DeleteMe Subscription Service FAQ

1. What is a DeleteMe subscription?
2. How much does DeleteMe cost?
3. How does DeleteMe work?
4. What information do I need to provide to subscribe to DeleteMe?
5. I want to delete my info, but I don't want to pay. Can you tell me how to do it for free?
6. Does DeleteMe completely remove my name from the internet?
7. Do you constantly monitor my information around the clock?
8. I found myself on a people search site that's not on your removal list. Can you remove me from it?
9. How long will it take for my listings disappear from people search databases you remove me from?
10. I subscribed to DeleteMe. Why am I still listed on a people search website?
11. How do these sites get my information in the first place?
12. What is your refund policy for DeleteMe subscriptions?
13. Will my info come back after you remove it from sites?
14. How can you delete my information for me? Is that allowed?
15. I'm a subscriber. How do I update my credit card information?
16. What is not covered by the DeleteMe subscription?
17. Do I get to authorize what you delete before you do it?
18. I don't live in the US. Can you still delete my listings?
19. Does DeleteMe sell my information?
20. What kind of people use DeleteMe?
21. Why should I trust the DeleteMe team?
22. How does DeleteMe compare to the competition?



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What is a DeleteMe subscription?

Our DeleteMe subscription service deletes your personal information from many of the largest people search websites that list it. These are sites like Intelius.com, Spokeo.com, and WhitePages.com. We monitor your personal information online to ensure that it doesn't return to these sites. To see the updated list of sites we remove you from, click here. We compile this information in a PDF report that we send to you via email every 3 months. You can read more about it, including customer testimonials and a sample report, by visiting http://abine.com/deletemedetail.php. >>




How much does DeleteMe cost?

DeleteMe covers you for an entire year and costs $99 (which works out to just $8.25 a month). This is applied as a one-time charge when you sign up. If you stick with us for the year, we'll bill you at the beginning of each new year after that. That's it! No hidden charges or weird payment schedules. >>




How does DeleteMe work?

When you order our DeleteMe subscription service, we delete you from our list of the largest people search websites. We're always looking for new ones and adding to our list. You can see the current sites here. Our DeleteMe experts know the privacy policies, terms of use, and procedures of all these companies. We know what to say and who to email, phone, fax, and mail letters to at all the different companies to get them to take action. Some of it's done online; some of it's on good, old-fashioned paper and envelopes. Each website has a different procedure. >>




What information do I need to provide to subscribe to DeleteMe?

At checkout, you'll create a DeleteMe account. Then we'll direct you to our secure online webform. You'll fill out the webform with the identifying information you'd like removed from the web (e.g., old usernames, email accounts, past addresses, aliases, etc.). Please note that if you don't give us an address, you can't expect us to delete it. We aren't mind-readers! If any information changes (for example, you moved and have a new address), you can always log into your DeleteMe account and update your webform. Also, several of the websites require that we submit a copy of your driver's license or other state-issued ID to verify that we're authorized to act on your behalf. For example, check out Intelius.com's Privacy Policy on that point. For best and fastest results, you can upload it directly to your webform. If you have trouble with that, though, you can also fax it to us at (617) 812-3098 or email it to DeleteMe@Abine.com after scanning it or taking a picture of it with your phone. We strongly recommend that you cross out the photo and the driver's license number. We only need to see the name, address and, date of birth. We will do this for you in any case before we use it. We can proceed without the ID if you'd like, but it limits the amount of work we can do for you. >>




I want to delete my info, but I don't want to pay. Can you tell me how to do it for free?

Sure. We think it's important to give everyone the tools to protect their privacy, so we've posted free instructions for removing yourself from the biggest people search websites. And if you'd rather have us take care of it for you, you can always sign up for our DeleteMe service. >>




Does DeleteMe completely remove my name from the Internet?

No. We cannot delete your name by itself, only in connection with your contact information (address, phone number, etc.). The fact that you were born with a certain name is on your birth certificate, your driver's license, and more. It is part of the public record, and we cannot delete it. When someone orders a DeleteMe subscription, we delete their contact information from this list of people search databases, not from the entire internet at large. Under our current system of law, certain information is public and cannot be made unpublic. We do as much as we can within the bounds of the law. >>




Does DeleteMe constantly monitor my information around the clock?

No. We're real people and we have to sleep sometimes, so DeleteMe follows a quarterly schedule: we send you your report and do your removals at the same time each quarter. As such, please don't send us emails that say things like "I'm listed here; take it down right now!" We'll take it down, but we'll be following our subscription schedule. >>




I found myself on a people search site that's not on your removal list. Can you remove me from it?

Nope. If it's not on our list, we don't delete you from it. Sorry! We get a lot of questions about a few sites in particular: 123People, Yasni, and Pipl. The reason why we don't include them in our removal service is because they have no opt-out procedure. Some are based outside of the US, and all of them are aggregation sites, which means that they scrape your info from other places where it's already listed (like social networks, public search results, and the major people search databases that we remove you from). Although there's currently no way to remove your information directly from these sites if you're in the US, deleting it from the others--the sources--essentially filtering it out of both. >>




How long will it take for my listings disappear from people search databases you remove me from?

Although all of your listings will disappear within about six weeks from when we send opt-out requests on your behalf, some will be gone quicker than others. For example, the databases that we're able to opt out of online, such as Spokeo and WhitePages, will process within a few days. Those that require hard copy mailings, however, will take up to six weeks. In addition, this process will take longer if you haven't provided us with essential information that we need to start your order, such as your webform submission and your ID. >>




I subscribed to DeleteMe. Why am I still listed on a people search website?

This happens from time to time. Sometimes websites are slow to respond, and other times they repost information after a few months. That's why DeleteMe is an annual, ongoing subscription and not a one-time thing. If we catch a site that isn't playing fair and following its own privacy policies, we report them (we actually did this in the past with BeenVerified.com; click here to read the story about it). >>




How do these sites get my information in the first place?

Want to know more about people search sites? Check out our informational website about them. They get your information from so-called "public records," but that term is a bit misleading. Not all of their sources are open to the public or come from the government. Some of the biggest sources are:

• Marketing databases
• Credit bureaus
• Real estate transactions (including appraisals)
• Trademark filings
• Marriage licenses and divorce decrees
• Any unsealed lawsuits or legal actions
• Birth certificates
• Death certificates
• Census statistics
• Voter registrations
• Drivers licenses
• Utility companies
• Government spending reports
• Political campaign contributions
• Sex offender registrations
• Legislation minutes
• Business and entity filings
• Professional and business licenses
• Criminal records
There are also public record sources consisting of information that we voluntarily provide, even though we didn't know that it'd be used for something beyond the purpose for which we provided it:
• Sweepstakes
• Surveys
• Rebate and warranty cards
• Online account registrations and profiles
• Forum posts
• Social networking info (but note that this sometimes depends on the site's Terms of Use regarding sharing info with third parties, as well as your own privacy selections on that site: e.g., your Facebook likes and interests, your friends, your tweets, the work information you provide to LinkedIn)
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What is your refund policy for DeleteMe subscriptions?

Our refund policy: you can cancel at any time for any reason and we'll refund the remaining months of your payment. Here's an example: let's say you signed up and paid $99 for the year, but you want to cancel 2 months into your subscription. $99 a year amounts to $8.25 a month, so we'd keep the $16.50 for the first 2 months when we were working to remove your information, and we'd refund the remaining $82.50 to you. >>




Will my info come back after you remove it from sites?

In most cases, your listings won't reappear on the sites we opted you out of unless you resupply them with your information, whether intentionally or unintentionally. If you're fairly reckless with your information (e.g. signing up for sweepstakes with real personal information, registering for suspect-looking sites online, sending in rebates, generally failing to take proper care with info), it may return. It's a constant push and pull between you and the companies: you to keep everything private, but there are some things you simply can't hide completely; the companies try to uncover and publicize everything. There's always a certain amount we reveal just by living a normal life in a modern society, but our experience is that that amount, combined with a DeleteMe subscription, isn't enough to make this info return. We recommend using Abine's Privacy Suite and ChromeBlock software to protect your information when you're browsing the web, which you can download for free here. >>




How can you delete my information for me? Is that allowed?

We obtain your permission to act as your behalf as your authorized agent for the limited purpose of carrying out the cancellation or deletion you need. It's outlined in our Terms of Service that you'll see and agree to during checkout. >>




I'm a subscriber. How do I update my credit card information?

Easy: just log into your DeleteMe account, click "my account" in the right sidebar, and click "recurring fees." You can change your credit card information on this page. >>




What is not covered by your service?

Anything you'd like removed that is not on our list of people search sites is not covered by the service. >>




Do I get to authorize what you delete before you do it?

When you sign up, you're authorizing us to delete you from all of the people search sites on our list. If you don't want us to do that for some reason, just let us know. We will not remove you from any sites that are not on this list. >>


I don't live in the US. Can you still delete my listings?

No. The sites from which we delete our customers are all based in the US and they only process removals from people who either currently live in the US or used to live in the US. If you've never lived in the US at any point in your life, we won't be able to help you. >>




Does DeleteMe sell my information?

No. We are an online privacy company that's dedicated to protecting your data. We are independent from the sites from which we delete our customers and have no relationship with them, unlike *cough cough* some of our competitors. We work only for our customers, and we exist because most online entities make it very confusing and difficult for people to remove themselves. >>




What kind of people use DeleteMe?

Many different kinds of people are DeleteMe customers, such as those who:

• Don't feel comfortable with their contact info being publicly displayed and sold online
• Face threats from stalkers, exes, or other dangerous people
• Want to protect their families
• Work in law enforcement or the judicial system
• Are public figures and therefore have a lot of unwanted people trying to reach them
• Don't have the time to figure out the deletion process, complete the opt-outs, or both
• Would rather have the experts--us--put forth the effort
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Why should I trust the DeleteMe team?

Simply put, your privacy is our business. Getting it right is how our company succeeds. Without a reputation for trustworthiness, we couldn't stay in business for long. Just read the many positive mentions we've received in the press or check out our customers' testimonials to see that we're serious.

Our team has been working (founding, investing, or operating) with tech startups for over a decade now, and we have experience in and passion for internet security. We believe everyone has a right to privacy in their life – whether in their home or online. We believe people care deeply about their privacy - even though many top companies and executives do not. We believe many web businesses today do not act appropriately when it comes to their users' personal information, and even well-intentioned companies are hampered by inherent conflicts of interest. We believe the time is right for a new company to put users back in control of their online privacy.

We collect only as much information from you as is absolutely necessary to provide the DeleteMe service. As our privacy policy states, we won't track, store, or sell your personal information to anyone. >>




How does DeleteMe compare to the competition?

While DeleteMe specializes in deleting negative content, others create positive content to suppress, rather than remove, negative search results. We do not create any content here at DeleteMe. As of the writing of this FAQ, a DeleteMe subscription removes your information from a greater number of sites than our competitors do. Our removal service includes Intelius and their network of partner and affiliate sites, while our competitors' services do not. Furthermore, DeleteMe is done by hand (people, not computers), and we use an emailed report format to show you the state of your online privacy. We're dedicated to your right to privacy, and we will never sell your personal information. >>




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Still have questions?

Get in touch with us. You can chat live with one of our team members, visit our support forums, email us at support@abine.com, or call us 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, at (617) 492-0024. >>

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