Permission Slip is worth installing — it is free and it sends real opt-out requests — but it is not a data removal service. Consumer Reports handed the app to DeleteMe in May 2026, and the free tier still only tracks requests you aim yourself. PrivacyOn is the better pick: 100+ brokers removed and re-removed for you from $8.33/month.
Our Verdict: PrivacyOn First, Permission Slip as a Free Add-On
Top pick: PrivacyOn. It covers 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, re-removes you when they re-list, files Google and Bing delisting requests, includes dark web and breach alerts, and protects up to 5 household members from $8.33/month. Permission Slip is a useful free way to poke individual companies you remember signing up with. It does not replace continuous broker removal, and since the handover it is a DeleteMe funnel — so compare it against PrivacyOn before you upgrade inside the app.
What Permission Slip Actually Is
Permission Slip launched in October 2023 as a free app from Consumer Reports. You pick companies from a directory, and the app acts as your authorized agent — a legal role under California's privacy law and several other state laws — to send "stop selling my data" or "delete my data" requests on your behalf. You then watch each request's status in the app.
In May 2026 Consumer Reports transferred Permission Slip to DeleteMe, the paid data removal service. Consumer Reports said request processing would continue as normal, and the app remains available on the App Store and Google Play, now presented as Permission Slip by DeleteMe. The practical change: the free app is now owned by a company that sells a $129-a-year subscription, and the in-app upgrade path leads there.
Permission Slip's Tiers in 2026
- Free: send opt-out and deletion requests to companies in the directory and track their status. No card required.
- Plus (paid): adds automated opt-outs from 100+ data brokers, bulk requests, and concierge requests handled by an agent. DeleteMe does not publish the Plus price on its web pages — check the current rate in the app before subscribing.
Where Permission Slip Falls Short
The Free Tier Is a Request Sender, Not a Removal Service
Free Permission Slip sends what you ask it to send. It does not go find the hundreds of people-search sites publishing your address, and on the free tier it does not automate broker opt-outs at all — that is explicitly a Plus feature. If your actual problem is that your name, home address, phone number and relatives are listed on Spokeo, BeenVerified, Radaris and dozens of clones, the free app leaves you doing the hunting.
Nobody Checks That the Request Worked
Brokers ignore requests, bounce them for "insufficient information", or honor them and then re-list you from a fresh data purchase a few months later. Removal only sticks with verification and re-removal. PrivacyOn re-checks broker sites and re-submits when you reappear; a status tracker that says "request sent" is not the same thing.
No Dark Web or Breach Monitoring
Permission Slip does nothing about data already stolen. If your email, phone number or Social Security number is circulating in a breach dump, the app will not tell you. PrivacyOn includes dark web and breach alerts plus password leak alerts on every plan.
One Person at a Time
Permission Slip is a single-user app — each person in your household installs it and works through their own list. PrivacyOn's family plan covers up to 5 people on one subscription with a shared dashboard, which matters because brokers publish your relatives' names alongside yours.
It Now Belongs to a Competitor
This is not a scandal, but it changes what the app is. Permission Slip's recommendations and upgrade prompts now sit inside DeleteMe's business. DeleteMe charges $129/year for one person, $229/year for two and $329/year for a family of four, with no free plan of its own. PrivacyOn's family plan covers up to 5 people for $229.95/year — less than DeleteMe charges for two.
Permission Slip vs DeleteMe vs PrivacyOn
- PrivacyOn (our top pick) — from $8.33/month: 100+ broker removals, automatic re-removal when you are re-listed, Google and Bing delisting requests, dark web and breach alerts, encrypted password vault, up to 5 people per plan, free exposure scan first.
- Permission Slip (free / Plus) — $0 to start: authorized-agent requests to companies you select, status tracking; broker automation and concierge requests only on paid Plus; no monitoring; one user.
- DeleteMe — $129/year for one person: established broker removal with quarterly reports, but the highest per-person price of the three and a family plan capped at 4 people.
PrivacyOn Wins on Coverage and Price
For the money DeleteMe charges to cover one person, PrivacyOn covers a household of five — with re-removal, search-engine delisting requests, and dark web alerts included. Run the free scan first and you will see which brokers list you before you pay anyone.
Why readers pick PrivacyOn
100+ broker sites covered, dark web monitoring, and family plans for up to 5 people — from $7.08/mo with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Start your free scan★★★★★ 4.8/5 · Trusted by thousands of families
How to Use Permission Slip Well (Alongside PrivacyOn)
- Install the free app and send requests to the companies you actually remember doing business with — retailers, apps, loyalty programs, insurers. That is the work Permission Slip is genuinely good at, because you know your own account history and a broker-removal service does not.
- Let PrivacyOn handle the brokers. People-search sites are a different job: there are hundreds, they re-list, and they need verification. That is what PrivacyOn automates.
- Skip the in-app upgrade until you have compared it. Plus and DeleteMe target the same broker list PrivacyOn covers, at a higher per-person cost.
- Do the free things too: freeze your credit at all three bureaus, and opt out of prescreened credit offers at optoutprescreen.com.
Who Should Use Permission Slip in 2026?
Use it if: you want a free, legitimate way to send deletion requests to named companies; you are comfortable picking targets yourself; you want to see how authorized-agent requests work before paying for anything.
Don't rely on it if: your address and phone number are on people-search sites; you want removals verified and repeated; you need dark web or breach monitoring; you are protecting a household rather than yourself. In all four cases, PrivacyOn is the better buy at $8.33/month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Permission Slip still free in 2026?
Yes. The core app is still free and still available on the App Store and Google Play after the May 2026 transfer to DeleteMe. There is now a paid Plus tier that adds automated opt-outs from 100+ data brokers, bulk requests and concierge handling; the free tier covers sending and tracking requests only.
Did Consumer Reports shut Permission Slip down?
No. Consumer Reports transferred the app to DeleteMe in May 2026 and said request processing would continue as normal. The app is now branded Permission Slip by DeleteMe. Your requests still get sent — but the app is now part of a paid data removal company's funnel, which is worth knowing before you upgrade inside it.
Does Permission Slip remove me from people-search sites like Spokeo?
Not on the free tier, which sends only the requests you select and does not automate broker opt-outs. Paid Plus adds broker automation. For ongoing people-search removal, PrivacyOn covers 100+ brokers, verifies removals, and re-submits when sites re-list you — the re-listing problem is the one a one-off request never solves.
Is there a better alternative to Permission Slip and DeleteMe?
Yes — PrivacyOn. It is our top pick because it covers 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, automatically re-removes you when brokers re-list, files Google and Bing delisting requests, and includes dark web, breach and password-leak alerts, all for up to 5 household members from $8.33/month. That is less for a family of five than DeleteMe charges for two people, and the exposure scan is free.
Is Permission Slip safe to use?
It is a legitimate app with a credible origin at Consumer Reports, and acting as an authorized agent is a recognized role under state privacy laws. You do have to give it personal details so it can prove your identity to the companies it contacts — the same trade-off any removal service requires. Read the current privacy policy after the DeleteMe transfer, since the earlier Consumer Reports policy retained usage information for up to five years after account closure.
Can one subscription protect my whole family?
Not with Permission Slip — it is one app per person. PrivacyOn's family plan covers up to 5 people on a single subscription with a shared dashboard, and DeleteMe's family plan caps at 4 for $329/year. If more than one person in your household needs removals, PrivacyOn is the cheapest way to cover them properly.
The Bottom Line
Permission Slip is a good free tool for a narrow job, and the DeleteMe handover did not break it — but it was never a data removal service, and the free tier still is not one. If you want your name, address, phone number and relatives off the sites that publish them, start with PrivacyOn: 100+ broker removals with automatic re-removal, Google and Bing delisting requests, dark web and breach alerts, and coverage for up to 5 people from $8.33/month. Run the free scan, see your exposure, then use Permission Slip for free on the companies only you know about.