Auto-Identity-Remove: Scripted Monthly Opt-Outs Across 500+ Data Brokers

A new open-source tool automates the tedious process of removing personal information from people-search sites and data brokers. Auto-identity-remove runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows via Node.js and Playwright, scheduling a monthly job that searches each broker for the user’s name and state, submits opt-out forms, and tracks completed removals in a local state file so the same brokers aren’t re-submitted within a 90-day window. CAPTCHAs are handled through CapSolver at roughly $0.001 per solve, and sites that require manual intervention are opened in the browser. Results are pushed via iMessage on macOS or webhooks (ntfy, Slack, Discord) elsewhere.

The broker list is split into a hand-curated tier with verified selectors and a generic runner that walks roughly 470 additional sites from public datasets, trying four fallback strategies: a ‘Do Not Sell’ button, OneTrust/TrustArc/Osano privacy managers, generic form submission, and finally recording a DSAR link for manual follow-up. Personal data stays on the local machine — config.json and state.json are gitignored — and a —verify flag re-runs searches to spot-check whether previous opt-outs still hold. A Docker image using the official Playwright base is provided for headless deployments.

More controversially, an off-by-default —pollute flag submits fabricated person records to brokers tagged as accepting bogus input, with the explicit goal of degrading their data quality. The author flags this as ethically questionable and likely a Terms of Service violation. The tool is also honest about its limits: a ‘submitted’ status means a form was accepted, not that deletion occurred, and email-confirmation steps still require human action.