Your home address isn’t just private information; It’s also valuable data, especially if you’ve moved recently. Everyone from banks to the US Post Office is happy to sell your address to data brokers, who then pass it on to advertisers and marketers.

But leaving your home address online (like when you create a profile or use an account to ship a package) has other dangers. Thieves may want to spy on your homeIdentity thieves may want to intercept mail or spoof an address. You may even want to hide your address for more personal reasons, such as avoiding a stalker.

From mapping apps to Google searches, our experts have found the best tools and tips to remove your address from the web and keep it off for the long term. Here’s what works best and how to do it.

Provide your address only when necessary

This first step helps make all the other tips work: Keep your home address protected by only giving it away when you absolutely have to. For most people, this includes opening a bank account, registering to vote, and other important life tasks.

But in many other cases, you can provide an alternative address that doesn’t give your home’s exact location but still provides the reach and mail destination you need. You can provide this address when you request shipping or mailings, or when requested by other organizations such as a gym, health clinic, or local registration form. Start this habit whenever you implement any address protection measures.

Blur your current address in map apps

Street view features in map apps can be very useful if you’re a little lost, but it can also be a privacy intrusion if anyone can type in your address and take a view of your house. That’s why Google and others have introduced ways to blur your home in street views and image capture so users can’t see it. more good look.

Just as you’ll find in our guideYou can visit Google Maps from your desktop computer and enter your address. Then just Report a Problem You can manually choose which parts of the street view to blur, so you and your home are protected.

Apple Maps offers a similar privacy functionality with its Look Around tool, but you’ll have to specifically request it. Send an email to: [email protected] and provide your home address and a detailed description of your home in the Look Around feature. Apple will then blur the image for your privacy.

Report when you find your address in search results

If you’re concerned about privacy, it’s always a good idea to Google your contact information. If you notice that your address appears in a Google Search result (especially when searching for your name or other public information on Google), you can make a specific request to Google to have it removed.

To do this, go to your Google Account where you can find the icon option. Manage Your Google Account. You can choose later Data and Privacy > History Settings > My activity. To choose Other Activity In the left-hand menu, scroll all the way down until you find . Results About You select the section and get started.

This option allows you to create an alert when Google notices your address in a search. You can request that this information about you be deleted from the internet in the warning section of the Results menu. Remove Result choice. Google won’t do this Always do this: It leaves addresses found on government sites, news, and some businesses, but it’s a quick way to remove your address if it shows up in annoying places.

Hide your address on social media

Now is the time to check your social media accounts and find out whether your address is included in your profile information. You may have added this a long time ago without really thinking about it, but social profiles don’t need your address or photos of your house and street. Visit your account information, “about you” pages, and other spots to make sure your address doesn’t appear there.

Check out the White Pages

White Pages (as opposed to business-focused Yellow Pages) are one of the largest collections of home addresses online and are often the first stop for someone trying to search for a specific address. The good news is that although your address is probably in the White Pages, it only takes a few seconds to be removed. Only Visit White Papers Print Request open the web page and paste the URL of your Whitepages profile, then request removal.

Remove accounts or request removal of your address

There’s a good chance you enter your home address when signing up for various websites and services. Some of these accounts are important; For example, if you receive a lot of shipments, you probably want Amazon to store your home address. But others are unnecessary, especially if you don’t use that account much anymore.

In these cases, we recommend that you delete your account or contact customer service and request removal of your profile. You can also review your promotional emails to receive some reminders about the services you signed up for with your address. Common goals for cleaning include:

• Shopping site logins
• Old apps you no longer use
• political organizations
• Non-profit organizations and religious organizations
• Legacy subscription services for products or online content
• Sports website profiles
• Competition websites

Invest in a mailbox for deliveries

If you’ve never purchased a mailbox before, you may be surprised at how easy it is. You Can apply online at USPSChoose from five different sizes of local boxes and get a box number for your local post office. Prices vary by size and location, but run around $30 for a box large enough to hold packages, or around $15 for a box of envelopes. A mailbox also allows you to save signatures for important deliveries and a few other numbers.

Once you have a PO box, you can use it in place of almost any account that requires a shipping address, keeping your home address information offline and out of the hands of advertisers. If you’re willing to pay, this is one of the most effective privacy options available.

Some people also choose to provide the address of a local third-party shipping store so packages can be delivered to the store and picked up from there. This may work, but it’s important to contact your local shipping store and ask if they allow this, otherwise there could be a delay fiasco.

Set up a virtual mailbox (no, not your email)

Virtual mailbox services are common for some businesses, frequent travelers, and those who highly protect their addresses. A virtual mailbox takes your mail, discards the junk and scans the important pieces of mail, then forwards them to your account so you can view them online wherever you are.

Virtual mailboxes typically cost between $10 and $20 per month. You’ll need to find a virtual mailbox company that offers service in your area and go through a few legal steps to authorize it to process your mail; steps the service should guide you through. Common options include: Mailbox Anytime You Want, Mail After Scan, PhysicalAddress.com, LegalZoom Virtual Mail (formerly Earth Class) And IPostal1.

Avoid using smart home location settings

A range of smart home devices including powerful security cameras And doorbellsIt will ask for or ask for your home address. They do this to enable more advanced mapping features, settings like Ring’s Bird’s Eye view, weather reports, climate information, and other capabilities. However, if you want to protect your home address from outside eyes and potential sales, try to stay away from smart home technology that requires location.

You can often find alternatives to devices that ask for your address, such as local storage-only security cameras with simplified account setup. However, signing up for any professional tracking or subscription service may require address information: You can get away with going through a PO box or similar alternative, but security systems will often ask for your real address.

Activate a VPN for extra protection

Internet service providers not only know your IP address, they can also learn your physical address or at least its proximity. If you want to keep this information to yourself, one of the best options is a VPN or virtual private network.

These services encrypt all your online data and allow you to hide your location in many different ways. Some are free, but the best VPNs usually come with a monthly subscription that starts at just a few dollars. Take a look at our list of the best VPNsor check your browsers to see if they offer built-in VPN features.

Since your home address is more private online, consider adding protection. The best cameras that don’t require a subscription, Tips to deter thieves And The biggest home safety mistakes we all make.