How To Opt Out of Intelius – And Why You Should Do It
Intelius is a US-based people-search site that compiles reports containing US citizens’ private data. Paying subscribers can view these reports on demand. Intelius’ information comes from a combination of public records from federal, county, and state courts; data brokers; and data scraped from websites.
Information found in the reports can include the person’s full name; landline and cell phone numbers; age; images of the person; employment and education history; possible relatives and relationships; marriage and criminal records; social media profiles; past and present addresses (with included map!), and possible neighbors (including their names, ages, addresses, and phone numbers).
The good news is that it’s relatively easy to opt out of Intelius. We’ll tell you how to do it as well as providing guidance on how to opt out of the numerous other people-search sites.
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Why should I opt out of Intelius?
Intelius and other people-search sites profit from selling your data to anyone willing to buy it. The only reason most people allow their data to be used in this way is that they don’t know about it.
So who is the data used by? According to the Intelius website, “One particularly beneficial way to use Intelius is to look up potential dates”. It also suggests investigating potential neighbors when deciding whether to move to a particular property.
More seriously, the value of Intelius to stalkers or others engaged in harassment is obvious. Intelius makes it easy to track people, by providing convenient maps showing exactly where they live, as well as providing contact details for their neighbors.
If you live in the US, we recommend opting out of Intelius and other people-search sites.
How to opt out of Intelius
Start by finding out what information Intelius holds about you by sending an information request to: privacy@intelius.com. You’ll need to include your first name, last name, current address, and date of birth.
If Intelius does have a record of your data, you can have it removed by following these steps:
- Visit: https://suppression.peopleconnect.us/login, enter your email address, agree to the T&Cs, and click ‘submit’.
When you receive a confirmation email from PeopleConnect, open it and click the ‘VERIFY EMAIL’.
In the window that opens, fill in the fields to confirm your identity and locate your information. Enter your date of birth; first name, middle name, and last name; email addresses; phone numbers; and locations.
Click ‘Save’.- Click on the ‘Suppression Setting’ tab in the top-right corner of the screen.
Select the record you wish to have removed and click ‘Opt-out’.- Wait at least 72 hours and repeat steps 1-5. If your data is still being listed, contact privacy@intelius.com and ask them to remove it manually.
How to remove yourself from other people-search sites
Unfortunately, Intelius isn’t the only people-search site. Some of its competitors include:
- PeopleLooker
- Truthfinder
- BeenVerified
- Spokeo
- USSearch
- Instant Checkmate
- ZabaSearch
- PeopleFinders
- Pipl
Manually opting out of each of these, and then rechecking to ensure that your data has been removed, is a laborious process. The problem is compounded by the existence of other specialist data brokers, which continually scrape the web for any information about you that’s worth selling.
If you’re serious about removing your personal information from these companies’ databases, we recommend using a dedicated data removal service. For a monthly fee, these services ensure your data is permanently removed from people-search sites like Intelius, as well as the biggest data brokers.
If you’re short on time, here’s a summary of our top three recommendations:
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The best services to opt out of people-search sites
Now, let’s consider each of these in a little more detail.
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How we picked the best opt out services
When evaluating the best services to opt out of people-search sites, we started by thoroughly assessing their scope and effectiveness. The first step involved checking what types of data these services can manage and their ability to remove or block personal information from various databases and platforms. We then checked their success rate and the speed with which they can achieve results, ensuring user data is promptly and efficiently removed.
Evaluating the privacy and security measures of opt-out services was the next logical step for the ProPrivacy team. We picked only the services that follow the latest data handling and security standards, all while remaining transparent about their strategies, processes, and limitations. Moreover, we checked that these services comply with relevant privacy regulations like the GDPR or CCPA, further reassuring privacy-conscious users.
Value for money is also a significant factor, so we took the time to compare the pricing plans and methods against the effectiveness of the service offered.
Finally, we only promote the opt-out services that are user-friendly. They should come with an intuitive interface and straightforward navigation to make the opt-out process accessible to everyone. I personally checked the responsiveness and helpfulness of each of the support teams to ensure you get the help you need at all times.
Our comprehensive review process aims to help users pick an opt-out service according to their needs and achieve a positive overall experience with the service.
How to opt out of Intelius – FAQs
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Does Intelius sell user data?” answer=”Yes, it does. Intelius has no qualms about taking your money in the form of a subscription and then selling your data. Its privacy policy says that it shares your personal information with advertisers and other third parties such as data brokers. Shared information can include all of the data you provide when setting up an account; as well as information regarding your interactions with the Intelius website; and traffic data, such as <a href=’/guides/can-someone-ip-address’>IP addresses</a>, device types, and browser types. If you ever used Intelius services, we advise you to visit <a href=’https://www.intelius.com/privacy-center’>https://www.intelius.com/privacy-center</a> and request a copy of the data it holds about you. If you just signed up for an account, you can also choose to opt out of your data being shared on the same page. There’s also an option to delete your personal information entirely, though Intelius say that this will result in your account being deleted and existing subscriptions canceled.” /]]
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Is Intelius trustworthy?” answer=”Intelius has received a fair amount of criticism in its time. In 2009, it was involved in a class action lawsuit after accusations that it had automatically enrolled people into and charged membership fees for programs run by its partner company, Adaptive Marketing. That same year, it was accused of charging customers for unwanted multiple subscription services after said customers made one-off purchases of background reports. In 2010, Intelius was <a href=’https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/intelius-banked-consumer-confusion-says-washington-attorney-general’>sued by the Washington Attorney General</a> for allegedly deceptive credit card charges and intrusive post-transaction marketing practices. Attorney General Rob McKenna said that ‘Intelius chose cash over candor. Despite a continuous stream of complaints from consumers about mysterious charges, a consultant’s belief that Intelius advertising practices were causing confusion, and a recommendation from its own staff to make it easier for consumers to opt out of additional purchases, the company wouldn’t change course‘.” /]]
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Can employers use Intelius to check up on me?” answer=”Under the <a href=’https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/statutes/fair-credit-reporting-act/545a_fair-credit-reporting-act-0918.pdf’>Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)</a>, consumer people-search sites like Intelius cannot legally be used for employment screening, tenant screening or for assessing credit-worthiness. In practice, however, there’s little to stop company representatives from opening up an Intelius account to research potential employees. For its part, the FCRA says that those wishing to carry out commercial research are required to use a FCRA-governed Consumer Reporting Agency such as Equifax, Experian, or Transunion.” /]]
[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”How much does Intelius cost?” answer=”A six-day trial of the Intelius’s most popular service Reverse Phone Lookup + People Search costs $0.95, after which you will be billed $34.95 a month. Itelius says that reports include information such as address history, photos, social media profiles, and details of relations.” /]]
Image credits: Gordon Johnson & Chase Clarkfrom Pixabay & cover photo by Andrew Teoh.
