Data Broker Opt-Out Guide: UK, Canada, and Australia
TL;DR: The people-search industry looks different outside the US. In the UK, 192.com and the open electoral register are the dominant feeds. Canada and Australia have smaller domestic people-search markets but strong legal rights (PIPEDA and the Privacy Act) — and US-based sites like Whitepages and Spokeo index residents of all three countries anyway.
👉 See if your data's already leaked — free 30-second check →
Most data broker opt-out guides are written for the US market, which has a uniquely large people-search industry. The mechanics — and your rights — look meaningfully different in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
United Kingdom
The dominant UK people-search directory is 192.com, holding roughly 700 million residential and business records compiled from the open (edited) electoral register, Companies House director filings, HM Land Registry data, and birth/death/marriage records.
- Remove yourself from 192.com through their online removal-request page — this typically clears your electoral, Companies House, and phone-directory records within about 48 hours.
- Opt out of the open electoral register separately — without this, 192.com and similar sites simply re-list you at the next data refresh. This doesn't affect your right to vote, only whether your details are sold to the "open" (marketing-accessible) version of the register.
- Companies House directors can separately apply to suppress a residential address from public filings.
- Your rights are backed by UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — including the right to erasure (Article 17) and an absolute right to object to direct marketing (Article 21), enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), with a required response within one month.
Canada
Canada has a much smaller domestic people-search industry than the US, but the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) gives you enforceable rights over personal information held by private-sector organizations, including the right to access what's held about you and request correction.
- Contact any Canadian data broker or directory directly to request access to, or removal of, your information under PIPEDA.
- If a company doesn't respond adequately, you can file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).
- US-based people-search sites (see below) frequently index Canadian residents too, and are usually the larger practical source of exposure.
Australia
Australia's Privacy Act 1988 and its Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) give you the right to access personal information held about you (APP 12), enforced by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
- Australia's domestic people-search market is also comparatively small; most exposure again comes from international sites indexing Australian public records.
- Complaints about non-compliant handling of your data can be raised directly with the OAIC if a company doesn't respond to a request.
- For general digital footprint basics specific to Australia, see Digital Footprint Basics for Australians.
The US sites that index all three countries anyway
Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, and similar US-based data brokers frequently hold and display records on UK, Canadian, and Australian residents too, particularly if you've ever lived in, worked with, or had accounts tied to the US. It's worth checking and opting out of these regardless of your home country — see How US Data Broker Sites Expose Your Phone Number and Email and Opting Out of US People-Search Sites for the specific process.
Why this matters beyond privacy in the abstract
Data broker listings are frequently the source of the specific personal detail — an address, a family member's name — that makes an imposter or family-emergency scam call sound credible. If you want a fuller picture of what's already exposed about your phone number and email specifically, a Scan My Shadow report checks 1,500+ sources in one pass. This is one entry in our running field guide to what's actually circulating right now — see Common Scams Right Now (2026): An International Field Guide for the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the single most impactful opt-out step for someone in the UK?
Opting out of the open (edited) electoral register, alongside removing your existing listing from 192.com — without the register opt-out, sites like 192.com simply re-list you at the next data refresh.
Does opting out of the UK electoral register affect my right to vote?
No — it only affects whether your details are included in the 'open' version of the register that's legally sold for marketing and people-search purposes; you remain registered to vote.
What rights do Canadians have over data held by private companies?
PIPEDA gives Canadians the right to access personal information held by private-sector organizations and request correction, with complaints escalated to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if unresolved.
Is Australia's Privacy Act as strong as GDPR for data removal?
Australia's Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles give a right of access to your data (APP 12), enforced by the OAIC, though the framework differs from GDPR's more expansive erasure rights — reforms have been under discussion.
Should UK, Canadian, or Australian residents also check US data broker sites?
Yes — US-based sites like Whitepages and Spokeo frequently index residents of all three countries too, especially anyone with past US ties, making them worth checking regardless of home country.
Curious what's already out there about you? Scan My Shadow checks your phone number and email across 1,500+ sources and sends you a clear report — no guesswork, just facts. Start your scan.
Curious what's publicly visible about you right now? Try the free Digital Footprint Checker — it takes under a minute.
- Results within about 5 minutes
- Clear, plain-English report
- Delivered straight to your inbox
- No login or passwords required
- Scan data deleted after report is generated