What information does Optery share with data brokers when opting me out?

Unfortunately, there is a catch-22 where in order to opt out of data broker sites, you must first provide enough identifying information for them to locate you in their records, otherwise, how else would they know who to opt out.

By default, Optery only requires of its customers the minimum information necessary to find and remove you, and, by default, only sends the minimum amount of information necessary to data brokers to remove you.

To create an account with Optery, the minimum information required is: First Name, Last Name, Year of Birth, Current City, Current State, and any email address (it does not have to be your primary email address). For most people, this is no more information than what is already publicly available for you online. We also offer users the option to provide more precise details, such as a full birth date rather than just birth year, past cities and states, etc because this will increase the accuracy of locating and removing as many profiles as possible. This is entirely optional though, and the only required info is the absolute minimum, without which we would not recommend creating an Optery account at this time, because the service would not be fully effective.

Learn more on our Help Desk article titled: Why Does Optery Need So Much of My Information?

Each data broker has different requirements for opting out. Some data brokers require full address, others don't. Some data brokers require Linkedin URL, others don't. To submit your opt outs to data brokers, the minimum information data brokers generally require is: First Name, Last Name, Age, Current City, Current State, and any email address. Optery does not share the email addresses or phone numbers you provide with data brokers by default, and instead uses private and proprietary email addresses and phone numbers. Core to Optery's approach is including the minimum amount of information required to process the opt out.

However, this is highly variable by data broker, and some data brokers do require your actual email address(es). For data brokers that require an email address, we have an opt-in feature called Use For Removals which permits inclusion of a verified email address when required by a data broker to complete an opt-out. These emails are only used for data brokers that specifically require them. They are included in a small minority of cases, when no other option exists. Learn more about  Configuring Your Phone and Email Scan Preferences and the Use for Removals feature.

Learn more on our Help Desk article titled: Does Optery share the email addresses or phone numbers I provide with data brokers when opting me out?

Expanded Reach Program

Optery also offers an Expanded Reach feature as an optional, free, add-on for all paying customers (i.e. Core, Extended, and Ultimate) that expands the universe of data brokers we remove you from significantly. The Expanded Reach feature has some pros and cons, with the primary pro being that it maximizes the number of data brokers you're removed from and the primary con being that we may send your personal information to data brokers that didn't have it in the first place or that you don't care about. For data brokers currently covered by Expanded Reach, there's not an easy way to determine whether or not your profile is present at the data broker in the first place, and many of these data brokers are less-than forthcoming in providing their opt out requirements. If you are strongly averse to potentially sending your personal information to a data broker that may not have it in the first place, we do not recommend utilizing the Expanded Reach feature. Participation in Expanded Reach is entirely optional and can be disabled at any time via your Optery dashboard.

For more details on how and why Optery shares information with data brokers for the purpose of opting you out, please review Section 7 of the Optery Privacy Policy titled Transfer of Data.

Updated on: 19/06/2025