How to remove your personal info from Smartlead.ai

What is Smartlead.ai and why is it different from a data broker?

Smartlead.ai is a cold-email automation platform operated by 521 Products Pty Ltd (Australia). It is not a data broker itself, it does not sell contact data. Instead, sales teams use Smartlead to send outbound email sequences to prospect lists they upload from other sources (typically Apollo.io, ZoomInfo, or LinkedIn scrapers). Your email appearing in a Smartlead campaign means a Smartlead customer obtained your contact from one of those upstream sources. To stop the cold emails permanently, you must: (1) opt out at the upstream source (Apollo.io or ZoomInfo), and (2) request suppression at Smartlead.

Step-by-step: How to stop Smartlead cold emails and remove your data

1. Step 1: Identify the upstream source. Check recent cold emails you received via Smartlead, the sending domain and email signature often identify the company. This tells you which Apollo.io or ZoomInfo customer uploaded your contact. The root fix is removing your data from the upstream source.
2. Step 2: Opt out of Apollo.io. Email privacy@apollo.io with "CCPA Deletion Request" as the subject. Request deletion of all records for your email address and ask to be added to their suppression list. This prevents your contact from being exported to new Smartlead campaigns sourced from Apollo.
3. Step 3: Opt out of ZoomInfo. Go to privacy.zoominfo.com/privacy-center and submit both a Delete request and a Do Not Sell request for your work email.

   💡 Tip: Suppression at Apollo and ZoomInfo is more effective long-term than removing from Smartlead alone, it cuts off future campaigns at the source.

4. Step 4: Request Smartlead suppression. Email privacy@smartlead.ai with the subject "Data Subject Deletion Request. Global Suppression." Ask to be added to their global suppression list so no Smartlead customer can target your email address going forward. Include your email address and cite GDPR Article 17 (Smartlead is Australia-based but subject to GDPR for EU contacts).
5. Step 5: Use the Unsubscribe link. If you have received a Smartlead email, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom. Under CAN-SPAM (US) and GDPR (EU), Smartlead customers are legally required to honor unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.

How long Smartlead removal takes

What to do if cold emails continue

If cold emails from Smartlead campaigns persist after completing all steps: (1) Forward the emails with full headers to abuse@smartlead.ai. Smartlead can terminate the customer account for CAN-SPAM violations. (2) File a CAN-SPAM complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. (3) For EU-sourced emails, file with your national data protection authority under GDPR.