When people-search sites reveal a closed adoption
Brokers infer family relationships from shared addresses and surnames and publish them as 'relatives'. For closed adoptions, that inference can expose a relationship that was legally sealed and that one or both parties did not want disclosed. Consumer DNA databases compound this considerably.
Complete
Everything we know how to do about privacy, for one person.
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- 1,000+ sources
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- Rescanned every two weeks
Why the generic advice doesn't fit
Most privacy guidance is written for someone with no particular threat. Yours is specific, so the priorities change.
- The exposed data is a relationship inference rather than an address, which makes it harder to point at and harder to remove.
- Removal for one party does not remove the inference if the other party remains listed.
- DNA database exposure is outside what broker removal reaches.
- 01Remove relative-linking listings for every party who wants it removed.
- 02Review and lock down consumer DNA service matching settings.
- 03Address history removal, since shared-address inference is the mechanism.
Two fields, no account, no card. See what is actually out there before deciding anything.
We can only act for the person who engaged us and verified their identity. We cannot remove another adult's listing on your behalf, even a biological relative, and we would not want to be a service that could.
The sites to take down first
Free and unpaywalled, which means anyone can use them with no account and no skill. These are the real risk.
Who else we write for
- Survivors of domestic violence and stalking
- Law enforcement officers
- Judges and prosecutors
- Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers
- Teachers and school staff
- Journalists and researchers
- Social workers and child protection staff
- Therapists and mental health clinicians
- Public officials and election workers
- Executives and board members