Your personal information is more exposed than you think. Right now, your name, home address, phone number, email, and family members’ names are probably listed on hundreds of websites — available to anyone who looks.
Data brokers, hackers, scammers, and even nosy strangers can access your personal information with a few clicks. But you don’t have to accept it. These 10 steps will dramatically reduce your exposure and take back control of your privacy.
In this guide:
- 10 actionable steps to protect your personal information
- The biggest threats to your privacy in 2026
- How to check what’s already exposed about you
- The best tools for ongoing protection
Start here: Before you do anything else, run a free Optery scan to see how much of your personal information is already exposed on data broker sites. It takes 30 seconds and costs nothing — but the results will show you exactly why these steps matter.
Step 1: Find Out What’s Already Exposed
You can’t protect your personal information if you don’t know what’s already out there. Start with a full audit:
Google yourself. Open an incognito browser window and search your full name in quotes. Then try your name + city, your phone number, and your email address. Check the first 5 pages of results. You’ll probably find your information listed on people search sites you’ve never heard of.
Run a data broker scan. Optery’s free scan checks dozens of data broker sites at once and shows you exactly where your information is listed. This gives you a complete picture of your exposure in seconds — way faster than Googling yourself manually.
Check “Results About You” on Google. In the Google app, tap your profile icon and select “Results about you.” Google will continuously monitor for search results containing your contact information and alert you when something new appears.
Step 2: Remove Your Information from Data Broker Sites
This is the single most impactful step you can take to protect your personal information. Data brokers are companies that collect, package, and sell your personal data — often without your knowledge. Your information is currently listed on an estimated 200-600+ data broker and people search sites.
You have two options for removal:
Manual removal (free but time-consuming): Visit each data broker site individually and submit opt-out requests. This takes 40-80 hours across 100+ sites, and data brokers re-list your data every 3-6 months. Full walkthrough: How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet.
Automated removal (recommended): Services like Optery and Incogni handle the entire process — scanning, submitting opt-outs, and continuously monitoring for re-listings. It’s the only approach that works long-term. See our full comparison of data removal services →
Step 3: Lock Down Your Social Media Profiles
Social media is one of the biggest sources of personal information exposure. Every detail you share publicly — your employer, location, birthday, phone number, photos — can be harvested by data brokers and scammers.
Facebook: Set everything to “Friends only” in Settings → Privacy. Remove your phone number, email, and address from your About section. Lock your profile so non-friends see almost nothing.
Instagram: Switch to a private account. Remove personal details from your bio. Turn off activity status.
LinkedIn: Restrict who can see your email, phone number, and connections in Settings → Visibility. Turn off profile visibility to search engines.
Twitter/X: Protect your tweets. Remove location data. Never put your real phone number or email in your bio.
All platforms: Review which third-party apps have access to your accounts (Settings → Apps and Integrations on most platforms). Revoke access for anything you don’t actively use — each connected app is a potential data leak.
Step 4: Use Strong, Unique Passwords for Every Account
Reusing passwords is one of the fastest ways to have your personal information compromised. When one site gets breached (and breaches happen constantly), hackers try that same password on every other platform — email, banking, social media, everything.
Use a password manager. Tools like Bitwarden (free), 1Password, or LastPass generate and store unique, complex passwords for every account. You only need to remember one master password.
Make passwords long. A 16+ character passphrase like “correct-horse-battery-staple” is more secure and easier to remember than “P@ssw0rd123.”
Never reuse passwords. Every account should have its own unique password. If you’re reusing passwords right now, start changing them — prioritize email, banking, and any account with your payment information.
Step 5: Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Everywhere
Two-factor authentication adds a second layer of protection to your accounts beyond just a password. Even if someone steals your password, they can’t get in without the second factor.
Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator) rather than SMS codes. SIM-swapping attacks can intercept text messages, making SMS-based 2FA less secure.
Enable 2FA on these accounts first: Email (this is the master key — if someone gets into your email, they can reset every other password), banking and financial accounts, social media, and any account storing your personal information or payment details.
Step 6: Stop Giving Out Your Real Phone Number
Your phone number is the single most connected piece of personal information you have. Data brokers use it to link your name, address, family members, and online accounts together into one searchable profile. And once it’s out there, it becomes a target for spam calls and scams.
Get a secondary number. Use Google Voice (free) to create a separate phone number for online forms, signups, deliveries, and any situation where you don’t fully trust the company asking for it.
Remove your number from existing accounts. Go through your online accounts and remove your real phone number from any that don’t absolutely need it. Use your secondary number or email-based verification instead.
Never list your phone number on social media. If it’s on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other profile — even hidden behind privacy settings — data brokers can scrape it. Remove it completely.
Step 7: Use a VPN When Browsing
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address, making it significantly harder for companies, advertisers, and data brokers to track your online activity and build profiles about you.
When to use a VPN: On public Wi-Fi (coffee shops, airports, hotels) — always. At home — recommended, especially if you want to prevent your ISP from selling your browsing data (which is legal in the US). On mobile — ideally all the time.
What a VPN doesn’t do: It doesn’t remove personal information that’s already on data broker sites. It prevents future data collection, but you still need to clean up what’s already out there. That’s why Step 2 (data broker removal) is so important.
Step 8: Be Cautious with Email
Email is one of the primary ways scammers and data collectors access your personal information. A few simple habits make a big difference:
Use email aliases. Instead of giving your real email address to every website that asks, create aliases or use a service that generates disposable email addresses. This prevents your primary email from being harvested and sold.
Don’t click suspicious links. Phishing emails are getting more sophisticated — especially when scammers already have your name, address, and other details from data broker sites. When they know your real name and address, their phishing emails look incredibly legitimate. Always verify the sender before clicking links or downloading attachments.
Unsubscribe from lists you don’t need. Every email list you’re on is a potential data source. Reduce your footprint by unsubscribing from newsletters, promotional lists, and marketing emails you don’t read.
Step 9: Freeze Your Credit
A credit freeze prevents identity thieves from using your exposed personal information to open new accounts in your name. It’s free, it takes about 10 minutes, and it’s one of the most effective identity theft prevention steps you can take.
Contact all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Request a freeze on each one. You’ll get a PIN to unfreeze when you need to apply for credit yourself.
This doesn’t affect your credit score. A freeze simply prevents new accounts from being opened. Your existing accounts, credit score, and credit history are unaffected.
Also opt out of pre-screened credit offers. Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to stop pre-approved credit card offers from arriving in your mailbox — these are a common target for identity thieves who steal mail.
Step 10: Set Up Ongoing Monitoring
Protecting your personal information isn’t a one-time task — it’s ongoing. Data brokers continuously re-collect your data, new breaches happen regularly, and your digital footprint evolves over time.
Set up Google Alerts. Create alerts for your full name, phone number, and email address at google.com/alerts. You’ll be notified when new content containing your information appears online.
Use automated data removal. Services like Optery and Incogni don’t just remove your data once — they continuously monitor data broker sites and submit fresh removal requests whenever your information reappears. This is the only realistic way to stay protected long-term.
Check your accounts regularly. Review your bank statements, credit reports, and online accounts for unusual activity. Early detection is key to minimizing damage from identity theft.
The Best Tools to Protect Your Personal Information
Here’s a quick summary of the tools we recommend throughout this guide:
Optery — Data broker removal (our top pick). Free scan to see where you’re exposed. Paid plans ($39-$249/year) automate removal from 350+ data broker sites with continuous monitoring. Ranked #1 most effective by Consumer Reports. Start with the free scan — you’ll want to see this.
Incogni — Budget data broker removal. Covers 180+ data brokers for just $6.49/month billed annually. Best option if you want solid coverage at the lowest price. Read our full Incogni review →
DeleteMe — Established data broker removal. Human researchers plus automation since 2011. $129/year. Read our full DeleteMe review →
Bitwarden — Free password manager. Generates and stores unique passwords for every account. Open source and highly trusted.
Google Authenticator — Free 2FA app. Adds two-factor authentication to your accounts.
Google Voice — Free secondary phone number. Keeps your real phone number private.
For a detailed comparison of data removal services: Best Data Removal Services of 2026 (Compared).
Take Action Today
Every day your personal information sits exposed on the internet is another day scammers, data brokers, and identity thieves can exploit it. You don’t have to become a cybersecurity expert — just start with these steps:
- Run a free Optery scan — see exactly where your personal information is exposed right now
- Lock down your social media — tighten privacy settings on every platform (Step 3 above)
- Set up a password manager — stop reusing passwords across accounts
- Enable 2FA — on your email, banking, and social media accounts
- Consider automated data removal — Optery or Incogni handle the heavy lifting for less than $7/month
Your privacy is worth protecting. Start today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest threat to my personal information online?
Data brokers are the biggest threat most people don’t know about. Over 4,000 companies collect and sell your personal information — name, address, phone number, family members, income estimates — to anyone willing to pay. Run a free scan to see how exposed you are.
Is it possible to completely protect my personal information online?
You can’t achieve 100% protection, but you can dramatically reduce your exposure. The steps in this guide — especially removing your data from broker sites and using strong passwords with 2FA — eliminate the vast majority of risk.
How do I remove my personal information from the internet?
You can manually opt out of data broker sites (40-80 hours) or use an automated service. We recommend Optery (free scan, paid removal from $39/year) or Incogni ($6.49/month). Full guide: How to Remove Your Personal Information from the Internet.
Why do I get so many spam calls and emails?
Data brokers sell your phone number and email address to telemarketers, robocall operations, and email spammers in bulk. Removing your contact information from data broker sites is the only way to reduce spam at the source. Learn more about why you get so many spam calls.
What should I do if my personal information was leaked in a data breach?
Immediately change passwords on the affected accounts and any accounts using the same password. Enable 2FA. Freeze your credit with all three bureaus. Then check data broker sites to see if the breached data has been republished.
Do I really need a VPN?
A VPN is important for protecting future data collection — especially on public Wi-Fi. But it doesn’t remove personal information that’s already on data broker sites. For existing exposure, you need a data removal service like Optery or Incogni.
What’s the most important step I can take right now?
Run a free Optery scan to see where your personal information is exposed. Once you see the results, you’ll know exactly what needs to be fixed. Most people are shocked by how many sites have their data — that shock is usually enough motivation to take action.
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