How to delete yourself from the internet
You can’t vanish completely — but you can remove most of what exposes you, and keep the rest suppressed. Here’s the honest, UK-aware playbook: find your exposure, remove it at every layer, and stop it coming back.
1. Find out where you’re actually exposed
You can’t delete what you can’t see. Start by finding every place your data lives: search your own name, email and phone in Google; check breach data with a free exposure scan; and search the big people-search sites directly. The goal is a list — brokers, directories, old accounts, breaches — before you start removing.
2. Remove yourself from data brokers & people-search sites
This is the bulk of the work. Sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified and (in the UK) 192.com sell your address, phone and relatives. Each has an opt-out — some are a quick form, some need email or phone verification. There are hundreds of these; we track 268+. Work through the high-traffic ones first, or have them done for you.
3. Opt out at the source (UK)
Removing one site isn’t enough if the source keeps re-supplying it. In the UK the big sources are the open electoral register (feeds 192.com and marketers), CACI’s lifestyle data, and your director address on Companies House. Opt out of these and downstream listings stop coming back.
4. Clean up Google search results
Google’s “Results about you” tool lets you request removal of pages showing your personal contact info from search. It de-indexes the result, not the source — so pair it with removing the underlying broker listing. See our dedicated Google removal guide.
5. Delete old accounts and reduce your footprint
Every dormant account is exposure. Delete accounts you no longer use, lock down privacy settings on the ones you keep, and opt out of AI-training where offered. Tools like your Google account’s activity controls help.
6. Handle breach data
You can’t “delete” leaked data that’s already circulating, but you can neutralise it: change breached passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, and monitor for new breaches. This is damage control, not removal — and it matters as much as the rest.
7. Keep it gone
Brokers re-list. Sources refresh. A one-off clean-up decays within months — studies show most removals happen in the first week, then data creeps back. The durable answer is monitoring: re-check regularly and re-remove when your data reappears.
Or have it done for you
A free exposure check shows you everywhere you appear. Then BLACKEYES sends the removals across 268+ sites and monitors for anything new.
Run my free exposure checkFAQ
Can you really delete yourself from the internet completely?
Not 100%. Public records and already-circulating breach data can’t be fully erased. But you can remove the vast majority of what exposes you — broker listings, search results, old accounts — and keep the rest suppressed with monitoring.
Is it free to remove yourself from the internet?
Yes, if you do it yourself — every opt-out and GDPR erasure request is free by law. It’s just time-consuming and repetitive across hundreds of sites, which is why removal services exist.
How long does it take?
Doing it yourself: a few hours to work through the major brokers, then ongoing maintenance. Most broker removals complete within days to a month.
Will my data come back after I remove it?
Often, yes — brokers refresh from sources and re-list. That’s why opting out at the source (electoral register, CACI) and ongoing monitoring matter more than a one-off pass.