CNET has named Optery the best overall data removal service of 2026, ranking Optery #1 among leading personal data removal services.

In its comparison of top data removal services, CNET selected Optery as its top overall recommendation, citing Optery’s ease of use, removal effectiveness, and unmatched transparency.

CNET said Optery is “better than any other service at showing you the work it does” to remove personal data and had the “highest removal success rate” according to third-party testing.

The review highlighted Optery’s dashboard, activity history, reports, screenshots, and clear breakdown of the removal process. 

Personal Data Removal Should Always Come With Proof

CNET recognized both the effectiveness of Optery’s removal capabilities and the proof Optery provides to verify that work. Those results are powered by Optery’s search technology, opt-out automation, and verification-based reporting. 

Optery’s patented search technology scans for exposed personal information across hundreds of data broker and people-search sites. When Optery finds a profile, it captures evidence, initiates removals, tracks progress, and provides before-and-after screenshots so users can see the results.

CNET specifically called out this proof, with the reviewer noting that “these screenshots are a nice confidence booster that affirms for me that Optery does the work it claims to do, and no other service I tried showed this level of information.” 

This level of verification is necessary for people who want confidence that their personal information is being removed. It is also essential for organizations that need to protect employees, executives, and other high-risk personnel from threats fueled by exposed personal data. 

Optery’s data broker scanning tech is the most advanced in the world and finds ~100 exposed data broker profiles per person on average, including ~40-50 more than other removal services. This means if someone is using a different service, they likely still have significant exposure that will remain unaddressed. In a TechCrunch evaluation, for instance, a journalist reported that Optery identified nearly 50 exposed profiles of his that a leading competitor had missed.

To execute opt-outs, Optery employs a blend of technologies including AI and machine learning that allow it to automate complex personal data opt-out workflows with high autonomy and flexibility.

Optery’s opt-out technology fills out and submits opt-out forms, solves CAPTCHA puzzles, clicks verification links, delivers legal demands, and writes and responds to emails automatically. 

This allows individuals, families, and organizations to remove exposed personal data at a scale and speed not previously possible. In a test by The Wall Street Journal, Optery removed information from more than 100 sites in just a couple of days.

Recognition Earned Through Product Performance

CNET’s recognition adds to a growing list of third-party validation for Optery’s product leadership. Optery has been named PCMag Editors’ Choice for personal data removal every year from 2022 through 2026, and has received major cybersecurity and technology honors from Cyber Defense Magazine, the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, the Globee® Awards, SiliconANGLE, Fortress Cybersecurity Awards, Fast Company, and Evan Kirstel’s We Love Tech Awards. 

CNET’s review reinforces the core reason so many people choose Optery: Optery is more successful at removing personal data from data broker sites than other services and proves the work with before-and-after screenshots.

Receiving CNET’s Editors’ Choice reflects Optery’s years of work building a platform focused on deeper search, more comprehensive and faster removals, clearer reporting, and greater accountability.

Optery’s mission is simple: help individuals, families, and businesses minimize exposed personal information online and lower the risk of cyber and physical threats.

CNET’s review highlights why Optery continues to stand apart and remains the industry leader in personal data removal.

We find more. We remove more. And we prove it.

Using Another Data Removal Service?

Personal data removal should be comprehensive and verifiable. If you are already using a different data removal service, run a free Optery scan to see what they have missed.