Written by the Removal Lab team.
Searched your email address or phone number and found it on ThatsThem, sitting next to your home address? The ThatsThem opt out is a form at thatsthem.com/optout that asks for contact details but no payment. You send one request per record yourself, or Removal Lab can do it for you.
ThatsThem’s opt out page loaded for our check, so the steps below come straight from it. We also read Spokeo’s privacy policy, which covers ThatsThem requests and explains something most guides miss: the Spokeo opt out does not reach ThatsThem.
The quick version: ThatsThem opt out
- Search ThatsThem by your name, phone, email and address. Note every record that is you.
- Open thatsthem.com/optout.
- Fill in your full name, email address, street address, state, city, ZIP code and phone number. The page lists all of these as required.
- Send a separate request for each record, including records with different details for the same person.
- Search ThatsThem again, then ask Google to refresh any old result. Or send the links to Removal Lab for a free check.
How to opt out of ThatsThem step by step
Step 1. Find every record that is you
ThatsThem’s home page lists names, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, IP addresses and vehicle numbers among the details it holds. Search yourself each way the site lets you before you start your ThatsThem opt out. The FTC suggests starting with a phone number or address, because those searches often surface records a name search misses. For each record that is you, note exactly how it shows your name, address and phone number.
Step 2. Open the ThatsThem opt out form
Go to thatsthem.com/optout. The page says you can ask for your information not to be shared through search results or with third parties.
Step 3. Fill in the required details
The form asks for your full name, email address, street address, state, city, ZIP code and phone number. The page lists every one of these as required for a ThatsThem opt out. Its instructions do not ask for a link to your record, unlike the Spokeo opt out. We suggest entering the details the way the record shows them, so your ThatsThem opt out matches the right record. Use an email inbox you check.
Step 4. One request per record
ThatsThem asks for a separate opt out request for each record you want removed. If you find several records with different information for the same person, it asks for a request for each one. An old address, a maiden name or a second phone number can each mean another ThatsThem opt out.
Step 5. Keep proof and check back
The opt out page we opened does not mention a confirmation email. So take a screenshot of each completed form before you send it. Spokeo’s privacy policy says ThatsThem requests submitted in line with the instructions are processed in real time once the submission is complete. Search ThatsThem again afterwards to confirm your ThatsThem opt out worked for each record.
What ThatsThem shows and where it gets data
ThatsThem calls itself a free people search site. Its home page lists the kinds of details its results can include. Knowing them helps you spot every record your ThatsThem opt out needs to cover.
| Type of detail | What the ThatsThem home page lists |
|---|---|
| Identity and contact | Name, email address, phone number with line type and service provider |
| Address | Street, city, state, ZIP code and country |
| Online | IP address with internet provider and location |
| Personal | Age, gender, religion, ethnicity, language and household size |
| Financial | Net worth, income, occupation and a credit score average |
| Property | Home value, year built, purchase date, mortgage and refinance details, latitude and longitude |
| Vehicle | Year, make, model and vehicle identification number |
On sources, ThatsThem says the data in its search is aggregated from more than 50 sources, each updated monthly. Its data page refers to public records and describes the company as constantly updating its data with weekly updates. ThatsThem also says searches are anonymous, so the person searched for is never told.
ThatsThem and Spokeo: one privacy policy, two opt outs
Spokeo’s privacy policy covers ThatsThem requests. It does not spell out who owns ThatsThem, but it gives ThatsThem its own opt out tool and reports its request numbers. Here is what it says.
| Question | What Spokeo’s privacy policy says |
|---|---|
| Does the Spokeo opt out cover ThatsThem? | No. The Spokeo tool covers Spokeo.com and other Spokeo operated websites, excluding Thatsthem.com |
| Where do I remove a ThatsThem listing? | The Thatsthem.com Optout tool at thatsthem.com/optout |
| How many requests did it handle? | In the year the policy reports on, the ThatsThem tool received 5,641,889 requests, processed all of them in whole or in part and denied none |
| How fast is it? | Requests submitted in line with the instructions are processed in real time once the submission is complete |
| What about children? | Listings about minors can be removed through the Spokeo tool, the ThatsThem tool or both |
If you appear on both sites, do both: the ThatsThem opt out here and the Spokeo one there. Our Spokeo opt out guide covers the Spokeo side, which works differently: it uses your listing’s web address and an email confirmation.
Can ThatsThem be used for background checks?
ThatsThem says no. Its list of do’s and don’ts tells users not to use its information for employment screening, tenant screening, mortgage approvals, credit checks or background checks. It also bans using it to stalk, harass, spam or prank call people. Its home page adds that credit score averages may not be used for any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including tenant screening, employment or insurance. Spokeo’s site says Spokeo is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by that Act.
What the ThatsThem opt out does and does not remove
- ThatsThem’s public search. ThatsThem says opting out removes your records from its public search.
- Spokeo. Not covered. Spokeo has its own tool, as its privacy policy explains.
- Similar sites. ThatsThem warns your information may still be visible on similar sites. A ThatsThem removal does not reach them.
- Search engines. ThatsThem says its team handles de indexing, but it can take more than 5 to 7 days and is outside its control. You may need to contact the search engine directly.
- Public records and data coming back. The FTC says opting out does not delete public records and that your information could appear for sale again if your public records change.
For other sites that often hold the same details, see our guides to the Whitepages opt out, the Nuwber opt out and the USPhoneBook opt out. Our data broker removal page explains how we find them all.
Your rights in California: DROP and the CCPA
If you live in California, two state tools sit alongside the ThatsThem opt out.
- DROP. CalPrivacy’s Delete Request and Opt out Platform lets a California resident send one free deletion request to registered data brokers. You confirm residency through the California Identity Gateway. Brokers must check DROP at least once every 45 days and status updates can take up to 90 days.
- What DROP does not cover. CalPrivacy says public records such as vehicle, real estate or voting records are exempt.
- The CCPA. The California Attorney General says you can ask a business to delete personal information it collected from you and to stop selling or sharing it. Businesses must respond within 45 calendar days, extendable once by 45 days.
Spokeo’s privacy policy gives Californians a web form and the phone line 1 877 864 0183 for requests to know, correct or delete. Spokeo has an earlier California data broker registration. We could not confirm a separate ThatsThem entry on the CalPrivacy registry, so check it yourself. We found no verified law outside California to add here.
How to clear the old Google result
ThatsThem says search engine de indexing is outside its control, so do this part yourself once your records are gone.
- Refresh the outdated result. In Google’s Refresh outdated content tool, select Request refresh, enter the old ThatsThem address on the Page tab and submit. Our guide to the Refresh outdated content tool shows each screen.
- Use Results about you. Open the To review tab and select Request to remove for results showing your phone, home address or email. Or search your name, select the More icon next to a result, then Remove result and It shows my personal info and I don’t want it there. See how to use Google Results about you.
- Look wider. Our guides to removing personal information from Google and removing your name from Google cover what is left.
Google says it cannot remove a page from the website itself. That is why the ThatsThem opt out comes first.
If your listing comes back after a ThatsThem opt out
ThatsThem says it pushes out weekly data updates, so a new record can appear after a move or a change of number. The FTC’s advice is to check people search sites from time to time and send a new request when new information appears. We suggest every three months. That timing is ours.
- Keep a screenshot of every ThatsThem opt out form you send.
- Record which name, address and phone number each request used.
- Search by phone and email as well as by name when you check.
- Turn on Results about you alerts so Google tells you when new results show your contact details.
If someone is using your ThatsThem record to find or threaten you, read our doxxing removal page first.
A worked example
This is a made up example to show the steps. It is not a client case.
A café owner in Portland searches her mobile number and finds two ThatsThem records: one with her flat and one with her parents’ house, where she lived as a student. She fills in the ThatsThem opt out form twice, once with each set of details. She screenshots both before sending.
She then finds a Spokeo listing too and runs the separate Spokeo opt out. Google still shows an old ThatsThem title for her name, so she uses the Refresh outdated content tool. Three months later she searches by name, phone and email. Nothing new has appeared.
When it makes sense to get help
A single ThatsThem opt out takes a few minutes. Help makes sense when your details have spread across many sites, when a record is being used against you or when results for your name are hurting your work. That is what our personal reputation removal service handles. See also the MyLife opt out.
How Removal Lab works
- Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
- Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
- We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
- Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
- Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
- Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.
Want us to handle your ThatsThem opt out?
Send the link. The check is free and confidential and there is no upfront payment on qualifying cases.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove myself from ThatsThem?
Go to thatsthem.com/optout and fill in your full name, email address, street address, state, city, ZIP code and phone number. Send a separate request for each record about you.
Does the Spokeo opt out remove me from ThatsThem?
No. Spokeo’s privacy policy says its tool covers Spokeo.com and other Spokeo operated sites excluding Thatsthem.com, which has its own Optout tool.
How long does the ThatsThem opt out take?
Spokeo’s privacy policy says ThatsThem requests are processed in real time once submitted. ThatsThem says search engine de indexing can take more than 5 to 7 days.
Do I need a separate request for each record?
Yes. ThatsThem asks for one opt out request per record, including records with different details for the same person.
What information does ThatsThem show?
Its home page lists contact details, addresses, IP addresses, age, household details, income and property and vehicle information. It says its data comes from more than 50 sources updated monthly.
Can employers use ThatsThem for background checks?
ThatsThem tells users not to use its information for employment screening, tenant screening, credit checks or background checks.
Sources: ThatsThem opt out page, ThatsThem home page, ThatsThem: our data, ThatsThem: do’s and don’ts, Spokeo privacy policy, Spokeo data broker registration, California, FTC on people search sites, CalPrivacy: DROP, CalPrivacy: personal information and data brokers, CalPrivacy data broker registry, California Attorney General on the CCPA, Google: Results about you and Google: Refresh outdated content. Removal Lab does not work for ThatsThem or Spokeo. Every decision is made by the platform.