Everything we know, said plainly.

Both, and we’ll tell you which is which for every result. Free scans always show you where your information was found, across every broker we check — that part is the same for everyone. For a small number of brokers with an official, sanctioned bulk process (like California’s state platform, for eligible residents), removal can be handled directly and automatically. For the much larger number of brokers without that kind of mechanism — which is most of them — actually filing the opt-out is real, tedious human work, done by someone on our team, and that’s specifically what the paid subscription pays for. We’d rather say that plainly than let “automated” imply more than it is.

Yes, completely. The free scan shows you every broker where we found your information, regardless of whether we can act on it automatically or not. What the subscription adds isn’t more visibility — it’s us actually doing the (often manual) work of filing removals for you, instead of you doing it yourself from the list we give you.

Run the free scan, confirm the results that are actually you (not someone with a similar name), and give us permission to file removals on your behalf. After that, most of the ongoing work happens without you — though a small number of brokers require you personally to click a verification link they email you, since we can’t do that step for you. We’ll tell you exactly when that’s the case.

You can absolutely do this yourself — most brokers do allow self-service opt-outs, and some are quick. ScrubTrace exists for the time it takes to track down each broker’s specific process, repeat it every time your information reappears, and keep track of which ones actually followed through.

Yes, and we’ll say so plainly: for people in states with strong public tools (California’s DROP platform, for example) or the patience to submit requests manually, a paid service isn’t strictly necessary. We’d rather tell you that than have you find it out later and feel misled.

We check across four categories: people-search sites, marketing databases, public record aggregators, and background check sites. The exact list changes over time as brokers merge, rebrand, or shut down — we’d rather keep the list current than quote you a fixed number that goes stale in a month.

Tell us. If it’s a legitimate broker holding your information, we’ll look into adding it to what we check. We can’t promise every obscure site gets covered, but we do expand the list based on what real customers run into.

No. We focus specifically on data brokers — sites whose business is aggregating and reselling your personal information. Social media privacy settings and search engine de-indexing are a different problem with different tools, and we won’t stretch our scope to claim we handle them.

Most brokers process a request within a few weeks, though timelines vary by site and some drag well past what they claim. We’ll show you the status of each one individually rather than asking you to just wait and trust it’s happening.

Sometimes. Brokers can and do relist information after a successful removal, often when they re-scrape public records months later. That’s why we recheck on a schedule instead of treating one removal as the end of the job — but we won’t tell you it’s permanent when it isn’t.

It happens. Some brokers are slow, some require multiple follow-ups, and a small number simply don’t respond. When that’s the case, we tell you plainly — broker by broker — instead of quietly counting it as a completed removal.

Yes, more than most services will admit. A handful of states have laws that let us act as your “authorized agent” and file removals directly on your behalf — California is the clearest example. Other states have a general data privacy law but less clear agent rights. And some states don’t have a comprehensive privacy law at all yet, which changes what we can realistically promise you. We’ll show you exactly which situation applies when you enter your state on the scan form.

It can be, but the honest answer is that our leverage is weaker there. In states without a comprehensive privacy law, we lean on free public opt-out links and each broker’s own self-serve removal process rather than a legal right we can invoke on your behalf. We’ll always show you those free options, whether or not you subscribe.

No. ScrubTrace is a removal service, not a law firm, and nothing here or in our results is legal advice. If your situation is legally complicated — harassment, stalking, a restraining order — talk to an actual attorney; we’re a tool, not a substitute for one.

Yes — no card required, and you’ll see the full results, not a teaser behind a paywall. We only ask for payment if you want us to actually file the removals for you.

We limit it to one free scan per person every 30 days. It’s not there to pressure you — it’s to stop the free scan from being used to repeatedly probe someone else’s exposure, or as a substitute for actual ongoing monitoring, which is what the paid plan is for. If you hit the limit, we’ll tell you when your next free scan is available.

Yes, with no retention call and no “are you sure” gauntlet. Cancelling stops future billing and future rechecks — it doesn’t undo removals already completed, but it also doesn’t guarantee your information stays off every site forever, since brokers can relist on their own.

If we haven’t started filing removals yet, yes, ask us. Once removal requests are actively in progress with brokers, we generally can’t refund the work already done — but reach out and we’ll talk it through honestly rather than hide behind a blanket policy.

We don’t keep it. Once your results are shown, your name and details are either deleted or reduced to a one-way “fingerprint” — a technique similar to the one California’s state-run DROP program uses for its own broker matching — that lets us recognize if the same person scans again (mainly to enforce the free-scan limit), without ever storing your actual name or address in a readable form. ScrubTrace isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by DROP or the State of California — we just use a comparable method. If you subscribe, that’s when we start keeping your real information, because we need it to actually file removals — and only then, with your agreement.

It’s a fair thing to be wary of, and we’d rather you ask than not think about it. We collect only what’s needed to identify your listings and file removals — we don’t sell data, and we’re not a data broker ourselves. If that ever changes, we’d have to tell you, because “we don’t sell your data” is a promise, not a marketing line.

Name, state, and email to run the scan. If you subscribe, we may need additional details a specific broker requires to verify identity for removal — we’ll tell you what and why before asking, rather than collecting everything upfront “just in case.”

You. We don’t publish, share, or sell scan results, and we don’t use them for anything beyond delivering the service you asked for.