A notebook found in the vehicle of the man who murdered Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, contained a handwritten list of 11 people-search websites, according to investigators — a detail that has renewed attention on how easily personal information can be found online.
The list included TruePeopleSearch, Spokeo, Pipl, PeopleFinders, BeenVerified, Whitepages, TruthFinder, Intelius, Ownerly, USSearch and PeopleLooker, along with notes on which services were free and what information each could reveal. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were seriously injured in a related shooting the same day. Investigators have not established whether any of the listed websites actually supplied the victims’ home addresses.
Vance Boelter pleaded guilty June 11 to federal charges connected to the murders, shootings and stalking. He was sentenced July 23 to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in federal prison. Separate state charges remain pending.
How data brokers build a profile
Data brokers compile information from public records, online activity, commercial databases and other sources into profiles that can be bought or searched online. Some focus on marketing data, while others run people-search sites offering free previews or paid reports. Depending on the company, those profiles can include home addresses, phone numbers, relatives’ names and other personal details. Credit reporting agencies operate under separate legal rules from most people-search services.
Privacy advocates note that this kind of information can make scam calls or messages feel more personal and convincing, and can increase risk for people who are being stalked or targeted.
A new tool in California
California residents now have a state-run option for limiting their exposure. The California Privacy Protection Agency’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP, launched in January 2026 at privacy.ca.gov/drop/. It lets eligible residents submit a single deletion request covering more than 600 registered data brokers. Starting Aug. 1, 2026, those covered brokers were required to begin processing requests submitted through the system. The platform also requires brokers to check periodically for matching information, though legal exceptions apply and removal is not instantaneous.
Residents of other states do not have access to DROP and must rely on each state’s own privacy laws, which vary widely, or contact brokers individually.
What removal can and can’t do
Consumers can request removal from many people-search sites for free, though requirements differ by company and listings can reappear over time. Paid data-removal services exist to handle these requests in bulk, monitor for new listings, and follow up on a subscriber’s behalf, though coverage and cost vary by provider.
Even with these tools, some information will likely remain accessible. Property records, government databases and certain court filings are generally not subject to removal, and data-removal services cannot force government agencies to delete public records. Removing listings also does not undo information already exposed in past data breaches.
Security experts generally recommend starting by searching your own name online to see what is publicly available, submitting removal requests where possible, and checking back periodically, since new listings can appear even after old ones are taken down.
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