How to remove yourself from Whitepages

Whitepages cannot edit a listing, only remove it, and its opt-out tool starts from the listing's web address. To find it:

1. Go to whitepages.com and use People Search with your first and last name, city and state.
2. Find your entry in the results and click View Details.
3. Check the phone number and address shown are yours, so you are removing the right person.
4. Copy the address from your browser's address bar.

Whitepages' help center says the URL ends in a short reference code, usually 11 characters, in the form whitepages.com/name/Jane-A-Smith/Seattle-WA/Abcd12345ef. If the address you copied does not end like that, you may have copied a search page rather than the listing itself.

You do not need to sign up or pay to do any of this. Whitepages' privacy notice states that no account or purchase is required to opt out. Prompts to unlock a "full report" can be ignored.

The opt-out tool lives at whitepages.com/suppression-requests and labels itself as five steps. Following Whitepages' own instructions:

1. Paste your listing URL into the box and press Next.
2. Check the contact details on the confirmation page, then click Remove Me.
3. Pick a reason for the request. Whitepages says the reason does not affect whether the listing is removed.
4. Enter a phone number, review the agreement, and press Call Now to Verify. Whitepages says the number is collected to verify your connection to the listing and will not be resold or shown on its site.
5. The page shows a four-digit code and you receive an automated call. Enter the code when the call asks for it. The page then confirms the removal is being processed.

If something goes wrong at any step, the tool has a Request Help button that opens a ticket with Whitepages' customer care team.

The automated tool is the fast route, but it is not the only one. Whitepages' Consumer Privacy Rights page lists three ways to opt out: the automated tool, a web form handled by a customer service agent, or an email request (the address is on that page). Whitepages says agents reply within about two business days, and that you may be asked for extra information so they can find your listing.

The page describes these routes under state privacy rights. It also says that California opt-out requests can take up to 15 days, though they are often faster.

Whitepages says that once a listing is removed, all known connected listings are removed too, and that the requester's information will not be sold by Whitepages afterwards. That is more generous than most people-search sites, where each duplicate needs its own request. If you later find another listing that is you, Whitepages asks you to contact an agent through the web form or email rather than starting again.

Two things stay outside its reach:

• Public records at the source. Whitepages says it cannot hide information in databases it does not control, such as public records.
• Cached search results. Whitepages says search engines may keep showing cached information from its pages for up to 30 days. Google's Results about you tool can help with results that show your phone number or address.

Whitepages' footer also links to 411.com and PeopleSearch.com. Search those for your name as well, and check whether any listing there disappeared with the Whitepages one.

Whitepages is one of the first sites a stranger will hit, but it is one of many. Work through Spokeo, BeenVerified, the PeopleConnect brands (Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate) and TruePeopleSearch next. Our full data broker guide covers the order, the email-alias trick and how often to re-check. If you live in California, add the state's free DROP platform, which sends one deletion request to the hundreds of brokers registered with the state.