BeenVerified Opt Out: Removing Yourself From BeenVerified and Intelius

Google your name and there's a good chance two of the results staring back at you are BeenVerified and Intelius — data broker people-search sites that package your address history, phone numbers, relatives, and more into a public profile anyone can pull up.

Here's the insight that saves you real time: BeenVerified and Intelius both operate under the PeopleConnect network, alongside sibling sites like TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. That means one well-placed opt-out request can cover multiple sites at once, instead of you fighting each one separately. This article walks through the BeenVerified opt out process, the Intelius opt out process, the network-coverage shortcut, and what to expect on timing.

The PeopleConnect Network: Why It Matters

The data broker industry looks fragmented — dozens of people-search sites with different names and different designs. But behind the scenes, many of them roll up to the same parent companies. BeenVerified, Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search all operate within the PeopleConnect network, sharing data infrastructure.

Why does that matter for your deletion work? Because PeopleConnect runs a shared opt-out process for its brands. When you submit an opt-out through the network's process, it can propagate across the sibling sites rather than you filing five separate requests. This is the single biggest efficiency gain in DIY data broker deletion: always check whether a broker belongs to a network before filing site-by-site.

BeenVerified Opt Out: Step by Step

BeenVerified (at beenverified.com) offers a do-not-sell / opt-out mechanism. The general process:

1. Find your listing first. Search BeenVerified for your own name and location. Copy the URL of your profile page or note the exact details — you'll need to identify which record is yours, since common names return dozens of profiles.
2. Locate the opt-out link. Scroll to the footer of beenverified.com and look for a Privacy link, then within the privacy materials find the opt-out or "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" option. Data broker opt-out links almost always live in the footer under Privacy or "Do Not Sell My Info." Site layouts change, so if the exact label has moved, the footer is still where to look.
3. Submit the opt-out form. Enter the identifying details the form asks for — typically name, and often an email address so the broker can confirm the request and notify you when it's processed. Use an email address you actually check.
4. Complete email verification. BeenVerified's process includes an email verification step: you'll receive a confirmation email and must click through to verify that the request is really yours. The request does not proceed until you verify. Check spam if it doesn't arrive within a few minutes, and click promptly — verification links can expire.
5. Wait for processing. People-search brokers typically take several days to a couple of weeks to fully remove a profile. Give it at least a week before you start worrying.
6. Confirm it's gone. Re-search your name on BeenVerified. Then — the network step — check the sibling sites too: Intelius, TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. The network opt-out should cover them, but verification is on you.

Intelius Opt Out: Step by Step

Intelius (at intelius.com) follows a similar pattern, since it sits in the same PeopleConnect network:

1. Find your Intelius listing. Search intelius.com for your name and location. Intelius profiles often rank high on Google, so you may already know the URL.
2. Go to the footer. As with BeenVerified, the opt-out mechanism lives under the Privacy link in the site footer — look for opt-out or "Do Not Sell My Info" language.
3. Submit with accurate details. Enter your name and a working email address. Accuracy matters: if the details you submit don't match the profile, the broker can't confidently remove the right record, and the request stalls.
4. Verify by email. Complete the email verification step the same way. No verification, no processing.
5. Allow processing time, then verify. Give it a week or more, then re-search. If you already filed through the PeopleConnect network process for BeenVerified, check whether Intelius cleared at the same time — and file a site-specific request if it didn't.

Important: opt-out page layouts and form fields change. If the steps above don't match what you see, don't guess — read the page you're on. The FTC's consumer guidance at ftc.gov and Consumer Reports' privacy coverage at consumerreports.org both track how broker opt-out mechanisms evolve, and they're worth checking if a process seems to have moved.

Processing Times: What to Realistically Expect

Nobody's deletion request is instant. Here's the honest timeline:

• Email verification: minutes (but check spam).
• Profile removal from the site: typically a few days to two weeks after verification.
• Removal from Google's index of that profile: longer — Google has to recrawl the page and notice it's gone. This can take weeks. If the broker page is deleted but still shows in Google results, Google's own removal tooling can help bridge the gap.
• Reappearance risk: permanent. Data brokers rebuild from public records, so set a calendar reminder to re-check every 3–6 months. This is the part the paid services gloss over: Consumer Reports found DIY deletion removed about 70% of listings versus roughly 35% for paid services (DeleteMe hit just 27%) — but even the best DIY work needs maintenance, because the data comes back.

Where This Fits in Your Full Deletion Plan

BeenVerified and Intelius are two high-visibility brokers, but they're not the whole job. The efficient order of operations:

1. Network-level opt-outs first. PeopleConnect (this article), then check whatever networks the next brokers belong to. One request, multiple sites.
2. Then the big independents, site by site. Our walkthroughs cover the other major people-search sites one at a time — including opting out of Spokeo and opting out of WhitePages.
3. Then the full system. Our master guide to removing your personal information from the internet puts it all in priority order with a tracker, so nothing falls through the cracks.
4. Then maintenance. Re-check every 3–6 months. Put it on the calendar like an oil change — boring, recurring, and the thing that actually keeps the result.

If you're a California resident, there's also a shortcut worth knowing about: the state's DROP platform (the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform, live since January 1, 2026, with 500,000+ signups) lets you file one deletion request that registered brokers must process every 45 days. It's free, and it's backed by real enforcement fines. Non-Californians are on the manual track described here — which, per the research, beats the paid services anyway.

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FAQ: BeenVerified and Intelius Opt-Out

Does opting out of BeenVerified also remove me from Intelius?

Often, yes — both operate within the PeopleConnect network, which runs a shared opt-out process across its brands (including TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search). But "often" isn't "always," so verify each sibling site individually after filing and submit site-specific requests anywhere your listing survives.

How long does the BeenVerified opt out take?

Email verification takes minutes. The profile itself typically disappears within a few days to two weeks after verification. Google's cached copy of the page can linger longer until it recrawls.

Do I need to create an account to opt out?

No. The opt-out process uses a form plus email verification — you should not need to create a paid account or hand over payment details. If any page in the flow asks for a credit card, stop; you're in the wrong place.

Why did my listing come back after I opted out?

This is the industry's business model, not a bug in your request. Data brokers continuously refresh their databases from public records — property filings, voter rolls, court records. A removed profile can be rebuilt months later from fresh public data. Re-check every 3–6 months and re-file as needed.

Is it better to just pay DeleteMe or a similar service?

The research says no. Consumer Reports found DIY deletion removed roughly 70% of listings versus about 35% for paid services, with DeleteMe at 27% — and the services charge around $129 a year for the privilege. The manual work is real (researchers estimated 304+ hours for full coverage), but a prioritized hit-list approach gets the high-impact brokers handled in an evening or two.

Does opting out stop all data brokers from having my information?

No. Opting out removes your public-facing profile from that broker's people-search site. It doesn't reach every broker in the industry, it doesn't seal public records, and brokers you haven't contacted still hold what they hold. Think of it as shrinking your visible footprint — the part strangers, scammers, and harassers actually use — rather than total erasure.