How to Remove Yourself from SmartBackgroundChecks (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

July 4, 2026

SmartBackgroundChecks quietly keeps a profile on most adults in the country, and it hands that profile to anyone who types in a name. No login, no fee, no notice to you. This guide shows you how to pull your record down for free, what the process actually looks like, and why the listing tends to come back.

What SmartBackgroundChecks Is

SmartBackgroundChecks is a free people-search site. It pulls from public records, court filings, property databases, voter rolls, and commercial data feeds, then stitches everything into one searchable profile. The company says it draws on more than 2,000 sources to cover most adults in the United States.

Because everything it publishes started life as a public record, the site operates legally. That does not obligate you to stay listed, and it does nothing to stop the information from being useful to a scammer, a stalker, or anyone running a search on you.

What Shows Up in Your Profile

A SmartBackgroundChecks listing can expose:

Full name and known aliases
Age or year of birth
Current and previous home addresses
Phone numbers
Email addresses
Relatives and associates
Property records
Arrest and court records
Linked social media profiles

Laid out together like that, it is a starter kit for identity theft, targeted phishing, or unwanted contact.

How to Opt Out of SmartBackgroundChecks, Step by Step

Budget about 10 to 15 minutes. The whole thing is free.

Step 1: Open the Opt-Out Page

Go straight to:

smartbackgroundchecks.com/optout

You can also reach it from the homepage by scrolling to the footer and clicking "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information."

Step 2: Start the Request

Enter a valid email address, tick the box confirming you are the person the record is about, complete the CAPTCHA, and click "Accept Terms and Start Removal."

Tip: Use a secondary email you keep for privacy requests, not your main one. It keeps your primary address out of these databases.

Step 3: Find Your Record

Click "Search features," then look yourself up by name (add your city and state) or by address or phone number. Use the listed relatives and associates to confirm you have the right profile.

Step 4: Request the Removal

Open the matching listing and click "Request my record to be removed."

Tip: The site lets you submit up to 3 listings at a time. If more than three profiles match you, run the process again after the first batch clears.

Step 5: Verify by Email

Check your inbox for the confirmation email and click the verification link inside. Nothing gets processed until you do this.

Tip: If the link has already expired by the time you open it, start a fresh request and take a quick screenshot of each step in case you need to escalate later.

Step 6: Wait for It to Process

Removals usually go through within 24 to 72 hours. In responses to the Better Business Bureau, the company has said standard processing can run 3 to 5 business days, so give it up to a week before assuming something went wrong.

If the Opt-Out Stalls

SmartBackgroundChecks is operated by a company called Mississippi Tornado Alley. If your record is still up after the stated window, email privacy@mtalley.zendesk.com with the profile URL and your original confirmation details. Keep the message short and do not attach extra personal data you were not asked for. If it stays unresolved, you can document the case with the BBB.

What Happens After You Opt Out

Your profile drops out of public search results on the site. The operator runs a network of roughly ten related sites, and a "do not sell" request can carry across them, though advertising opt-outs stay specific to each site. It is worth checking its sibling properties rather than assuming one request covered everything.

The bigger issue is that removal is temporary. SmartBackgroundChecks refreshes its database from those 2,000-plus sources on a rolling basis, so an updated public record can rebuild your profile weeks or months later. If you are handling this yourself, set a reminder to repeat the opt-out about every three months.

Why Clearing One Site Barely Moves the Needle

Taking down SmartBackgroundChecks shuts one storefront. The wholesale supply behind it keeps running. The same public records feed Spokeo, Whitepages, Radaris, Intelius, TruthFinder, MyLife, and hundreds of other people-search sites, each with its own opt-out form and its own refresh cycle.

Cleared by hand, that is dozens of hours of searching, verifying, and re-verifying, then starting over every quarter because the listings quietly return.

The Faster Route

Privoria takes the whole job off your plate. Real people on our team, not an automated script, file removals across more than 1,000 data broker sites, watch your listings month to month, and resubmit whenever your data resurfaces.

The human part is what makes the difference. Consumer Reports measured the gap and found that do-it-yourself and automated tools clear only about 27 percent of listings, while removals handled by real people reach roughly 70 percent.

You skip the opt-out forms, the CAPTCHAs, and the verification emails entirely, and you get a monthly report showing exactly what came down. Want to see where you stand right now? Run a free scan below.

Run my free scan Start free trial

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the SmartBackgroundChecks opt-out free?

Yes. You do not need an account, a subscription, or any payment to remove your record.

How many listings can I remove at once?

Up to three per request. If more than three profiles match you, complete the first batch, then run the process again for the rest.

How long does removal take?

Usually 24 to 72 hours after you click the verification link. The company has told the BBB it can take up to 3 to 5 business days.

Will my information come back?

Often, yes. The site continually refreshes from public records, so an updated record can rebuild your profile. Re-checking every few months is the only way to stay clear manually.

Does opting out here remove me from other sites?

Only from this operator's own network, and even that is not guaranteed for every property. It has no effect on the hundreds of unrelated people-search sites that also hold your data.

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