Data Privacy Laws

How to Opt Out of Whitepages (2026)

Independently fact-checkedBy Recording Law Editorial TeamReviewed August 28, 20267 min read

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 14, 2026). · 2 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

How to Opt Out of Whitepages (2026)

Whitepages gives you three free ways to opt out, and its most direct method removes not just the one listing you submit but every listing connected to it, without a separate submission for each. This guide covers the verified flow, what Whitepages exposes, and the difference between removing a public listing and requesting full data deletion.

Opt-out flow verified: August 14, 2026

What Whitepages Shows About You

A Whitepages listing centers on a name-and-location directory record: current and past addresses, phone numbers, and links between people who share an address or a family name. Whitepages also sells "Background Reports" and property data as separate paid products, which is a different data category from the free directory listing this guide's opt-out covers.

The Verified Opt-Out Flow

Whitepages' Consumer Privacy Rights page (reached from the suppression-request link, last updated June 22, 2026) lays out three options. You only need to use one.

two-factor authentication device (small hardware token) on a desk beside a laptop

Option 1: The automated tool (fastest, but requires a phone number)

  1. Visit whitepages.com and search your name with your city and state.
  2. Click the result that matches you and copy the listing's URL from the browser address bar.
  3. Go to the Consumer Privacy Rights page and paste the URL into the opt-out tool.
  4. Provide a phone number and agree to Whitepages' Terms of Service. Whitepages states the number is used only to complete the opt-out request.
  5. Submit. Whitepages states this both opts you out of the sale and sharing of your information and removes the listing from the site.

Option 2: Online form to a customer service agent (no phone number needed)

Use Whitepages' online privacy request form and select the opt-out request type. Whitepages states replies take up to two business days.

Option 3: Email (no phone number needed)

Email privacyrequest@whitepages.com with your opt-out request. Same two-business-day reply window as the form.

Whitepages states plainly that you do not need to create an account or make a purchase to submit any of the three requests.

Difficulty: Easy. No option requires an account or payment. The only friction is that the fastest path (the automated tool) asks for a phone number and ToS agreement, which some readers may prefer to avoid; the webform and email alternatives sidestep that at the cost of a short manual reply window instead of instant processing.

Removal Is Broader Than One Listing

This is where Whitepages' process differs from a typical people-search opt-out: once your listing is removed through any of the three options, "all known connected listings are also removed," in Whitepages' own words, and the company states your information will not be sold going forward "regardless of how/where the information was obtained." If you later find a new or additional listing that you believe relates to you, Whitepages directs you back to the webform or email option, not the automated tool, to report it.

Directory Suppression vs. CCPA Deletion

Removing your public listing is a different request from California's CCPA right to delete non-public personal data Whitepages holds (Civil Code section 1798.105(a)). The deletion right has exceptions: information from government records (property, court, and criminal records), fraud-prevention data, information tied to a Whitepages Premium purchase, and anything under a legal hold are not deleted even after a valid request. Both requests can be submitted through the same online form or email address, but the response clocks are different: a business has 45 days from a verifiable deletion request to comply, extendable once by another 45 days if it notifies you within the first 45 days (Civil Code section 1798.130(a)(2)(A)), while a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your information must be honored no later than 15 business days after it is received (CCPA regulations, 11 CCR section 7026(f)).

California residents also have a second deletion route that does not go through Whitepages at all. Whitepages, Inc. is a registered California data broker, and since August 1, 2026 registered brokers must access the state Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) at least once every 45 days and process the deletion requests they find there (Civil Code section 1798.99.86(c)(1)). One verified request at privacy.ca.gov/drop reaches every registered broker, Whitepages included. If a broker cannot verify a DROP request, the statute requires it to process the request as an opt-out of the sale or sharing of your information instead (section 1798.99.86(c)(1)(B)).

Whitepages also honors Global Privacy Control for California residents as an opt-out-of-sale signal, and states it will comply "according to applicable laws and regulations" for other states where GPC carries legal weight.

The FCRA Line

Whitepages' Terms of Service state directly: "Whitepages is not a consumer reporting agency for purposes of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq." and prohibit using its data to evaluate someone's eligibility for employment, credit, insurance, housing, or a government license or benefit. Whitepages sells separate "Background Reports" as a distinct paid product line; neither that product nor the free directory listing covered in this guide should be used for a hiring, lending, or tenant-screening decision.

hands typing on a laptop keyboard, small padlock sticker visible on the laptop lid

Additional State Rights

Whitepages' own Consumer Privacy Rights notice extends rights beyond directory removal, specifically the right to know, correct, delete, obtain a copy of your data, and opt out of targeted advertising and profiling, to residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, in addition to California. Readers in those states can use the same webform or email address to exercise the broader rights, and can appeal a decision by contacting support@whitepages.com.

If Whitepages Does Not Comply

Document the date you submitted your request and the listing URL. Then:

credit card lying face down on a dark surface with a small padlock beside it

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to give Whitepages my phone number to opt out?

No. Whitepages' automated opt-out tool asks for a phone number and agreement to its Terms of Service in exchange for immediate processing, but you can skip both by using the online form or emailing privacyrequest@whitepages.com instead. Whitepages states replies through those two channels take up to two business days.

How do I opt out of Whitepages without paying anything?

All three of Whitepages' opt-out paths, the automated tool, the online form, and email, are free. Whitepages states directly that you do not need to create an account or make a purchase to submit an opt-out or deletion request.

If I have multiple listings on Whitepages, do I need to remove each one separately?

Usually not. Whitepages states that once one listing is removed, all known connected listings tied to the same person are removed at the same time. If a separate or new listing turns up afterward, report it through the online form or email rather than the automated tool.

What is the difference between removing my Whitepages listing and requesting deletion of my data?

Removing your listing takes your directory entry, name, address, and phone number, off the public site and stops future sale of that information. A CCPA deletion request goes further and asks Whitepages to delete non-public personal data it holds, though exceptions apply for government records, fraud-prevention data, purchase history, and legally held information. Both can be submitted through the same online form or email address, and California residents can also send a deletion request to Whitepages through the state DROP platform at privacy.ca.gov/drop. Under Civil Code section 1798.130(a)(2)(A) a business has 45 days to respond to a verifiable deletion request, extendable once by another 45 days with notice.

Can Whitepages' data be used for a background check on a job applicant?

No. Whitepages' Terms of Service state it is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and prohibit using its data to evaluate someone for employment, credit, insurance, housing, or a government benefit. Whitepages sells a separate paid Background Reports product; neither product should be used to screen a job or rental applicant.

Updates

Corrected the CCPA timing on this page: a deletion request runs on a 45-day statutory clock (extendable once by another 45 days), not 15 days, and California readers can now also delete their Whitepages data through the state's DROP platform.

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Sources and References

  1. Whitepages Consumer Privacy Rights notice: three opt-out options, CCPA rights, multi-state rights list, GPC handling(whitepages.com)
  2. Whitepages Terms of Service section 3.1: FCRA disclaimer and use restrictions(whitepages.com)
  3. California Privacy Protection Agency: DROP platform live date and regulatory background(cppa.ca.gov).gov
  4. California Privacy Protection Agency: data broker registration, DROP compliance deadline, and registry(cppa.ca.gov).gov
  5. Global Privacy Control: specification and browser-signal mechanism(globalprivacycontrol.org)
  6. Cal. Civil Code 1798.130(a)(2)(A): a business must respond to a verifiable consumer deletion request within 45 days, extendable once by an additional 45 days with notice(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  7. Cal. Civil Code 1798.99.86(c)(1): beginning August 1, 2026 a data broker must access the state accessible deletion mechanism at least once every 45 days and process deletion requests; unverifiable requests are processed as opt-outs of sale or sharing(leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  8. CCPA Regulations, 11 CCR 7026(f)(1) (effective January 1, 2026): a business must stop selling or sharing personal information no later than 15 business days after receiving an opt-out request(cppa.ca.gov)
  9. California Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP): one verified request directs every registered data broker to delete a consumer's personal information(privacy.ca.gov)
  10. California data broker registry (2026): Whitepages, Inc. is a registered California data broker(cppa.ca.gov)
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