Automatic Data Broker Removal by LifeLock

Data brokers collect, bundle, and sell personal information like your name, address, phone number, and age. These details — taken from public records, commercial sources, and online activity — live on people-search sites and other directories where anyone can look you up or buy your data.

While these sites are perfectly legal and brand themselves as innocent informational services, not everyone wants their personal data to be easily available online. The wider it’s distributed, the easier it is for scammers, fraudsters, and identity thieves to find and target you. Plus, being listed on these websites leaves you exposed to unnecessary data breach risks.

And if you’ve ever tried to remove your data from broker sites, you’ll know it’s not simple. Each data broker has its own complicated opt-out process. And even after you remove your information, it can reappear, forcing you to start all over again.

LifeLock’s Automatic Data Broker Removal service is designed to address these problems by reducing how much of your personal information exists online. The feature is included in all three LifeLock plans — Core, Advanced, and Total — and helps proactively remove personal data from broker sites, limiting exposure that could lead to fraud or identity theft.

Learn how it works, why it matters, and what else you can do to protect your online privacy.

How LifeLock’s Automatic Data Broker Removal service works

The Automatic Data Broker Removal service included with LifeLock scans top data broker sites for your information and submits automatic opt-out requests on your behalf every 90 days. Instead of tracking down dozens of websites and managing individual requests yourself, you can just enable the service and let it work in the background.  

Here’s how the Automatic Data Broker Removal service works, step by step:

1. Enable Automatic Data Broker Removal: Open the LifeLock dashboard, click on the Automatic Data Broker Removal tool, and confirm the personal information you want to scan for — like your name, address, and phone number.
2. Scan leading data broker sites: Automatic Data Broker Removal will scan a collection of the biggest data broker websites to identify where your information appears, establishing a baseline of your online exposure.
3. Opt-out requests submitted: Automatic opt-out requests will be sent on your behalf to any data broker websites where your information was found. 
4. The process repeats every 90 days: Automatic Data Broker Removal automatically runs a scan every 90 days and submits new removal requests if your data is found, removing your information again if it gets reuploaded. 

Why Automatic Data Broker Removal beats doing it yourself

You can try to remove your information from data broker sites manually — but it’s rarely simple. Each site has different rules: some require email confirmations, while others ask for identification. And, without a central place to manage it all, you’ll be left to track your progress across dozens of sites yourself.

Plus, since data broker websites will often reupload data that’s been removed in the past, there’s no “end” to the manual data broker removal process. To maintain your privacy, you’ll have to constantly check that your data hasn’t reappeared.

But, with an automatic data broker removal service, you only have to enroll and confirm your details once for continuous monitoring and automatic data removal. LifeLock will run a scan every 90 days to make sure your data doesn’t stay public for long. 

How Automatic Data Broker Removal helps protect your privacy 

When your name, address, phone number, age, and other personal details are easily available on the internet, it makes you more vulnerable to scammers and fraudsters. By removing it from public websites, Automatic Data Broker Removal limits how easily criminals can find your information, making it less likely that they’ll target you.

But that’s just one benefit of Automatic Data Broker Removal. Here’s a more detailed look at how it can boost your privacy and security:

• Makes personalized scams less likely: Some social engineering scams use personal information found on public websites to appear more convincing. If a scammer can’t find your phone number online, it’ll be harder for them to contact you in the first place. And if they can’t see your address, they will find it harder to convince you that they’re calling from a legitimate company like UPS. 
• Protects your online accounts: Some personal information on data broker sites, like your email address and phone number, may be associated with online accounts. Scammers may be able to use this info in combination with passwords found in data breaches or on the dark web to hack your accounts.
• Reduces your data breach exposure: Data brokers and people-search websites can be breached by hackers, like in the 2025 National Public Data breach. If your information is listed on a site that’s attacked, it’ll be exposed to the hackers and anyone else they share it with, such as scammers on the dark web.
• Helps prevent identity theft: It’s not just scammers who want your personal information — fraudsters and identity thieves also need it to fuel their schemes. The more information they can find about you online, the easier they’ll find it to apply for credit, file tax returns, or make claims in your name.
• Reduces unwanted marketing and spam: Marketing companies may purchase data in bulk from people-search or data broker websites to build lists of people to target in email, text, or robocall campaigns. Removing your data from these sites helps keep your inbox and call log freer from annoying spam.

Protect your personal data with LifeLock

Reducing your exposure on public data broker and people-search sites is one important step toward protecting your privacy and identity, and LifeLock’s Automatic Data Broker Removal service makes it easier than ever. Plus, as a LifeLock member, you’ll get access to other tools that can help you track and protect against potential online risks, including dark web monitoring, identity alerts, and data breach notifications. 

FAQs

What are data brokers and people-search websites? 

Data brokers are companies that collect, bundle, and sell personal information such as your address history, phone number, and age. People-search sites are public directories built on this data, allowing anyone to look up individuals and view personal details.

What is LifeLock Automatic Data Broker Removal and how does it work?

Automatic Data Broker Removal is a LifeLock feature that scans top data broker and people-search sites for your personal information and sends opt-out requests on your behalf. Once you enroll and confirm your details, it automatically scans every 90 days and submits removal requests wherever it finds your data.

How long does it take for my data to be removed?

After an Automatic Data Broker Removal scan runs and removal requests are submitted, individual data brokers may take some time to process those requests. How long it takes for your data to be removed depends on the specific process each data broker uses. But certain states have legislation that outlines maximum delays, like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which says data brokers must delete your data within 90 days.

What types of personal information does Automatic Data Broker Removal help remove?

Automatic Data Broker Removal lets you specify the types of personal information to search for on data broker websites, including your name, address, phone number, and age. Removing or reducing the exposure of this data can help lower the risk of fraud, scams, and identity theft.

Will my information show up again after it’s removed?

It’s possible. Data brokers can continue collecting new information from various sources and may periodically reupload information you’ve already removed. That’s why Automatic Data Broker Removal runs scans and submits removal requests automatically every 90 days, helping you maintain a smaller digital footprint.

Is Automatic Data Broker Removal included in my LifeLock plan?

Yes, Automatic Data Broker Removal is included with LifeLock Core, LifeLock Advanced, and LifeLock Total plans. If you’re enrolled in one of these plans, you can access the feature directly from your LifeLock dashboard, where it works in the background to help reduce the amount of personal information available through data broker sites.

Is LifeLock Automatic Data Broker Removal the same as Norton Privacy Monitor Assistant?

No, LifeLock Automatic Data Broker Removal is a feature included in LifeLock plans. It focuses on identifying and removing your personal information from known data broker websites. 

Norton Privacy Monitor Assistant is a standalone product that offers additional tools to help locate and manage your personal data exposure across data broker networks. 

Is LifeLock Automatic Data Broker Removal fully automatic?

Yes, Automatic Data Broker Removal operates automatically within all LifeLock plans. Once enabled, it continuously monitors supported data broker sites and submits removal requests on your behalf, helping reduce the visibility of your personal information without requiring manual action.