The RedactZero Blog
Take back your privacy
Plain-English guides to removing yourself from data brokers, surviving breaches, understanding your rights, and building everyday privacy habits. No hype, no fake stats.
What the FCRA Means for Background Checks
Which background-check companies the FCRA covers, which sites disclaim it, and why that split decides whether you can dispute or must opt out.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Remove Your Info From Bing and DuckDuckGo (2026)
Bing and DuckDuckGo have their own removal paths - how to file with each, and why removing the source page fixes all three engines at once.
Breaches & PasswordsHow to Check If Your SSN Was Leaked (and What to Do)
No site can look up your SSN directly - here are the free checks that actually work and the three locks that block misuse.
Data BrokersHow Long Does a Data Broker Opt-Out Take? (2026)
Realistic removal timelines by broker, the legal deadlines that actually apply, and what to do when your opt-out stalls.
Data BrokersHow to Remove Yourself From Radaris and MyLife
Free, step-by-step removals for two of the stickiest people-search sites, with realistic timelines and the quirks that trip people up.
Breaches & PasswordsHow to Spot and Avoid Phishing After a Breach
Breached data turns generic spam into phishing that knows your name and your bank. The signs, the 30-second verification habit, and what to do if you already clicked.
Everyday PrivacyWhat Incognito Mode Actually Does (and Doesn't)
Incognito hides your session from other people on your device - not from websites, your ISP, or data brokers.
Data BrokersHow Data Brokers Price and Sell Your Information
What your data actually sells for per record, who buys it, and how to take yourself off the market.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Find and Delete Old Online Accounts (2026)
Dormant accounts leak years after you quit them - how to find every old account you made and shut it down.
Breaches & PasswordsHow to Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus
A credit freeze is free at all three bureaus and blocks new accounts in your name - here is how to place it, thaw it, and what it cannot stop.
Data BrokersSpokeo vs Whitepages vs BeenVerified: What They Expose
A side-by-side look at what the big three people-search sites publish about you, and how to remove yourself from each.
Your RightsStates That Make Data Brokers Register (2026)
Vermont, California, Texas and Oregon force data brokers onto public registries - here is what each list shows and how to use it.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Opt Out of Targeted Advertising (2026)
Global Privacy Control, ad-network opt-outs, and phone ad IDs - the switches that actually work, and the data brokers behind the targeting.
Data BrokersHow to Remove Your Phone Number From the Internet
Where your phone number leaked from, which sites to opt out of first, and how to lock it against spam calls and SIM-swap fraud.
Breaches & PasswordsWhat Hackers Actually Do With Your Leaked Data
Your leaked data gets sorted, resold, and run through credential stuffing, phishing, SIM swaps, and new-account fraud - here is the full chain and what stops each step.
Your RightsHow to File a CCPA Deletion Request (Step by Step)
Send a CCPA deletion request that a company has to answer: where to file it, what to include, the 45-day clock, and what to do when they say no.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Protect Your Kids' Privacy Online (2026)
Freeze their credit, opt out of school directory information, and shrink the parent listing that points strangers at your household.
Data BrokersAre Paid Data-Removal Services Worth It? (2026)
Paid removal services file the same free opt-outs you can - here is what independent testing found, what they cost in 2026, and when paying is worth it.
Breaches & Passwords7 Early Signs Your Identity May Be Stolen
The seven warning signs that someone is using your identity, and the exact free steps to take the day you spot one.
Everyday PrivacyThe Beginner's Privacy Checklist (Start Here)
Seven free, prioritized steps - from breach checks and 2FA to credit freezes and broker opt-outs - in the order that cuts your exposure fastest.
Your RightsGDPR vs CCPA: What They Mean for Your Data
Who each privacy law protects, the rights they give you, and the practical tools - like GPC and DROP - that make them usable.
Data BrokersHow to Remove Your Home Address From the Internet
Your address is published by people-search sites, public records, and mailing data - here is where it comes from and the fastest way to remove it.
Breaches & PasswordsPassword Managers and 2FA: A No-Nonsense Guide
A practical setup guide: pick a password manager, fix what NIST no longer recommends, and turn on the right kind of two-factor in the right order.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Protect Your Privacy When You Move
Moving creates a burst of new public records - here is how to file your address change safely, cut the new-mover mail, and stop brokers rebuilding your listing.
Data BrokersWhy Data Brokers Keep Relisting You (and How to Stop It)
Removed profiles come back because an opt-out clears a listing, not the data pipeline behind it - here is the cycle and the routine that beats it.
Your RightsThe California Delete Act, Explained Simply
California's Delete Act and the DROP platform in plain English: what one free request actually deletes, and what it does not.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Stop Spam Calls and Texts for Good (2026)
Where robocallers get your number, and the layered plan - Do Not Call, carrier blocking, the FCC opt-out words, and cutting off data brokers.
Breaches & PasswordsHow to Check if Your Email Was in a Data Breach
A free one-minute check, what the data classes in your result actually mean, and the right fix for each kind of leaked data.
Data BrokersHow Many Data Brokers Have Your Information?
Nobody knows the real total, but you can find the brokers that actually list you.
Breaches & PasswordsDark Web vs Credit Monitoring: Which Do You Need?
Two services sold together that watch completely different things - and the free step that beats both.
Data BrokersWhat Are People-Search Sites and Why They Have Your Data
What people-search sites are, where they get your address, phone, and relatives, why publishing it is legal, and how to get removed.
Your RightsYour Data Deletion Rights, State by State (2026)
Nineteen states now give you a legal right to delete your data - here is which ones, how the rights differ, and what they quietly leave out.
Your RightsWhere to File a Privacy Complaint That Gets Results
The escalation ladder for when a company ignores your privacy request, and an honest account of what each regulator can actually do.
Your RightsHow to Stop Prescreened Credit Card Offers
The free federal opt-out that stops pre-approved credit offers, how the 5-year and permanent versions differ, and what it will not stop.
Your RightsWhat 'Do Not Sell My Personal Info' Actually Does
What that footer link legally obligates a company to do, why it is not deletion, and the browser signal that sends it everywhere automatically.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Remove Your Personal Info From Google Search
Google's removal tools clear the search result, not the page. Here is the right order to do it in so the data actually goes away.
Everyday PrivacyHow Email Aliases Shrink Your Data Exposure
Your email is the key that links your records across brokers and breaches. Here is how aliases break that link, and the trade-offs nobody mentions.
Everyday PrivacyWho Buys Your Phone's Location Data (and How to Stop It)
How your location leaves your phone through ad SDKs, who buys it, and the device settings that shut the pipeline off.
Breaches & PasswordsIs Dark Web Monitoring Worth It?
An honest look at what dark web monitoring detects, what it cannot do, and whether the paid version earns its place.
Breaches & PasswordsHow to Protect Yourself From SIM-Swap Attacks
Why the details data brokers publish are the same ones carriers use to verify you, and the free account locks that shut the attack down.
Breaches & PasswordsCredential Stuffing: How One Leaked Password Spreads
How attackers turn one leaked email and password into break-ins across dozens of unrelated accounts, and what actually stops it.
Data BrokersBackground Check Sites vs People-Search Sites
They look identical, but only one is covered by the FCRA - and that decides whether you can dispute wrong data or only opt out.
Data BrokersData Brokers and Stalking: A Safety-First Removal Plan
A safety-first removal sequence for anyone being stalked or harassed, including why to preserve evidence before you delete anything.
Data BrokersWhy Your Relatives Appear in People-Search Results
Why people-search profiles list your parents, siblings, and exes - and why removing your own listing does not remove you from theirs.
Everyday PrivacyHow to Shrink Your Digital Footprint in a Weekend
A five-block weekend plan to audit your exposure, delete dormant accounts, lock down your profiles, and opt out of the biggest data brokers - all free.
Breaches & PasswordsWhat to Do Right After a Data Breach (2026 Checklist)
The calm, ordered checklist for the hours after a breach: passwords, 2FA, credit freezes, and the scams to expect next.
Data BrokersHow to Remove Yourself From Data Brokers (2026 Guide)
How brokers get your data, the fastest opt-outs, and how to stop it coming back.