Submitting your government issued identification to maximize removals

Providing a government issued ID is Optional but recommended to maximize the effectiveness of your removals as some data brokers reject requests that do not include proof of identity.

Some data broker sites refuse to comply with opt out requests unless the request is accompanied by a government issued ID so they can verify your identity before complying with the removal request(s). When required, submitting a copy of your ID to Optery enables us to include it in the removals requests sent to data brokers on your behalf.

IMPORTANT: We strongly recommend masking your photo and the ID number using an image editing application before uploading the copy of your ID. If you do not have an image editing application, or you are otherwise unable to mask the photo and ID number on your own, you can first upload the image to Optery, and then use Optery's image editing tool to perform the masking.

Note: Optery only sends the government issued ID to data brokers that require it. Optery always attempts to send only the minimum amount of information necessary to complete the removal.

Here are the steps required to submit your government issued identification, which is often used in combination with signing the Optery Limited Power of Attorney to make Optery your Authorized Agent for data broker removals.

Navigate to the Manage Profile profile page from your Dashboard:

Click Manage Profile from the Optery Dashboard

Click the Identification tab, and then upload an image of your government issued ID in jpg, png or gif format:

Optery Identification Tab

After you've uploaded a copy of your ID, if the photo and document ID number were not concealed, you can mask the sensitive information on your ID by clicking and dragging across the image to conceal sensitive or non-essential information. You should leave your full name, address, expiration date, and date of birth visible, but you should conceal things like your photo, document ID, and height and weight.

Optery Image Masking Tool

If you forget to mask the sensitive information on your ID, Optery will prompt you to confirm you've already masked the sensitive information before you finalize the upload:

Optery Confirm Masking Alert

Once you've completed uploading and/or editing your ID, click the "Confirm Upload" button.

You can click the eye icon at any time to un-blur the document that that was submitted:

Optery Unblur Option and Upload Success

You can delete your ID from Optery at any time by clicking the "Delete ID" button.

Congratulations! A copy of your ID will now be submitted to data brokers who require a government issued ID to process your removals. This will dramatically improve the scope and scale of Optery's data broker removals effectiveness for you!

Updated on: 10/11/2023

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