Optery | Help Desk
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If you just created an account or are unsure how to use Optery.
I Just Signed Up for Optery, Now What?
If you just signed up and you're confused what to do next, we understand new products can sometimes be confusing for first-time users. So we've created this guide to help you get started. Start by Clicking on the "View" Links in the "Link to Profile" Column of the Dashboard What Optery does better than any other company, including Google, is help you quickly understand which people search sites (a type of data broker) have profiles on you and are exposing or selling your personal det
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Does Optery sell data or have an affiliation with any data broker?
No. Absolutely not. Optery does not sell data to any private, public, or government organization(s). Optery is not a data broker. Optery does not have any financial relationship with any data broker. Optery is not affiliated with any data broker.
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Do Not share your personal email or pay any money to data brokers linked to from Optery
In order to provide all users with options for removing themselves from data brokers for free, we link to data broker pages where opt outs can be submitted self-service.
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Is Optery Legitimate?
Optery is a well-respected and legitimate privacy service with thousands of people using the service. We cover more data brokers, are the fastest, have the highest success rate, and provide the most visibility than any other service on the market. Below are a few things that typically help people understand we are a legitimate business you can count on.
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Why should I keep my Optery subscription active on an ongoing basis?
Many of our customers want to understand the benefits of keeping their Optery subscription active on an ongoing basis. They are often curious why Optery is not sold as a one-time fee for the removals. We do see some customers activate their subscription for a few months, monitor the progress of their removals, and then cancel their plan to downgrade back down to the Free Basic tier after they are satisfied or progress has slowed. The Free Basic tier sends ongoing Exposure Reports (currently e
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After upgrading, how long does it take for my profiles to be removed?
Unfortunately, removing you from hundreds of data brokers does not happen instantaneously, or even overnight. Some data brokers process removals within 24 hours, but others take several weeks, or even months to comply. The answer to this question also varies heavily depending on the data broker. For example, The California Consumer Privacy Act, also known as the CCPA - the most strict privacy law in the U.S. - actually gives data brokers a 45 day grace period to comply with an opt out reque
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Does Optery share the email address or phone number I provide with the data brokers when opting me out?
No. Optery does not share the email address or phone number you provide with data brokers when opting you out. Most data brokers require an email address to process an opt out request. With an Optery paid plan, we autogenerate custom email addresses for your opt out submissions that we manage for you behind-the-scenes, so your inbox is spared and to be clear: your personal email address is never shared with any data brokers. If you are submitting opt out requests to data brokers on yo
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How Quickly Does Optery Respond to Customer Support Requests?
We typically respond to inquiries within 1 - 2 business days, however, response times can vary based on the volume of customer support requests we are receiving.
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How can I verify the profiles Optery says have been removed, have actually been removed?
Optery provides more "proof" and visibility of removals than any other tool on the market. Many people create a Free Basic account with Optery to double-check their own work opting out, or the work of our competitors, before switching over to our paid service. We find, on average, 20 - 40 profiles exposed that our competitors have missed. You can verify profiles have been removed in a few different ways. In most cases, you can click the links labeled "Removed" under the "Link to Profile"
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How often does Optery run scans for my profile at data brokers?
For users on the Free Basic account we run Exposure Report scans approximately every three months (i.e. quarterly). For users on a paid plan (e.g. Core, Extended, Ultimate) we run scans regularly and the cadence changes throughout the life of your plan. For example, over the first ~15 days, we are running scans approximately every other day as we are kicking off your opt outs and there's a lot of activity. After the first ~15 days, scans are run approximately a couple of times per week for
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When my data is removed from a data broker, is this permanent?
Unfortunately, after removing your data from a data broker, this is generally not permanent. The answer to this question also varies heavily depending on the data broker. Every data broker honors opt outs a little bit differently. Some data brokers honor opt outs indefinitely, but others require annual effort to ensure your name and personal info stays removed. For example, The California Consumer Privacy Act, also known as the CCPA - the most strict privacy law in the U.S. - actually permi
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What if my profile is still exposed at a data broker, even though Optery has labeled it "Removed / Not Found"?
Please send us a message with the link to your profile using the Optery Help Desk. Any additional info you provide will be helpful, but is not required (e.g. screen shots, the full name listed on the profile, etc). We will investigate immediately, and follow up with you accordingly. Optery uses matching algorithms (similar to Google) to locate and mark your profile "Found" or "Not Found". Our matching algorithms are continually improving, but are not perfect (similar
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Does Optery remove information from the Dark Web?
Optery does not remove information from the Dark Web and does not provide Dark Web scanning or reporting either.
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In My Removals Progress Update, What's the Difference Between "Pending" and "In Progress"?
In your Account Notification Preferences you can configure your Data Broker Removal Status Updates to be delivered Weekly, Monthly, or Never. Each Removals Progress Update contains the following statuses. Removed Not Found, Pending, In Progress, Total Covered.
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Can You Describe Your Privacy Policy in Plain Language?
We don’t like wading through lengthy privacy policies any more than you do, which is why we’ve highlighted the most important points of our privacy policy in plain language below. This page is for your information only, and is not intended to replace the official language of our Terms of Service, Statement on Data Security, or Privacy Policy. Optery does
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