It started with a simple Google search. Just my name in quotes, out of curiosity more than concern.
What I found made my stomach drop. This discovery completely changed how I think about privacy.
The first result was a "people search" website I'd never heard of. It listed my current address, my phone number, every place I'd lived for the past fifteen years, my age, the names of my family members, and an estimate of my income bracket.
The second result was worse. It offered a "full background report" on me for $19.95. Property records, court records, possible relatives, known associates, and more.
I hadn't put this information online. I'd never signed up for these sites. But there it was, my entire life compiled into a product strangers could purchase for less than the cost of lunch.
The Data Broker Industry You Never Agreed To
Here's something most people don't know: there's an entire industry built around collecting, packaging, and selling your personal information. They're called data brokers, and they operate largely in the shadows.
These companies scrape public records, court filings, property databases, voter registrations, social media profiles, and purchase data. They buy information from other companies about your shopping habits, browsing history, and app usage. They compile all of this into detailed profiles and sell access to anyone willing to pay.
You never consented to this. You probably didn't even know it was happening. But it's completely legal.
I spent a weekend going down this rabbit hole, and what I discovered was disturbing. Not just the amount of information available, but how easy it was to access and how little protection exists against misuse.
What They Know About You
Let me tell you what I found about myself across various data broker and people search sites:
Every address I've lived at since I was eighteen. Not just cities, but full street addresses, with dates showing when I lived there. Anyone looking at this could construct a timeline of my entire adult life.
Multiple phone numbers, including ones I haven't used in years. Email addresses, some I'd forgotten about. My age, obviously, but also my approximate income range based on public records and demographic data.
Names and ages of my family members. Relationships inferred from shared addresses and public records. "Possible associates" listing friends, former roommates, and even neighbors.
Property records showing what I own, when I bought it, how much I paid. Court records for that one speeding ticket from 2015. Professional licenses. Business registrations.
And this was just the free preview information. The paid reports promised much more: comprehensive background checks, criminal records, financial judgments, social media profiles, photos, and more.
How It Gets There
I started investigating how all this information ended up online. The answer is: everywhere.
Public records are the foundation. When you register to vote, buy property, file court documents, get licensed, or interact with government agencies, records are created. Most of these are publicly accessible, often digitized and searchable online.
Data brokers scrape these records constantly, collecting everything available. They're not doing anything illegal, they're just systematically harvesting what's technically public information.
But they don't stop there. They also purchase data from retailers about your shopping habits, from websites about your browsing history, from apps about your usage patterns. They monitor social media, collect information from online profiles, track your public posts and interactions. Apps are constantly feeding behavioral data into these data broker networks.
Then they combine it all. That's where it gets invasive. Individual pieces of data might seem harmless, but when compiled together, they create a detailed profile of your life, habits, relationships, and vulnerabilities.
Who's Buying This Information?
The question that kept me up at night: who's paying for information about me?
Legitimate uses exist. Employers running background checks. Landlords screening tenants. People searching for lost relatives. Journalists researching public figures. Skip tracers looking for people who owe money.
But there are darker purposes too. Scammers use this information to target victims with personalized phishing attempts. They know where you live, who your relatives are, what you're likely concerned about. That makes their scams much more convincing.
Stalkers and abusers use people search sites to find victims who've moved to escape them. Domestic violence organizations constantly battle to remove survivors' information from these databases, but it's a losing fight. Data reappears as fast as it's removed.
Identity thieves use comprehensive profiles to answer security questions, impersonate victims, and open accounts. The more information available, the easier identity theft becomes.
And then there's just creeps. People searching for information about neighbors, coworkers, dates. Not illegal, but definitely unsettling.
The Real Danger
The biggest risk isn't any single piece of information. It's the combination and accessibility.
My address isn't secret, it's on mail I receive, packages I order, documents I sign. But having it publicly listed alongside my phone number, relatives' names, and past addresses creates a security vulnerability.
A scammer calling could say "Hi, I'm calling about the property at [my actual address], and we're trying to reach [relative's name]." That sounds legitimate because they have real information. I'm more likely to trust them.
Or consider this: a stalker finding someone's new address after they've moved. A burglar researching which properties to target. A fraudster building a complete identity theft package with information freely available online.
The problem isn't that the information exists. It's that it's been aggregated, organized, and made searchable to anyone in the world with a credit card.
How to Check What's Out There About You
After discovering all this, I needed to know the full extent. Here's how you can check what information is being sold about you:
Search major people search sites directly. Visit Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder, and others. Search for your name, phone number, and email addresses. See what comes up.
Google yourself thoroughly. Search your full name in quotes, your phone number, your email addresses, and combinations with your city. Look beyond the first page of results.
Check public records databases. Many counties have online property records, court records, and other databases. See what's publicly accessible about you.
Search your address. See what information is tied to where you live. You might be surprised what shows up.
Ask someone to run a background check on you. Some services offer this. It shows you what employers, landlords, or others might see when they search for you.
What you'll find is probably more extensive than you expect. It was for me.
The Removal Process
Once I knew what was out there, I wanted it gone. That's when I learned how tedious this process is.
Most data broker sites have opt-out processes, but they're deliberately inconvenient. You typically need to:
Find your specific listing on the site. Not always easy when there are multiple people with your name.
Submit an opt-out request, usually requiring you to verify your identity by providing the very information you're trying to remove.
Wait days or weeks for the request to be processed.
Repeat this process for dozens of sites. There are hundreds of data brokers and people search sites, each with their own removal process.
Then do it all again in a few months because your information reappears. These companies constantly update their databases from source records, so removals are temporary.
I spent hours on this. Literally hours. And I know it's not permanent. My information will be back.
There are paid services that automate this process, monitoring and removing your information continuously. They cost $100-300 per year. Whether that's worth it depends on how much you value privacy and how vulnerable you feel to the risks.
What I Learned
This experience fundamentally changed how I think about privacy. I used to think of privacy as something you maintain by being careful about what you share. But in reality, much of your information becomes public through normal life activities: registering to vote, buying property, existing in society.
The problem isn't that records exist. It's that technology has made it trivial to aggregate, search, and sell this information at scale. What was once public but practically obscure is now public and easily discoverable.
I can't make all my information disappear. But I can make it harder to find. I've removed my data from major people search sites. I'm more careful about what I post online. I use privacy-focused tools for sensitive communications.
And I'm more aware. When I get an unsolicited call or email that seems to know too much about me, I understand where that information came from. I'm not surprised anymore, just cautious.
What You Can Do
You don't need to accept that your personal information is a commodity for sale. You can push back, even if you can't completely opt out of the system.
Start by checking what's available. Search for yourself on major people search sites and Google. Know what strangers can find about you.
Remove your information where possible. Use the opt-out processes on major sites. It's tedious but worthwhile, especially for the most sensitive information.
Limit what you share publicly going forward. Be cautious about posting personal information on social media, using your real information for online accounts, or making records unnecessarily public. Properly delete sensitive files before disposing of devices.
Use tools that protect your privacy. Encrypted messaging for sensitive conversations. Password managers to secure your accounts. Privacy-focused browsers to limit tracking.
Consider paid removal services if you're at higher risk. People in sensitive professions, abuse survivors, public figures, or anyone with specific threats should consider services that continuously monitor and remove data.
Support privacy legislation. Data broker regulations are slowly improving, but they need public support. Advocate for laws that limit data collection, require consent, and protect consumers.
The Bottom Line
Your personal information is being collected, compiled, and sold without your consent. That's the reality of modern data brokerage.
You can't completely escape it. But you can reduce your exposure, remove the most sensitive information, and be more conscious about what you share going forward.
I check my data footprint every few months now. I opt out when I find new listings. I'm more careful about what becomes public record.
It's not paranoia. It's reasonable caution in a world where your personal information has become a commodity.
Check what's out there about you. You might be as surprised as I was. Then decide what you want to do about it.