It’s one of those surprising days when you think of looking yourself up on a people search site like PeekYou and are shocked to find so much personal detail.
The first thing that will pop into your head might be, what is PeekYou, and why am I on it?
Is there a way to remove these personal details from this site?
Do not worry, and keep reading to find out the solution to this problem!
What Is PeekYou And Why Am I On It?
PeekYou is a free people search site that was launched in July 2006 and was relaunched later in November 2009.
The platform claims to handle over ten million monthly searches and serve 6 million monthly visitors. The platform also claims to have analyzed a billion links and boasts to be one of the top 500 sites in the States.
This online people search site aims to help people in getting touch with their lost ones and connect with people they have lost contact with.
If you are looking up someone, then you can expect to find information such as user name, age, favorite shows, etc., on PeekYou just by running a simple search.
If you are wondering why you are on the platform, then it is because PeekYou is a people search website, and any information of yours that is available online will be stored and collected by it. As uncomfortable as it may sound, companies like these profit by exchanging and collecting data from various sources.
PeekYou links to multiple websites that specialize in sharing and selling personal information. But having your personal information available on these platforms exposes you to many kinds of risk, including scams and calls from telemarketers.
So make sure you keep reading this guide to find out how you can remove your information from PeekYou.
What Information Does PeekYou Show?
When you search yourself or someone else on PeekYou, you will find a report that includes:
- Age
- Location
- Gender
- Possible relatives
- Blogs or pages (Wikipedia, Flickr) of other people with similar names
- Links to social sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace)
- Business details
- Favorite movie
- Favorite songs
- Usernames, and much more!
The information you will find in these reports for different people may vary depending on what information is present in various public records. But this is what most reports include.
Where Does PeekYou Collect Information From?
PeekYou, just like other popular background check sites, has plenty of resources from where it collects information on people. These sources include:
- Public records.
- Home pages.
- Social sites (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Court houses.
- Blog platforms.
- Home pages.
- Other data brokers.
PeekYou consolidates data from all of these and some other sources to g
How To Opt Out From PeekYou?
Removing yourself from PeekYou is easy. To do this, simply follow these steps:
- Go to the PeekYou’s Opt-out website.
- Now fill out the form by entering your first and last name along with your city, state and email address.
- Go to PeekYou, and look for your listing and once you find your listing, copy the URL and paste it on the opt-out page’s URL section.
- You can add multiple URL’s to remove multiple information from PeekYou.
- Now perform captcha and select the boxes at the bottom of the page and click on submit.
- Now open your email and click on the confirmation link sent by PeekYou to opt-out of their platform to submit your request.
Now wait for up to 48 hours, and your information will be removed from PeekYou.
Another Way To Opt-Out of PeekYou:
What To Know When Opting Out?
Although opting out of PeekYou is quite easy, you must take note of some important things:
- You can add multiple URLs on PeekYou’s removal request: If you have multiple URLs on people search websites, then you can link all the profile URLs in a single opt-out request.
- Use a separate email ID for opting out: If you do not want PeekYou to keep a record of your email ID, then make sure you create a separate email ID for opting out. It is a good idea to create and use a separate email ID that does not contain your phone number or other personal details.
Why Do I Have Multiple Listings on PeekYou?
PeekYou access information on people from various sources, including social media channels, blog platforms, etc.
And the information present on different platforms may cover different stages of your life. For example, you might have used different user names or nicknames on different profiles.
Additionally, changes in address, social sites, etc., could also lead this platform to create multiple profiles of yours.
As annoying as it may sound, you can paste the URL of all your listings in the opt-out request form in order to remove all of them from PeekYou’s platform.
Can PeekYou Add My Information Again Even After Opting-Out?
Yes, PeekYou can add your information again on its website even after you have opted out, and this is a common issue with these people’s search sites.
This issue happens when newly collected information by such sites does not match with the previously opted-out profile.
The only way to make sure your personal information does not remain on PeekYou is by checking yourself every now and then and opting out each time you find information on yourself.
Wrap Up
It could be quite uncomfortable for people to have their personal information, such as phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, photos, etc., on people search sites like PeekYou.
And for some, being able to find their lost ones from such publicly available information could be really useful.
PeekYou benefits by selling and exchanging your personal information to and from different data brokers to keep running.
The only way for you to remove your information from these sites is by opting out every now and then.
We hope you found your answer to “What is PeekYou and why am I on it” in this guide.
FAQs
Does PeekYou has the right to collect my information? Is it legal?
Yes, PeekYou has the legal right to collect and use your data. However, depending on where you live, you might also have the right to force the platform to remove your data from their site. State laws like Virginia’s CDPA, Colorado’s CPA, and California’s CCPA have made it illegal for data brokers to refuse.
How long will PeekYou take to delete my information?
PeekYou gives no time commitment as to when they will delete your data. Your information might be deleted immediately, or it might take up to 48 hours to process your request. If you continue to see your information on this platform even after a week of opting out, then you can reach out to them at [email protected].
How can I stop PeekYou from selling my personal information?
On PeekYou’s website, you will find a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” section in the lower part of the page.
Simply click this link, fill out the form, and submit a request if you want this site to stop selling your personal information to other data brokers.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.