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Optery

Optery is the industry leader in personal data removal, helping individuals, families, and organizations find and remove exposed personal information from data brokers and people-search sites. Optery removes home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives’ information, employment details, and other personal data that can be exploited for phishing, identity fraud, account takeover, doxxing, harassment, stalking, and physical threats. Optery combines patented search technology, sophisticated opt-out automation, and expert Privacy Agents to find and remove dozens more exposed profiles per person than other services. Optery supports automated removals from hundreds of sites, with unlimited name and location variations, and monthly rescans to address new exposures. Before-and-after screenshots provide verifiable proof of what Optery finds and removes, offering transparency no other service provides. Independent testing confirms Optery’s leadership. CNET named Optery its 2026 Editors’ Choice and Best Overall Data Removal Service, reporting the highest removal success rate among the services it tested. Consumer Reports ranked Optery #1 for removal effectiveness in its blind study, and PCMag has awarded Optery Editors’ Choice for five consecutive years, from 2022 through 2026. In separate testing, a TechCrunch journalist found that Optery uncovered nearly 50 exposed profiles missed by DeleteMe. Optery is also the most award-recognized personal data removal platform in the industry. Anyone can create a free account to receive a personalized Exposure Report with live screenshots showing where their information is exposed online, along with free tools for self-service removals. Paid plans provide ongoing automated removals, expert support, verification, and monitoring. Optery has no affiliations with data brokers and never sells customer data. Optery for Business gives security and IT teams a fully self-service platform for finding and removing exposed executive and employee information at scale. The enterprise-grade platform includes centralized administration, detailed reporting, SSO, SAML, SCIM, and API capabilities and is SOC 2 Type II attested. Optery’s API also enables businesses and developers to embed its award-winning data broker scanning and removal technology directly into their own products and services.
145 articles

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Cloaked vs. Optery (2026 Comparison): Which Data Removal Service is Best?

Who Is Cloaked? Cloaked is a multi-feature privacy app. It bundles email/phone aliases, spam-call blocking, a password manager, VPN, $1M identity theft insurance, dark web monitoring, and a basic personal data removal service all in one subscription. This bundle is genuinely appealing. Who Is Optery? Optery is #1 most effective and award winning personal dataContinue reading "Cloaked vs. Optery (2026 Comparison): Which Data Removal Service is Best?"
July 25, 2026
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The Era of Executive-Only Data Broker Removal Is Over. Most Organizations Now Recognize the Urgent Need to Expand Coverage Across the Broader Workforce

Originally published in Evan Kirstel’s “What’s up with Tech“ Historically, personal data removal has often been treated as a protection measure for executives only. CEOs, board members, founders, and other highly visible leaders are obvious targets for both cyber and physical threats. When their personal information is exposed on data broker sites, attackers can useContinue reading "The Era of Executive-Only Data Broker Removal Is Over. Most Organizations Now Recognize the Urgent Need to Expand Coverage Across the Broader Workforce"
July 24, 2026
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Optery at Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2026

Join Optery at Global Security Exchange in Atlanta, Georgia to see how we remove exposed employee and executive personal data from the open web to help organizations reduce cyber and physical risk. Stop by our table to learn how Optery’s award-winning solution helps prevent: • Social engineering and impersonation attacks (phishing, smishing, vishing)• Credential compromise,Continue reading "Optery at Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2026"
July 15, 2026
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CNET Names Optery Editors’ Choice and Best Overall Data Removal Service of 2026

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 otherContinue reading "CNET Names Optery Editors’ Choice and Best Overall Data Removal Service of 2026"
July 6, 2026
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Data Brokers Are Intelligence Tools for Attackers. Security Teams Need Defensive Counterintelligence

Originally published in Evan Kirstel’s “What’s up with Tech“ Targeted social engineering does not begin with a phish, a text, or a phone call. It begins with reconnaissance. Attackers need to know who works at a company, what they do, how they can be reached, who they work with, and what details will make anContinue reading "Data Brokers Are Intelligence Tools for Attackers. Security Teams Need Defensive Counterintelligence"
June 25, 2026
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Optery at FutureCon Chicago – June 2026

Join Optery at FutureCon Chicago to see how we remove exposed employee and executive personal data from the open web to help organizations reduce cyber and physical risk. Stop by our table to learn how Optery’s award-winning solution helps prevent: • social engineering and impersonation attacks (phishing, smishing, vishing)• credential compromise, account takeover, and BEC•Continue reading "Optery at FutureCon Chicago – June 2026"
June 4, 2026
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Optery Wins 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Award in Privacy Enhancing Technologies

Recognition honors organizations, products, and leaders delivering measurable results in digital defense Optery has been named a winner in the 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards, in the category of Privacy Enhancing Technologies. Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the award recognizes the organizations, products, and people applying cybersecurity in ways that deliver real, measurable protection. TheContinue reading "Optery Wins 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Award in Privacy Enhancing Technologies"
June 2, 2026
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Optery Named a Winner in the 2026 Evan Kirstel’s We Love Tech Awards

Recognized in the Security / CyberSecurity category as a Product winner Optery today announced that it has been named a winner in the Security / CyberSecurity category of the 2026 Evan Kirstel’s We Love Tech Awards, an annual program celebrating the individuals, organizations, and products reshaping how enterprises work, communicate, secure data, serve customers, andContinue reading "Optery Named a Winner in the 2026 Evan Kirstel’s We Love Tech Awards"
May 14, 2026
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The Data Behind the Deception: A Live Webinar on Optery’s 2026 Enterprise Social Engineering Survey

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, join us for a live webinar walking through the findings of our 2026 Enterprise Social Engineering Survey – a study of 400+ cybersecurity leaders exploring rising social engineering attacks, enterprise response, and how security teams are defending their organizations today. Paul Mander, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of OpteryContinue reading "The Data Behind the Deception: A Live Webinar on Optery’s 2026 Enterprise Social Engineering Survey"
May 5, 2026
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New Feature: Export PII Removal Status for Organization Members 

Measurable PII removal status data is now available at your fingertips. Optery for Business administrators can now generate a CSV export of PII removal status data for one, several, or all organization members. The export includes the complete history of status changes for each member at each data broker. The CSV includes data broker names,Continue reading "New Feature: Export PII Removal Status for Organization Members "
April 28, 2026
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Optery Wins 2026 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for Attack Surface Management, Anti-Phishing, and Human Risk Management

Recognition underscores Optery’s unmatched ability to find and remove exposed employee PII across data broker sites, helping prevent cyber and physical threats Optery, the leader in enterprise-grade personal data removal and the first company to offer IT teams a completely self-service platform for finding and removing employee PII from the web, today announced it hasContinue reading "Optery Wins 2026 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for Attack Surface Management, Anti-Phishing, and Human Risk Management"
April 23, 2026
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[Webinar] The Data Behind the Deception: Inside Optery’s 2026 Enterprise Social Engineering Survey

Discover what experienced cybersecurity leaders are doing to protect their businesses from cyberattacks. Get an exclusive look at new research from Optery’s survey of 421 enterprise cybersecurity leaders. Paul Mander, CCO and General Manager of Optery for Business, and Ray Heffer, Field CISO and strategic security advisor at Veeam, unpack the report’s most important findingsContinue reading "[Webinar] The Data Behind the Deception: Inside Optery’s 2026 Enterprise Social Engineering Survey"
April 20, 2026
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Optery Wins Best of Category in Social Engineering in the 2026 Globee® Awards for Cybersecurity

Globee Awards honors Optery for helping organizations prevent social engineering attacks. Optery, the award-winning personal data removal platform helping individuals and businesses remove exposed personal information from data broker and people-search websites, is honored to be named the Best of Category winner in Social Engineering in the 2026 Globee® Awards for Cybersecurity, a globally recognizedContinue reading "Optery Wins Best of Category in Social Engineering in the 2026 Globee® Awards for Cybersecurity"
April 14, 2026
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Optery for Financial Services Organizations

Optery removes exposed employee personal data from data broker and people-search sites at scale, helping financial services organizations reduce cyber and physical risk. Discover Optery’s Financial Services Data Sheet. Financial services remains one of the most targeted sectors for cyberattacks. Data broker platforms expose employee contact details, job roles, and locations — information attackers useContinue reading "Optery for Financial Services Organizations"
April 3, 2026
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Optery for Life Sciences & Healthcare Organizations

Optery removes exposed employee personal data from data broker and people-search sites at scale, helping healthcare organizations reduce cyber and physical risk. Discover Optery’s Life Sciences & Healthcare Data Sheet. Healthcare remains one of the most targeted sectors for cyberattacks. Data broker platforms expose employee contact details, job roles, and locations — information attackers useContinue reading "Optery for Life Sciences & Healthcare Organizations"
March 11, 2026
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Advocacy in Action: Strengthening Privacy for Vermonters

At Optery, we believe privacy shouldn’t be a privilege or a full-time job. That’s why we’re taking our mission directly to lawmakers. On January 19, 2026, Optery’s General Counsel, Ambar Chavez, submitted formal testimony to the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development regarding H.211, Vermont’s proposal for a state “Delete Act”. Our goalContinue reading "Advocacy in Action: Strengthening Privacy for Vermonters"
February 18, 2026
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Optery at FutureCon’s Bourbon & Banter RSA Happy Hour

Join Optery at RSAC for FutureCon’s Bourbon & Banter happy hour and enjoy an evening of bourbon tasting, entertainment, and networking. Led by Ken Foster, an accomplished CISO and U.S. Navy veteran, and “Pops,” Founder and Chief Drinking Officer of DrinkCurious and Bourbon & Banter, the event brings together cybersecurity best practices and elite bourbonContinue reading "Optery at FutureCon’s Bourbon & Banter RSA Happy Hour"
January 30, 2026
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Incogni vs Optery: Why Privacy Experts Pick Optery

When it comes to personal data removal, the difference between doing something and doing it right is huge. Incogni has grown in visibility thanks to its parent company’s marketing reach, but once you look past the branding, Optery stands out as the more comprehensive, transparent, verifiable, and award-winning choice. “Optery is our pick for bestContinue reading "Incogni vs Optery: Why Privacy Experts Pick Optery"
October 15, 2025
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Optery’s Statement Following Meltwater’s Unsolicited Emails to Optery Customers

In May 2025, Meltwater sent unsolicited emails to a small portion of Optery customers who had enabled Expanded Reach and Use for Removals, using email addresses Optery provided solely for opt-out processing. We believe this violated Optery’s clear instructions. Upon learning of the incident, Optery immediately halted opt out submissions to Meltwater. We’re committed to protecting our users' privacy and security, strengthening controls, and continued leadership in data removal effectiveness.
June 7, 2025
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Optery Mobile App — Data Privacy on Android & iOS

Optery Mobile delivers our award-winning personal data removal service natively on Android and iOS. View your full Exposure Report, trigger automated opt-outs with expert human verification, and track every removal via visual before-and-after screenshots, all secured under AICPA SOC 2 Type II controls. Backed by patented search technology and coverage of + data brokers (AutomatedContinue reading "Optery Mobile App — Data Privacy on Android & iOS"
May 25, 2025
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Optery’s Statement Following Consumer Reports Study Evaluating People-Search Site Removal Services

We felt the Consumer Reports study was well intentioned, but poorly designed, misleading in its conclusions, and ultimately the source of misinformation as major news outlets picked up the story and amplified its flawed conclusions across the internet. Despite the poor design, the results of the study ranked Optery the #1 most effective of all services tested, outperforming DeleteMe, Reputation Defender, EasyOptOuts, Kanary, and all others tested.
August 21, 2024
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How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from Absolute People Search in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions

In this post, we’ll cover what Absolute People Search is and Step-by-Step instructions on How to Opt Out of Absolute People Search. What is Absolute People Search? Absolute People Search is a Public Records Search site. Entering the first and last name and city and state where someone lives into the search fields on theContinue reading "How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from Absolute People Search in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions"
April 8, 2024
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Optery’s Statement Following Investigative Report on Onerep by Krebs on Security

After tracking the situation ourselves for years, we were glad someone finally assembled the facts so rigorously. It corroborated several of the things we had been pointing out about Onerep since 2021, and that Will McAdam, the late founder of PrivacyDuck, pointed out from 2016 until his death in July 2021. While largely unknown to the general public, Onerep’s affiliations with Nuwber and other people search sites were an open secret inside the data removal industry.
March 18, 2024
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How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from Radaris in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions

In this post we will cover what Radaris is and provide Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Opt Out of Radaris. If you are concerned about your personal information being on display on websites like Radaris, take action and Opt Out. Follow the steps in Optery’s Opt Out guide provided below and remove your private dataContinue reading "How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from Radaris in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions"
October 18, 2023
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How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from BeenVerified in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions

In this post, we’ll cover what BeenVerified is and Step-by-Step instructions on How to Opt Out of BeenVerified. If you are concerned about your personal information being displayed on data broker sites like BeenVerified, protect your personal information and opt out. How do I Opt Out and Remove Myself from BeenVerified? How do I OptContinue reading "How to Opt Out and Remove Yourself from BeenVerified in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions"
August 19, 2023
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How to Opt Out of CheckPeople in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions

In this post, we’ll cover what CheckPeople is and Step-by-Step instructions on How to Opt Out of CheckPeople. How do I Opt Out and Remove Myself from CheckPeople? How do I Opt Out of CheckPeople Manually? 1) Go to the CheckPeople homepage here: https://checkpeople.com/. Scroll down to the bottom of the homepage and click theContinue reading "How to Opt Out of CheckPeople in 2025 | Step-by-Step Instructions"
August 6, 2023
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Optery Is SOC 2, Type II Security Certified

Optery Achieves SOC 2 Type II Security Certification The best way to prevent data breaches is to implement strong controls for security, confidentiality, processing integrity, privacy, and availability of user data. Optery is proud to have completed its American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) SOC 2, Type 2 security certification by Prescient Assurance, aContinue reading "Optery Is SOC 2, Type II Security Certified"
July 26, 2023
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Optery Selected as a Finalist for SXSW Pitch 2023

Optery was selected as a finalist in the Enterprise & Smart Data category for the 15th annual SXSW Pitch (formerly SXSW Accelerator). Out of the hundreds of companies that applied to present at SXSW Pitch 2023, Optery was selected among the 40 finalists spanning eight separate categories. Optery, Allosense Dash, Climatiq, CreditRich, and FastForward will present in the Enterprise & Smart Data category on Sunday March 12th.
January 17, 2023
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