USPhonebook.com: How to Opt-Out (2020 Guide)
USPhonebook.com is just one of many data broker sites posting your private info online. Check out our Protect Private Info feature – it removes your info from USPhonebook.com and 50+ websites just like it.
Whether you’re building an online presence to help shape your professional life, or you’re in the mood to minimize your online persona, online data brokers are going to be a (major) part of the process. Nowadays, personal information is a profitable business. Because of this, tons of online directories like Usphonebook aggregate data, repackage it and share or sell it. While that may not be ideal, you have the power to take control of who can see your information by performing removal requests.
Your personal information is likely listed in a number of directories, that’s why we’ll introduce you to general removal strategies throughout this article in addition to specific tactics for the Us phonebook website.
We’ve chosen to focus on opting out of personal listings on usphonebook.com because of its popularity as a directory. In this article, we will look at what exactly Us phonebook is, how they get a hold of your personal information, and how to perform an Usphonebook opt out. For more information, you can always consult the usphonebook.com website, but we have studied their site extensively and incorporated that into this article.
What is Usphonebook and why does it have my info?
Usphonebook.com is a website that contains a personal directory with information from billions of records related to people residing in the US. The personal information found in this database includes names, landline numbers, cell phone numbers, business phone numbers, residential numbers, carriers associated with phone numbers, relatives of the person associated with a number, age and location of the phone number owner and more.
Users can access these listings by typing the 10 digit phone number they want to learn more about into the search bar at the top of the homepage.
According to the website, Usphonebook.com’s reverse lookup feature is helpful to users because it lets users find out, “…who’s behind that phone number that’s calling you”. They also emphasize that their technology gives users the flexibility to access billions of both new and historical records in order to “track down” the current owner of a phone number. The site also states that their service is great for learning more about US area codes.
Usphonebook also claims that their reverse phone lookup services are particularly helpful for people trying to catch a cheater, find out information about telemarketers and robo callers, monitor their children, learn more about potential dates and romantic partners and more.
While these are perhaps a few ways that people can use the information found on Us phonebook, some people may also use Us phonebook for sales and marketing purposes, or other negative reasons like stalking or identity theft.
Technically these uses go against Usphonebook’s Terms of Use policy, as people who use the service are agreeing to access information for lawful personal use. However, Usphonebook’s policy does not suggest that this company takes on the responsibility of holding users to this or doling out punishment.
How did Usphonebook get my information in the first place?
Even though it may be unsettling that Us phonebook shares so much personal information on so many people, they claim that they obtain all of the information through means that are publicly available. While this may be true, there are a number of records that are publicly available that contain more information than you may even realize. Even though many public records are technically available to anyone, they are not published online. This reduces the accessibility of personal information… until data brokers start requesting information to publish online.
Publicly accessible records may include court documents like birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce records, property deeds, business records, aliases and more. And while they are all publicly accessible, there is some degree of privacy when they can only be accessed in-person through requesting paper copies.
Data brokers however bridge the gap between the paper copy and the online version. Because of this, sites like Usphonebook.com tend to make more people vulnerable to an increase in spam, telemarketing and even identity theft, fraud or stalking. Even if that’s not the intention, this can be an unfortunate side-effect of publishing publicly accessible records online, and the reason why so many people go for the Usphonebook opt out method.
Usphonebook.com also obtains some of their information from peoplefinders.com and other similar databases.
How can I remove info from Usphonebook?
When it comes to information removal from sites like Usphonebook.com, the sites typically list a specific set of steps to successfully remove your listing. That can range from calling a customer service agent, to filling out a removal request form online, to emailing a customer service representative to mailing in a paper request by snail mail, or any other methods listed on the specific site. Whether you’re opting out of Usphonebook.com or another directory that’s similar to it, there is a very real possibility that your personal information will resurface on that same site in a listing at a later date. This is because these sites are constantly updating their information for accuracy and completeness. Try to think of removal requests as an ongoing process as opposed to a single isolated event. Regular maintenance and monitoring will always be attached to that initial filing.
Again, sites like Usphonebook.com regularly refresh the information attached to personal listings by using other publicly accessible sources. That means that if any of your personal information remains findable on other sites, then it may automatically get reincorporated into this directory again.
Because of this, it’s not only important that you file the initial removal request from a personal directory, but that you continue to monitor it over time and re-submit these requests as needed.
While it is possible to do this manually, it’s more efficient and effective to use reliable, automated software to do this regularly on your behalf.
Furthermore, some sites like Usphonebook.com may not always be that responsive to your initial request. You may have to factor in additional time to follow up and make sure that your opt out request gets completed after you submit that request.
But before we jump ahead to a whole bunch of what ifs – start by following the removal request directions on the website itself.
How to delete my name and number from usphonebook – The Usphonebook Opt Out Process
So by now you are likely wondering, “ How can I remove info from usphonebook ?” In order to successfully remove your personal information from Usphonebook.com, it’s important that you start by following the directions that the company itself lists on its own webpages. You can currently navigate to this page by clicking this link, or scrolling to the bottom of usphonebook.com (the homepage) and selecting, “Do Not Sell My Personal Information”. This should direct you to the “Opt Out” page.
Once you’ve landed on the Opt Out page, start the request by entering the 10 digit phone number attached to your listing. You also have the option of searching for your listing by typing your full name, city and state into the appropriate search field.
Once you have entered this information and clicked the “search” icon, you should see your personal information listed on the results page. Click the, “This Is Me” button at the bottom of the correct listing. This will take you to a page that says, “Set Your Privacy Preferences”. Make sure to select the, “Remove My Record” button once you have confirmed that this is in fact your information.
The next page should say, “Confirm” and “Opt Out” as headers. Scroll down, read the terms and check the appropriate boxes to update your new privacy settings. Also make sure to select the box “I’m not a robot”. Click the, “Confirm Request” button. This should take you to a page that confirms that your request went through.
It should take approximately 24 hours for the request to take effect on the Usphonebook.com website. You can manually check back in a day by revisiting the homepage and doing a reverse phone search lookup, or search by your name.
If your listing has not in fact been removed, you can contact the website at [email protected].
Once your name is removed, remember that there is a chance that it will reappear on the site at a later date. That’s why it’s so important to look at personal information removal as a continuous process.
Whether you are updating your personal brand, trying to regain some privacy, or desperate to put an end to an impossible parade of telemarketers on your phone’s activity log – removing your name from databases like Usphonebook.com is a great place to start. In addition to using the information listed in this article, you can also use online software and resources like BrandYourself’s Protect Private Info feature. This key resource finds and removes personal information like your home address, phone number, age, and more from over 50 popular data broker sites currently exposing you online. The feature also provides ongoing monitoring and removal services.
No matter which method you choose to protect your privacy online, the important thing is to be consistent in monitoring the results, and follow up with the specific directory if your information is not removed within the time frame that they identify. And while the ongoing nature of monitoring these sites in order to protect yourself may be frustrating at times, the peace of mind is definitely worth it.