PrivateRecords.net is a name only a data broker could love, the "private records" it advertises are, of course, yours, and they're not private at all. The site sells people-search reports built from public records: addresses, phone numbers, ages, relatives, and background details, searchable by anyone.
It's another of the mid-size, low-brand-recognition brokers that collectively dominate the search results for ordinary people's names. Its opt-out is now a Privacy Requests page with two choices, and only one of them removes a listing. Here's the walkthrough.
Steps checked against PrivateRecords.net's live Privacy Requests page on October 16, 2026. We read the form; we did not submit it, so timelines are as PrivateRecords states them.
What is PrivateRecords.net?
PrivateRecords.net compiles public and commercial records into paid reports:
- Full name, age, and aliases
- Current and previous addresses
- Phone numbers and email addresses
- Relatives and associates
- Background-report upsells (court and criminal record indicators)
Before you start
- Know which option you want. "Your Privacy Choices" stops PrivateRecords selling or sharing your data but does not remove a listing. "Remove My Information" is the one that stops your record being returned.
- Have your date of birth, city, ZIP code and state ready. All are required for a removal, along with your first and last name. The page says it keeps them on file only to keep the record suppressed and never sells or shares them.
- Use an email you can open. Nothing is removed until you click the confirmation link PrivateRecords emails you. A masked or secondary address works.
How to remove yourself from PrivateRecords.net, step by step
Step 1: Open the Privacy Requests page
Go to privaterecords.net and click "Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Info" in the footer. The old opt-out search at privaterecords.net/optOut/name/landing now sends you to the site's paid search page instead, so use the footer link.
Step 2: Choose "Remove My Information"
The page asks what you want to do. Pick Remove My Information. (Your Privacy Choices is a do-not-sell request: no confirmation email, applied within 15 business days, and your listing stays up.)
Step 3: Describe the person in the listing
Enter first name, last name, date of birth, city, ZIP code and state, exactly as they apply to the listing. Middle initial is optional.
Step 4: Give a confirmation email and submit
Enter the email address the confirmation link should go to. It doesn't have to be the listed person's address. Click Submit.
Step 5: Click the confirmation link
Open the email from PrivateRecords and click the link. Until you do, nothing is removed.
Step 6: Repeat for additional records
Name variants and old locations may need their own request.
Filing for someone else
An authorized agent can file either request. For Remove My Information, tick "I'm submitting this on behalf of the person in the listing" and attach the person's signed authorization as a PDF (up to 10 MB). The confirmation email can be the agent's own. PrivateRecords also takes agent requests by phone at (888) 270-9304.
How long does removal take?
PrivateRecords says it acknowledges requests within 10 business days and completes them within 45 calendar days, counted from the day you submit. Once the link is clicked, it stops returning the person in new searches, in reports members already have access to, and in matching records it takes in later. It can't recall a copy someone already downloaded.
If the link never arrives, or you'd rather not use the page, PrivateRecords says you can call (888) 270-9304 to complete the request.
Verify the removal
After the confirmation, search your name (plus city) on privaterecords.net in a private browsing window, and check again before the 45-day deadline. A listing still there after that gets a follow-up call to (888) 270-9304.
Why your listing can come back
PrivateRecords says a confirmed removal also covers matching records it takes in later. A record that doesn't match what you submitted (a new name spelling, a move to a city you didn't list) can still produce a fresh listing, so re-check after big changes.
Re-check quarterly. Defynta's free scan includes a link to PrivateRecords.net so you can check it yourself, but we do not read PrivateRecords.net automatically yet, so Web Watcher monitoring cannot alert you about this site.
Who runs PrivateRecords.net. California's data broker registry (read October 18, 2026) lists it under Private Records LLC, together with PeopleSearch123, BackgroundCheckers.net and PersonSearchers.com. One company, but each site takes its own request.
Related sites to check next
PeopleSearch123, BackgroundCheckers.net and CheckSecrets (registered to a different company, Truth Now LLC) run the same Privacy Requests page (checked October 16, 2026), but each has its own database and needs its own request:
- PeopleSearch123
- BackgroundCheckers.net
- CheckSecrets
- Veripages, a different removal flow
Full list: the master opt-out guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the opt-out free?
Yes. The page says there is no penalty for using your rights, and no account is needed.
Why does the form want my date of birth?
Record matching: date of birth and ZIP code separate you from same-named people. The page says these details are kept only to keep the record suppressed and are never sold or shared.
What does "Your Privacy Choices" do, then?
It is a do-not-sell-or-share request. It needs only an email or phone number, takes effect without a confirmation email, and is applied within 15 business days. It does not remove a listing. A Global Privacy Control signal from your browser is treated the same way.
I live in California. Can I use DROP instead?
California runs a free Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, DROP, that lets a California resident send one deletion request to the more than 600 data brokers registered with the state. The registry lists PrivateRecords.net, PeopleSearch123, BackgroundCheckers.net and PersonSearchers.com under one company, Private Records LLC (read October 18, 2026), so one DROP request goes to the company behind all four. Since August 1, 2026, registered brokers must check DROP at least once every 45 days, and the state says a status update can take up to 90 days. The state lists public records, such as real estate ownership and voting records, among the data a broker may keep, so check the sites afterward, and use Remove My Information if you want the listing down on PrivateRecords' own timeline. More in our California Delete Act guide. (DROP details checked against privacy.ca.gov on October 18, 2026.)
"PrivateRecords", are my sealed or private records actually on there?
No. The name is marketing. The site sells aggregated public records; genuinely sealed records aren't in these pipelines. What feels private about it is the aggregation, scattered records unified into a profile.
The site's search can't find me but Google shows me on the site. What now?
Google's cache may be stale (the listing already died), or the record is under a variant you didn't submit. Click through from Google to see if the live page exists; if it does, note the exact name and location it shows and file a new Remove My Information request with those details.
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