step
If you want a paid toolAffiliate link
Optery
Best for: People who want their address and phone number off people-search sites without doing dozens of opt-outs by hand.
Not for: Anyone willing to do the opt-outs themselves for free, or whose main worry is public records: no service can remove those.
Visit OpteryRelated guides
- How to remove your info from data broker and people-search sitesPeople-search sites publish your address, phone number and relatives for anyone to find. You can remove most listings yourself for free. It takes a few hours, and it needs repeating.
- How to remove yourself from BeenVerifiedBeenVerified's free opt-out starts at beenverified.com/svc/optout/search/optouts. You search for your record, select it, and confirm through a verification email. BeenVerified says removal usually shows within 24 hours, and you never need to pay or be a member.
- How to remove yourself from SpokeoSpokeo's free opt-out page is spokeo.com/optout. You paste the URL of your listing, give an email address, and click the confirmation link. Spokeo says requests are processed in 24 to 48 hours, and no ID or payment is needed.
- Data removal services compared: Optery vs DeleteMe vs Incogni and othersData removal services file opt-outs with data brokers for you and keep re-checking. They differ in how much proof they show, whether they take custom requests, and who they cover.