Get off the lists behind the lists.

Make your requests in a manageable batch

1. Find the right record

   Use your work name, email or profile details to identify a record. You do not need to assume every provider has your information.

2. Use the official route

   Open the provider from our directory. Request an opt-out from its contact database or direct-marketing use, following its current instructions.

3. Complete verification

   Check your inbox for a confirmation. An unverified request may not be processed. If asked for identity documents, check why they are necessary and whether a less intrusive method is available.

4. Keep a small record

   Save the provider name, date, confirmation and follow-up date. Mark a request as completed only when the provider confirms the outcome.

5. Follow up thoughtfully

   Review unresolved requests after about a month. Many information-rights requests normally require a response within one month, but the applicable rules, extensions and verification can affect timing.

Objecting and erasing are different

You can object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing. The right to erasure applies in particular circumstances and is not a right to delete every lawful record. A business may retain minimal information on a suppression list so it knows not to contact you again. Removing that suppression entry can undermine your preference.

For unwanted B2B email, the rules differ according to the recipient and circumstances. A named work email may still be personal data. Use the ICO’s guidance if you need to understand which rights apply.

A request you can adapt

Use this with a verified organisation. Add only the information it needs to identify the right record. This is a starting point, not a substitute for advice about a dispute.

Subject: Objection to direct marketing and data opt-out

Please stop using my personal information for direct marketing, including related profiling, and record my objection.

Please remove my contact profile from your marketing database and stop sharing it for marketing. Where the right to erasure applies, please erase the relevant information. You may retain the minimum information needed to honour my opt-out on a suppression list.

The details needed to identify my record are:
[Name and relevant email or profile URL]

Please confirm the action taken. If you cannot fulfil part of this request, please explain why and tell me how I can raise a concern.

Related guides

• Ask where they got your details. How to ask an organisation what it holds about you and where it came from, how long it has to answer and what to do with the reply.
• When they keep contacting you anyway. Who to complain to about marketing that carries on after you have said no, what to have ready and what happens afterwards.