How to Opt Out of US Search (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)
US Search is owned by Intelius and shares its data infrastructure. A separate opt-out is required for each. This guide covers the US Search removal process and how it fits into a complete data broker opt-out strategy.
US Search (ussearch.com) is one of the original US people-search platforms, operating since 1994. It is now owned by Intelius (itself part of a larger data services company), meaning it shares data infrastructure with one of the most established background check networks in the country. Despite being less well-known than BeenVerified or Spokeo among general consumers, US Search ranks well in Google and is widely used by people performing basic address or phone lookups.
What US Search Shows About You
US Search compiles profiles from the same public record sources as its parent company Intelius. A typical US Search profile includes:
- Full name and age
- Current and past addresses with move-in dates
- Phone numbers — mobile and landline
- Relatives and household members
- Email addresses
- Criminal records (accessible via paid report upgrade)
- Court records — judgments, bankruptcies
- Property records — ownership and assessed value
- Employment history (in paid reports)
US Search's free preview shows name, age, and general location. Full details require a paid report or subscription starting at approximately $19.86/month.
How to Opt Out of US Search: Step-by-Step
US Search provides an opt-out mechanism through its opt-out page, which is affiliated with Intelius's privacy infrastructure.
Step 1: Search for your profile on US Search
Go to ussearch.com and search for your name. Include your city or state to find the correct profile. Note the URL of your listing.
Step 2: Navigate to the opt-out page
Go to ussearch.com/opt-out or search for "US Search opt out" in your browser — the page URL has changed over time.
Step 3: Search for your record on the opt-out form
Enter your name and state in the opt-out search form to pull up matching records.
Step 4: Select and confirm your record
Identify the record that corresponds to you and select it for removal.
Step 5: Enter your email address
Provide an email address for verification. US Search sends a verification link.
Step 6: Confirm via email
Click the verification link in the email from US Search. Processing typically takes 24–72 hours.
Step 7: Verify removal
After 72 hours, search for your name on US Search to confirm the profile is no longer visible.
The Intelius/US Search Connection
Because US Search shares data infrastructure with Intelius, opting out of one does not automatically cover the other. You should submit opt-out requests to both US Search and Intelius separately:
- US Search opt-out: ussearch.com/opt-out
- Intelius opt-out: intelius.com/opt-out
The Intelius opt-out is particularly important because Intelius has significantly higher search engine visibility than US Search.
US Search vs. Similar Mid-Tier Aggregators
| Site | Monthly Traffic | Data Depth | Opt-Out Method | Parent Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Search | Medium | High | Email verification | Intelius |
| PeopleFinders | Medium | Very high | Email verification | Independent |
| CheckPeople | Low-Medium | Medium | Email form | Independent |
| PublicRecordsNow | Low | Medium | Email form | Independent |
| Addresses.com | Low | Address-focused | Email form | Various |
US Search, PeopleFinders, and CheckPeople are the three most important "second tier" people-search sites to address after the top-tier sites (Spokeo, BeenVerified, WhitePages, TruthFinder, Intelius).
Practical Priority Order for a Complete Opt-Out Campaign
When conducting a systematic data broker removal, prioritize sites by Google visibility and data depth:
Tier 1 (highest priority): WhitePages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, TruthFinder, Intelius
Tier 2 (important secondary): US Search, Radaris, PeopleFinders, FastPeopleSearch, MyLife
Tier 3 (comprehensive coverage): CheckPeople, PublicRecordsNow, ClustrMaps, Addresses.com, ArrestFacts, Neighbor.report, and others
Most people who do a self-directed opt-out campaign focus only on Tier 1 and miss the dozens of Tier 2 and Tier 3 sites that carry the same data. OfflistMe covers all 500+ tiers in a single session for $7.00 one-time. Start your removal here.
How US Search Uses Your Data
US Search generates revenue by selling profile reports to consumers and businesses. A single report costs approximately $9.95, or buyers can access unlimited reports through a subscription starting at roughly $19.86/month. The company does not publicly disclose how many reports have been sold for any given individual, meaning you have no way of knowing how many third parties have already purchased a copy of your profile.
This is the most important limitation of any data broker opt-out: once your data is sold in a report, that third-party buyer retains their copy permanently. Opting out of US Search removes your public listing and prevents future report sales, but it does not recall data already distributed. This is why timing matters — the sooner you submit your opt-out, the fewer reports are sold before your profile disappears.
What Happens After You Opt Out
After clicking the email verification link, US Search typically processes the removal within 24–72 hours.
What gets removed:
- Your public profile page disappears from US Search's search results
- Search engines like Google are signaled to de-index the page (though Google's cache may persist for a few weeks while it re-crawls)
What does not change immediately:
- Other people's profiles that list you as a "relative" or "associate" may take several additional days to update, as these linkages are processed separately from your primary profile
- Profiles of family members who share your previous addresses may still reference shared location history until their own data is refreshed
Re-population timeline: US Search re-ingests from updated public records sources on a rolling basis. New or updated records — a new address from a USPS change-of-address filing, a new court document, updated voter registration — can cause a fresh profile to appear within 60–180 days of removal. Conducting an annual re-check is the minimum recommended cadence for ongoing privacy maintenance.
US Search vs. Intelius: Why You Need Both Opt-Outs
US Search and Intelius share data infrastructure — they draw from the same underlying public records systems — but they are separate websites with entirely separate opt-out processing systems. A US Search opt-out does not propagate to Intelius, and vice versa.
Why Intelius matters more for Google visibility: Intelius has significantly higher search engine traffic than US Search. A person Googling your name is more likely to encounter an Intelius result than a US Search result. Both need to be addressed, but if you can only do one, Intelius is higher priority.
The broader Intelius family: Several other sites share the same data infrastructure and each require their own separate opt-out requests.
| Site | Parent | Separate Opt-Out Needed |
|---|---|---|
| US Search | Intelius | Yes |
| Intelius | iSearch Inc | Yes |
| PeopleSmart | Intelius family | Yes |
| IDTrue | Intelius family | Yes |
Submitting a removal to any one of these sites does not satisfy the others. If you have submitted a US Search opt-out, verify that you have also submitted to each site in the table above before considering the Intelius family fully covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is US Search the same as USSearch.com and WhitePages?
No. US Search (ussearch.com) is owned by Intelius and is a separate company from WhitePages (whitepages.com). They are competitors with overlapping data, not the same entity. Both require separate opt-outs.
Does opting out of US Search also opt me out of Intelius?
No. Despite shared ownership, US Search and Intelius maintain separate opt-out systems. Submitting a request to US Search's opt-out page does not process an Intelius removal. Submit both separately.
How long does US Search's opt-out take?
US Search states 24–72 hours after email verification. In practice, removal often occurs within 24 hours during business days.
Does US Search have a CCPA opt-out for non-California residents?
US Search extends CCPA-style removal rights to all US residents, not just California. The opt-out page is available to any US resident regardless of state.
My US Search profile shows my relatives' names. Does my opt-out remove me from their profiles?
Yes. When your profile is removed from US Search, your name should also be removed from the "relatives" section of profiles for family members listed on your record. However, this propagation is not always immediate — it can take a few days for the relative linkages to update.
Can I use Google to verify my profile was removed from US Search?
Yes. Search for site:ussearch.com "your name]"** in Google to check whether Google's index still shows any US Search results for your name. After a successful opt-out, this check may continue to return stale results for up to a few weeks while Google re-crawls and de-indexes the removed page — Google does not instantly remove pages just because they return a 404 or have been taken down. To speed up Google de-indexing, find the exact URL of your old US Search profile and submit it to Google's Remove Outdated Content tool ([removecontent.google.com). This signals Google to prioritize re-crawling that URL and removing it from search results.
Related Guides
Understand your privacy rights
Every removal request cites a specific statute. These plain-English explainers show what each law covers and how enforcement actually works.
Related Data Broker Removal Guides
Take back your privacy today
Remove your personal information from data brokers and platforms in seconds.
Remove Your Personal Data NowFrom $7.00 one-time · 500+ data brokers · No subscription