How to Remove Your Information From Public Records

Public records are one of the primary sources that data brokers use to build profiles on you. While you can't erase every public record, there are effective strategies to limit your exposure, seal certain records, and reduce how much personal information is publicly accessible. Here's your complete guide.

What Counts as a Public Record?

Public records are documents and data created or maintained by government agencies that are generally available to the public. They include:

• Property records: Deeds, titles, mortgage documents, tax assessments
• Court records: Civil lawsuits, criminal cases, divorce proceedings, bankruptcy filings
• Voter registration: Your name, address, party affiliation, and voting history
• Business filings: LLC registrations, corporate officers, DBA filings
• Vehicle records: Registration, titles (varies by state)
• Marriage and divorce records: Licenses, certificates, decrees
• Birth and death records: Certificates and filings
• Professional licenses: Medical, legal, real estate, and other licensed professions

How to Limit Your Public Records Exposure

1. Voter Registration Records

Voter registration is one of the most commonly exploited public records. Here's how to limit your exposure:

• Check your state's rules: Some states (like California and Nevada) allow you to make your voter registration confidential
• Address Confidentiality Programs: Many states offer these for domestic violence survivors, law enforcement, judges, and other at-risk individuals
• Use a PO Box: Where allowed by your state, register with a PO Box instead of your home address
• Request exclusion from commercial lists: Some states let you opt out of having your voter data sold to commercial entities

2. Property and Real Estate Records

Property records are among the hardest to hide because they serve critical functions in real estate transactions and tax collection:

• Purchase through an LLC: Buying property through a Limited Liability Company keeps your personal name off the deed
• Use a land trust: A land trust holds the property title, keeping the beneficial owner's name private
• Homestead exemptions: Some states allow privacy protections as part of homestead filings
• Contact your county assessor: Ask about any privacy programs available for property records in your jurisdiction

3. Court Records

Court records require different approaches depending on the type of case:

• Expungement: If you have a criminal record that qualifies, filing for expungement can seal or destroy the record entirely
• Record sealing: Some jurisdictions allow sealing of civil and family court records
• Redaction requests: Ask the court clerk to redact sensitive information like Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or financial account numbers
• Petition the court: For cases involving domestic violence, stalking, or threats, you can petition to seal the entire case file

4. Marriage and Divorce Records

• Confidential marriage licenses: California and a few other states offer confidential marriage licenses that are not part of the public record
• Request sealed divorce records: If your divorce involves sensitive information (domestic violence, financial abuse), petition the court to seal the records
• Redact sensitive details: Request that Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and children's information be redacted from publicly accessible filings

5. Business and Professional Records

• Use a registered agent: Instead of listing your home address on business filings, use a registered agent service
• Commercial registered address: Use a business address instead of your home for LLC or corporate filings
• Limit professional license exposure: Where possible, use a business address rather than your home address on professional license applications

Removing Your Data From Data Brokers

Even after limiting public records at the source, your information likely already exists in data broker databases. The critical next step is to opt out of these brokers:

1. Identify where your data appears: Search for yourself on major people-search sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, WhitePages, and TruePeopleSearch
2. Submit opt-out requests: Each site has its own removal process — visit their opt-out pages and follow the instructions
3. Monitor for re-appearances: Data brokers regularly re-collect public records, so your information may reappear
4. Request search engine removal: Use Google's Remove Outdated Content tool to remove cached listings from search results

Let PrivacyOn Handle It Automatically

Manually tracking and removing your information from public records and data brokers is an ongoing battle. PrivacyOn automates this process by:

• Submitting opt-out requests to 100+ data broker sites that aggregate public records
• Providing 24/7 monitoring to catch when your data reappears
• Automatically re-submitting removal requests when brokers re-collect your information
• Offering dark web monitoring to alert you if your data appears in breach databases
• Covering your entire family with plans for up to 5 people

A Step-by-Step Action Plan

Here's a practical plan to minimize your public records exposure:

1. Audit your exposure: Search for yourself on Google and major people-search sites to see what's publicly available
2. Address the source: Contact relevant government agencies to limit, redact, or seal records where possible
3. Opt out of data brokers: Submit removal requests to every people-search site that has your information
4. Set up ongoing monitoring: Use a service like PrivacyOn to continuously monitor and remove your data
5. Prevent future exposure: Use LLCs, registered agents, PO Boxes, and other strategies for future transactions
6. Review annually: Laws change, new data brokers emerge, and old records may surface — make privacy an annual review item