How to remove your personal info from AnyWho

Quick Answer: AnyWho is a reverse phone lookup directory operated by Spokeo. To opt out of AnyWho.com, find your listing URL in an incognito window, submit it to Spokeo's online opt-out form, and confirm via email. The process is free, requires no ID upload or account registration, and takes 7–10 days. Opting out of Spokeo and ThatsThem is also required to fully remove your data from their network.

What the registry can and cannot show: Spokeo's public California registry filing can establish the operator relationship, but it does not establish a universal removal rate or guarantee how quickly an individual AnyWho listing will disappear. Treat the 7–10 day window below as a stated or observed processing estimate, not a measured compliance rate.

"Directories like AnyWho often escape direct scrutiny because they look like legacy landline databases. In reality, they are powered by modern compilers like Spokeo. Consolidating your opt-out request across the entire parent network is the only way to make sure the record stays deleted."
— Rahul Kandoriya, Privacy Researcher and Founder of OfflistMe

What is AnyWho?

AnyWho.com is a reverse phone lookup and people-search directory operated by Spokeo, Inc. (Pasadena, California). Spokeo's California data-broker registry filing lists AnyWho.com as a formally affiliated property alongside Spokeo.com, ThatsThem.com, Family.me, PeopleWin.com, and FreePeopleDirectory.com, all under the same legal entity. A typical AnyWho listing shows your full name, current and past addresses, phone number, age, and known relatives.

AnyWho is one of the oldest reverse-phone directories on the internet, originally launched as part of AT&T's directory business before being acquired and integrated into Spokeo's portfolio. Because of its age and AT&T heritage, AnyWho often holds landline records that newer people-search sites have not indexed, which is why some people find listings on AnyWho that do not appear on other sites.

What data does AnyWho publish about you?

Step-by-step: How to remove yourself from AnyWho

1. Step 1: Find your listing in an incognito window. Go to anywho.com and search your name and city. Use an incognito or private browser window so you see the same results a stranger would see. Copy the full URL of each listing that appears, you may have more than one if you have lived in multiple cities.
2. Step 2: Navigate to the AnyWho opt-out page. AnyWho's opt-out form is operated by Spokeo (the parent company). Paste your listing URL into the form. You will need to enter your email address for verification, no phone number or ID upload is required.
3. Step 3: Click the verification link in your email. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for a confirmation email. Click the link to finalize the removal request. Without completing this step, AnyWho will not process the removal.
4. Step 4: Opt out of Spokeo's sister sites. Because AnyWho, ThatsThem, PeopleWin, and FreePeopleDirectory all share a back-end database with Spokeo, removing your record from AnyWho alone does not remove it from those other properties. Also submit opt-out requests to Spokeo and ThatsThem (each requires a separate submission) to clear your data from the entire Spokeo-operated network.

   Tip: An opt-out request sent to Spokeo, Inc. citing all affiliated domains in a single CCPA letter is the most thorough approach. OfflistMe generates this multi-site request instantly.

5. Step 5: Request Google de-index. After AnyWho confirms removal (typically 7–10 days), your listing page will return a 404. Go to Google's "Remove Outdated Content" tool and submit the former AnyWho URL. Google will de-index it within 1–2 days of confirming the 404. Without this step, cached results can persist in Google for weeks.

Removal timeline

What to do if AnyWho removal fails

If your listing is still live after 10 days, send a formal CCPA § 1798.105 deletion request directly to Spokeo, Inc.'s privacy team at privacy@spokeo.com. Reference "AnyWho.com" and all affiliated Spokeo properties by name. Spokeo is registered as a California data broker and must respond within 45 days. If they do not, unresolved complaints can be filed with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) at cppa.ca.gov or the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

For non-California residents: cite your state's applicable consumer privacy law, Virginia (VCDPA § 59.1-578), Texas (TDPSA § 541.051), Colorado (CPA § 6-1-1306), or the general right-to-deletion framework under your state's consumer protection statute.

Why your phone number appears on AnyWho even if it is unlisted

An "unlisted" designation with your carrier only prevents new carrier white-page submissions. It does not retroactively delete historical records that AnyWho imported from AT&T directory databases, property deed filings, voter registration rolls, or commercial data-sharing partners. The only way to clear those historical records is a direct opt-out request.