Personal Information Exposure: How to Find Your Information Online
Your name, email address, phone number and other information may appear online without you actively publishing it. Here's how to find out what information may be publicly available and what you can do about it.
Search your name, email addresses, usernames and phone number. Check search engines, social networks, people-search websites, directories and data broker listings. Document what you find, determine whether it can be removed, and check again periodically because online information can change or reappear.
What Personal Information Can Be Found Online?
Depending on your online activity and the sources involved, publicly accessible information can include:
- Full name and previous names
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Approximate location
- Social media profiles
- Usernames
- Photos and public posts
- Professional information
- Public directory listings
- Data broker profiles
How to Find Your Information Online
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Search your full name.
Put your name in quotation marks and try combinations with your city, profession or other general information. Review more than the first few results.
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Search your email address.
Search each email address you have used publicly. Look for websites, profiles, directories, forums and old accounts connected to the address.
For a more focused search, see our email exposure check.
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Search your phone number.
Try different formats of your phone number. Directory and people-search websites may associate a number with a name or other information.
You can also review our phone number exposure check.
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Search old usernames.
Using the same username across multiple websites can make older profiles easier to discover.
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Check social profiles.
View your profiles from a public or logged-out perspective where possible. Review information that strangers can see.
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Check people-search and data broker websites.
These sites may aggregate information from multiple sources and create searchable profiles.
Learn more about people-search sites and data broker removal.
Why Your Information May Appear Without You Realizing It
Information can spread online through old accounts, public profiles, directories, business listings, public records and commercial databases. You may have provided information years ago and forgotten that it was published.
Removing information from one location also does not necessarily remove it from every other source.
What Should You Do If You Find Your Information?
First, document where the information appears. Then look for the site's privacy or removal process. Many websites provide an opt-out or deletion request.
For information appearing across many data brokers, manually submitting requests can become time-consuming. This is where specialized personal-data removal services may be useful.
Learn more about data broker removal options if your information appears on multiple data broker or people-search websites.
If your goal is to reduce exposure more broadly, see our guide on how to remove personal information from the internet.
Can You Remove Personal Information From the Internet?
Sometimes. The process depends on where the information appears, who controls it and which privacy rights apply to you.
Even after information is removed, copies or new listings may appear elsewhere. Privacy protection is therefore an ongoing process rather than a guaranteed one-time cleanup.
Scan My Shadow provides a basic digital exposure report and a customised removal kit for a one-time fee of $9.99. It can help you identify broader exposure across your digital footprint before deciding what you want to remove.
How This Relates to Your Digital Footprint
Personal information exposure is one part of your broader digital footprint. You should also review old accounts, social media, email exposure, phone-number listings and data broker profiles.
Start with our digital footprint check guide for a complete step-by-step process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find personal information about myself online?
Search your full name, email addresses, phone number and usernames. Then check social profiles, directories, people-search sites and data broker listings for information connected to you.
Why is my personal information online?
Information can come from public profiles, old accounts, directories, business listings, public records, websites and commercial databases. You may not have published every piece of information yourself.
Can I remove my personal information from the internet?
Some information can be removed by contacting the website or submitting an opt-out request. However, removal depends on the source and does not guarantee that copies do not exist elsewhere.
Does finding personal information online mean I have been hacked?
No. Information can be publicly available without an account compromise. Public exposure and a security breach are separate issues.