Family Privacy Guide: Protect Kids & Relatives

How data brokers link family members together

People-search sites do not just publish individual records, they actively link household members, creating "family networks" that reveal connections between people. When someone searches your name on Spokeo or Radaris, they see your relatives listed alongside your address. This means protecting only your own record is insufficient: a stalker can find your address by starting from a family member's profile. Data brokers build these associations from property deed co-ownership, shared voter registration addresses, combined telephone accounts, and court records that name family members.

Children's data: special risks and protections

Under COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), data brokers are legally prohibited from collecting personal information on children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. However, enforcement is inconsistent, many people-search sites include minors in household listings derived from public records. Under COPPA, you can demand deletion of any data related to your minor child by submitting a formal COPPA deletion request to any broker that lists them. Unlike CCPA, COPPA has no age floor on who can submit a deletion request on behalf of a child.

Step-by-step: How to protect your family's privacy

1. Step 1: Audit all family members' exposure. Search each family member's name on the top five people-search sites (Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, Radaris, FastPeopleSearch) in incognito mode. Note which sites show their names and what data appears, especially address and phone associations.
2. Step 2: Remove your own record first. Your record is the anchor, it is most likely to surface first in search results and to link to family members. Start with the OfflistMe removal process for your own name across all 300+ brokers.
3. Step 3: Submit family member opt-outs. For any family member who has consented, submit separate opt-out requests for their profiles. Most data brokers allow opt-outs on behalf of family members. For minors, cite COPPA alongside CCPA in your request.

   💡 Tip: When opting out a family member, include a statement that you are acting as their authorized agent (for adults) or parent/guardian (for minors). CCPA explicitly allows authorized agents to submit deletion requests on behalf of consumers.

4. Step 4: Break the "household" association. Submit opt-out requests for the household-level profile, not just individual name profiles. Some brokers (Intelius, Spokeo) maintain separate "household" records that link all occupants of an address. Search your address (rather than your name) on these sites to find household records.
5. Step 5: Protect upstream sources. Contact your state's voter registration office to request redaction of your address from public voter rolls (available in several states). Request that USPS suppress your address from the National Change of Address (NCOA) database (available for domestic violence survivors and other at-risk individuals). These upstream fixes slow future re-listing.

Family privacy protection: priority order