Terms of Service
Effective date: October 10, 2026
What DataShield does
The free scan opens people-search and data-broker websites so you can check each one for your listing. You mark which ones are you.
You can then remove yourself for free: your dashboard shows each site's opt-out steps and keeps track of where each removal stands.
With a paid plan, we ask those companies to delete your information for you, follow up on each request, and keep asking: every 30 days, we send each site a fresh request to keep you off.
California's DROP
California residents can use DROP, the state's free Delete Request and Opt-out Platform. You confirm you live in California on the state's own site, so you make that request yourself. If you name us as your authorized agent there, we can help with your request. We will never cancel a request unless you tell us to.
Being honest with you
We work hard to get you removed from as many sites as we can, but no one can promise 100%. Some sites are slow, some ignore requests, and some information comes from public records that cannot be changed.
The people-search sites are run by other companies. We do not control them or what they show.
DataShield is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Removal keeps going
Data brokers often put people back on their sites. That is why removal keeps going. With a paid plan, every 30 days we send each site a fresh request to keep you off, and we email you a reminder to check your sites. If a site lists you again, tap It came back on your dashboard, and we send that site a new request within a day. This goes on for as long as your plan is active.
The sites block automatic searches, so we cannot look at them for you. Your quick check, with the Check again link on each site, is what tells us you are back. Without a paid plan, those links are still there for you, free.
Giving your permission
When you check both boxes and tap I agree, you name DataShield as your authorized agent to ask these companies to delete your information. You confirm that you are 18 or older, and that the information is yours or that you are allowed to request its removal.
The date and time you agreed are noted, so you always have proof of what you approved. You can see it anytime on your dashboard and on your printable removal record.
Taking back your permission
You can withdraw your permission anytime: tap Withdraw my permission on your dashboard, or email us. We will stop working for you right away. If you have a paid plan, withdrawing also cancels it the same way: you will not be charged again, and you get back the unused part of your plan.
Any removal requests we already sent stay in place to protect you. If you ever want one of them cancelled, just tell us.
Your scan, your marks and your DROP ID stay in your account, so you can pick up where you left off, and you can delete them anytime. You can give your permission again later by tapping I agree again.
Your account
You must be 18 or older to use DataShield. The permission screen asks you to confirm this. You sign in with a code we email you, so keep your email account safe. You can delete your DataShield account anytime, in the app.
Emails
We email you sign-in codes when you ask for them. We may also email you when a site is past its should-be-gone-by date. You can stop those emails anytime.
With a paid plan, we also email you about your plan (a receipt, a yearly reminder, and a notice before any price change), a reminder every 30 days to check your sites, and a note if your plan ends. If someone invites you to their plan, we email you the invite.
Free and paid
The scan is free, and removing yourself with your dashboard is free. You never need a card for those.
If you want us to do more for you, such as sending removal requests for you and checking that they worked, you choose a paid plan.
A paid plan requires a credit or debit card on file with our payment company, Stripe. That card is charged for your plan each time it renews. DataShield never sees your card number.
You pick your plan size: 1 to 6 people. The price is $6.99 a month or $69 a year for 1 person, plus $2 a month or $20 a year for each extra person. The person who pays invites the others by email, and everyone on a plan must be 18 or older.
Each adult gives their own permission. Each person on a plan signs in with their own email, gives their own permission, and signs their own permission letter. Nobody can do this for someone else, including the person who pays. We send removal requests for a person only while the plan is running and their own permission and letter stand.
The person who pays sees only the email of each person they invited, and whether they joined or left. They never see anyone else's scan, sites or requests.
A person can be on one plan at a time: their own, or one they joined. Anyone can leave a plan anytime, and the person who pays can take someone off. Either way, we stop sending requests for that person, and they keep the free tools.
With a paid plan, you sign a short permission letter once, by typing your full name. We send it with each removal request, because many sites ask an agent for the person's signed permission. We send a limited number of requests each day, so yours may take a few days to go out. If a site does not answer, or says no, we ask again, up to 3 times. After that, we ask again every 30 days. Some sites may still ask you to confirm by email, or to do a step yourself. When that happens, your dashboard shows you how.
Paying and renewing
Before you pay, we show you the price and how often you will be charged, monthly or yearly. Your plan renews on its own until you cancel, and you agree to that with its own check box before you pay. We charge the card on file each time it renews. If a payment does not go through, Stripe tries your card again over the next few weeks. If it still does not go through, your plan ends and we stop working for you. After you sign up, we email you a receipt with your plan, price, renewal terms and how to cancel.
You can change your plan size anytime on your dashboard, and you see the new renewal price before you do. Going up, you pay only for the added people for the rest of the current period, on your next bill. Going down, the unused part comes off your next bill. You cannot make a plan smaller than the people on it or invited to it.
Once a year, we email you a reminder with your price and how to cancel. If the price ever changes, we email you before your first charge at the new price: no more than 30 days and no less than 7 days before it, as California law asks. The email tells you the new price, the date it starts, and how to cancel. If you do not want the new price, you can cancel before that date, with no fee. The days you already paid for never change price.
Cancelling
You can cancel anytime, online, right in the app. There is no fee to cancel, and you will not be charged again after you cancel. Deleting your account cancels your plan the same way.
You only pay for the time you use. When you cancel, we refund the unused part of your plan to the card on file, figured by the day. For example, if you paid for a year and cancel after two months, you get back the ten months you did not use.
When you cancel, we stop working for you. We stop sending removal requests for you and stop checking the sites for you. Requests we already sent stay in place to protect you.
If the person who pays cancels, or deletes their account, the plan ends for everyone on it. We stop working for each of them, and we email each person who joined. They can still remove themselves for free. If a size change is waiting for your next bill when you cancel, it is counted in your refund.
You can still use the free scan and remove yourself for free with your dashboard.
If something does not seem right with a charge, email us and we will look into it with you. If we ever stop offering a paid plan, we will tell you ahead of time, and you will not be charged again. We may also improve or change DataShield's free tools over time.
Using DataShield fairly
Only ask us to remove information about yourself, or about someone who has agreed to let you do it for them. To keep everyone safe, we may close an account that is used to harm or harass someone.
Please only ask us to remove information about someone else when they have said it is OK. If you do it without their OK, you are responsible for that, not DataShield.
Things outside our control
DataShield is provided as is. We cannot promise it will always be available or free of mistakes. As far as the law allows, we are not responsible for what data brokers or other companies do with your information, or for harm that comes from information we could not get removed.
As far as the law allows, if DataShield is ever responsible to you for anything, the most we owe you in total is what you paid us in the 12 months before it happened, or $50 if you used only the free tools. Nothing here limits anything the law says cannot be limited.
If something goes wrong, please email us first at support@rlforgeworks.com and tell us what happened. We will work with you to make it right. Before either of us takes any legal step, we each agree to give the other 30 days to settle it this way.
The law that applies
These terms follow the laws of the State of California. If any part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies.
Changes
If we ever change these terms, we will post them here with a new effective date. If there is an important change, we will email you before it takes effect.
Contact us
Questions? Email support@rlforgeworks.com.
DataShield is run by RL Forge Works, California.