Remove Your Information from Online Directories and Web Sites

Is your address, phone number and family info available for anybody to see?

Here's how to remove yourself from these websites.

Most of these websites don't require any information anymore, other than the listing and an email address. The more difficult ones are notated below as well.

For those who are really wanting to speed the process along, Google has a great tool to remove old links from their search engine.

These links are mostly for US citizens (as far as I know).

Intelius - https://www.intelius.com/optout

Acxiom - https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx

Mylife - Tricky. Must find your listing and then email [privacy@mylife.com](mailto:privacy@mylife.com). Request your opt out. They emailed back with a bullshit excuse why they won't. However, this was inconsistent. I opted both myself and my husband out on 2 different email addresses. They removed my husband no questions asked but refused to remove me. I sent the request again, so as of now, this is pending.

UPDATE: After 3 emails and a phone call, my listing has finally been removed. The phone number is 1-888-704-1900.

Zabasearch - https://www.zabasearch.com/block_records/

Requires faxed documentation according to their website. However, I have removed myself from almost every single website, and as a result, do not show up with Zabasearch.com without needing to opt out.

Spokeo - https://www.spokeo.com/optout

Beenverified - https://www.beenverified.com/f/optout/search

Peekyou - https://www.peekyou.com/about/contact/optout/

USSearch - They use Intelius. https://www.intelius.com/optout

Peoplefinders - https://www.peoplefinders.com/manage

Peoplelookup - Big fucking pain in the ass. https://www.peoplelookup.com/privacy-policy#updating-or-removing-your-information

Peoplesmart - https://www.peoplesmart.com/optout-policy

PrivateEye - https://www.privateeye.com/static/view/optout/

Whitepages - Tricky and annoying. https://www.whitepages.com/data-policy #8 tells you what to do.

USA People Search - https://www.usa-people-search.com/manage/ Didn't end up needing to purge myself here, as I had already hit the big boys.

Public Records Now - https://www.publicrecordsnow.com/static/view/optout/

DOBSearch - https://www.dobsearch.com/people-finder/pf_manage_help.php

Radaris - https://radaris.com/page/how-to-remove

Concise Guide to Self Improvement

If you are reading the op's post and wondering how you can get the same results and why it is such a struggle, you have to realize that these changes are the result of literally re-wiring your brain. Your neurons/connections are wired throughout life based on your environment, experience and habits. Over time you develop triggers and coping mechanisms that may or may not be helpful. You have a powerful subconscious mind that steers and directs you into patterns of thinking and judgment. With a lot of effort and work you can change the wiring as op has done. The easiest way to kick start changing is to focus on healthy habits. It may seem dumb to you in the moment but even just committing to something like regular meditation can kick start massive changes. Things that focus on the inner you like meditation and journaling can help reveal false self-doubts and other issues and lead you to a path of recovery. You have to identify on what is holding you back and then "program" your brain to not think this way through repetition. 

Meditation/yoga/journaling/therapy/CBT/becoming a monk all target this and over time create positive lasting change. Though the key is: over time. It takes time and is not instant so don't give up too soon. The severity differ from person to person so reading the results of one person does not mean you will see the same thing, it is very individualistic.

The other side to this is how your genes/endocannbinoid system/chemicals/enzymes/receptors are functioning. If you have a genetic mutation of certain kinds it will be near impossible to treat the resulting chemical imbalance by force of mind alone. This is why medication should not be ruled out. If you are deficient/surplus in certain chemicals and get this treated medically you will have a much higher quality of life.

The problem with mental health is that practitioners just pound the heck out of whatever their background is. Therapists are all about therapy, self changers think anyone can do it, it worked for them, doctors like the medications and yoga retreatists think yoga is the cure to all.

So this means that you need to figure it out for yourself unfortunately. The only way to go about it is to try lots of stuff and track what is happening. Try stuff and keep a journal, even if it is just setting time aside each day to just sit and think about you and if you are feeling better or worse and what side effects might be there as well.

Start with this reflection and exercise, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, journaling and work your way up to therapists/psychiatrists/doctors/medication. If you find a solution without medication great, but if not you will have developed a lot of insight into your self to better understand what is going on with you if you get medicated. Of course if you have suicidal or other strong thoughts go straight to a medical professional for evaluation/treatment.

Figuring this out is not something simple and takes effort and time. The key is consistency to effecting change each day. This is why tracking results/feelings and journaling is important. Don't beat yourself up if you miss a day or a week or even a month, just be able to look back on the year and see on your calendar that you gave effort all year long. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Consistent effort and learning is the key to long lasting change, the path may not end up where you expect but if you keep searching and trying you will find it.

Some people find their drug to be exercise, others meditation, others writing and others yet find an actual drug. You need to find what works for you and has the least amount of side effects possible.

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Avoiding Censorship, Big Brother, and Keeping Your Privacy In General

Privacy through browser extensions (Chrome, Chromium derivatives)

There are a few things you can do in your browser to help with privacy, mainly from spying corporations. I only use Chrome (yes, I know, ironic, but I like the UI!), but most, if not all, of these extensions will have Firefox variations.

Reminder: Chrome extensions work in Vivaldi, Opera, and other Chromium-based browsers too.

• uBlock Origin - Currently the best adblocker. Fully open source. Seriously, use this over Adblock or Adblock Plus. Adblock Plus sold out to advertisers years ago.
• HTTPS Everywhere - This should be self-explanatory. It forces HTTPS where it's supported. Also it can protect against the dumbest types of censorship.
• Privacy Badger - This handy extension goes along well with uBlock Origin, as it also blocks trackers. Lots of em.
• uMatrix - Matrix-based firewall for your browser. For advanced users only.

Privacy through browser extensions (Firefox -- recommended!)

• uBlock Origin
• HTTPS Everywhere
• Privacy Badger
• uMatrix
• Decentraleyes - Local CDN emulation, to avoid large CDNs.
• Facebook Container - As suggested, this keeps all Facebook stuff in it's own Firefox container.
• Google Container - The above, but for Google.

Privacy through websites

I WILL NOT ADD DUCKDUCKGO. IT IS US BASED, AND HAS NO WARRANT CANARY!

• Searx - An open source metasearch engine, aggregating the results of other search engines while not storing information about its users.
• Startpage - Google search results, without the tracking. Or ads. Also, they promise to keep your privacy. They are a Dutch company, and they have a no-logging policy. Plus, they have an option to allow your search to avoid U.S servers entirely!
• Panopticlick - A neat little tool by the EFF that allows you to see how unique your browser's fingerprint is. Aim for minimal uniqueness.
• PGP Suite - Client-side PGP implementation

Privacy through software

Self-explanatory here. Software that helps you keep privacy.

• Tor Browser - Ah yes, the good ol' Tor Browser. The best way to hide from prying eyes. Works on Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux. Basically it encrypts your packets and bounces them through like 10 other servers, and only the enterance (1st) node knows who you are, and only the last one knows the data.
• Bitwarden - A fully open source password manager. 100% self hostable, no need for Dropbox/Google Drive/OneDrive. Good for keeping all your passwords unique 20-character gibberish.
• CCleaner - Before commenters cry "WHY CCLEANER?", i'll go ahead and give you the reason: it's an easy way to clean up every last cookie, cached image, saved password, and session info from your web browser. If you want something more open source, go with Bleachbit.
• Malwarebytes - Nothing takes away your privacy faster than a nasty RAT or keylogger. MBAM is a good anti-malware solution that doesn't conflict with other anti-viruses... Also I like to read their blog because i'm a huge nerd.
• Unchecky - This simple little program tries to auto-uncheck dumb offers in program installers. That's it.Apparently this tracks your data. Still good for young children or old people, though.
• GPG - Win, Mac, Linux - An open source implementation of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). This is usually used for encrypting messages/files and/or signing them to verify integrity. No, it's not insecure, EFAIL was a vulnerability with email clients leaking decrypted info, not with the encryption itself!
• VeraCrypt - The now actively maintained successor to TrueCrypt. Full drive encryption. Support for plausible deniability and hidden volumes/OSes. Has a warrant canary.
• SimpleEncryption - Simple AES-256 encryption program.

Private Communication

• Matrix - Decentralized, open source communication network. Has end-to-end encryption. You can even host your own homeserver (be aware it's a pain in the toe to do so, just use matrix.org or disroot.org right now!)
• Signal - You probably know what this is. End-to-end encrypted chat. Text and voice. Disappearing messages. Got an A+ on it's security audit.
• Protonmail - Encrypted email. Based in Switzerland due to their strict pro-privacy laws. Supports both normal and encrypted emails.

Other guides

• EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense
• privacytools.io
• HowTo: Privacy & Security Conscious Browsing

(Windows-only, if you're stuck with windows) Privacy through settings

• Use Win10-Initial-Setup-Script to disable Telemetry and stuff.
• DON'T USE A MICROSOFT ACCOUNT.
• Yes, I know you all hate it, but those updates are forced for a reason (said reason being people being too stupid/impatient to update and then getting hit by a worm)
• DID I MENTION NOT TO USE A MICROSOFT ACCOUNT
• Disable SMBv1. Just do it. Even if you're fully patched. DISABLE. SMBv1.
• Windows Defender is a surprisingly good antivirus. If you're super concerned, you can disable automatic sample submission (or the whole thing) in Virus & Threat Protection > Virus & threat protection settings
• Turn off ALL the location services if you haven't already.

Good VPNs

Avoid any US or UK based VPNs!
Trustworthy VPN providers include AirVPN, Mullvad, NordVPN, ProtonVPN and probably some more.

DNS Security

Don't forget about DNS! You're probably using Google's DNS (8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4) or your ISP's default right now. Don't. Instead, use a privacy-focused DNS or an encrypted one.

DNS-over-TLS

Stubby (Windows)
1.1.1.1
Quad9

DNSCrypt

dnscrypt-proxy
SimpleDNSCrypt (Windows)

Privacy focused, but not encrypted

1.1.1.1
DNS.WATCH

Avoiding being hacked.

If you're a high-value target, cough like a journalist or protestor, cough Big Brother may resort to slightly more illegal (for you, not for them) methods to get your data. While there is no shield against every single hack (except for perhaps being disconnected from any sort of network, in a soundproof, airgapped room), it is possible to reduce your risk of being hacked

• Update your software! Seriously, don't ignore the update prompt, JUST UPDATE IT! It might save you from a new exploit!
• Disable UPnP on your router. Basically, UPnP makes it easy for backdoors to open ports. I have it disabled, and have zero problems with programs.
• Reboot your router weekly. Most router malware (whether it be state-sponsored or made by a grumpy college kid) can't survive a reboot, due to it being stored in RAM, not in storage.
• Disable TKIP encryption on your router. Even if you use WPA2, TKIP can be cracked easily. Use WPA2 and AES encryption. You never know if that van on the road is actually some FBI agents, or the resident nerd running Kali Linux on a Raspberry Pi, ready to make your printer print out "UPDATE YOUR SHIT, DUMBFUCK"
• Disable WPS. The WPS pin can easily be brute forced.
• Gonna shill out Malwarebytes again, because their Anti-Malware suite has an anti-exploit built in.
• If you use Microsoft Office, DISABLE MACROS!
• Use the "Restricted" PowerShell policy. If you absolutely need to run a .ps1 file, do powershell.exe -executionpolicy unrestricted -command .\test.ps1.

Ditching Windows for Linux

• Don't use Ubuntu. It's gone down the drain the last few years, plus they want to collect data now. If you want something similar, use Debian 9 instead.
• If there's some Windows-exclusive games keeping you back, try out Lutris It's an open source wrapper for easily loading Windows-only games in Wine.

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