How to remove your data from ContactOut
ContactOut is a business contact database holding data on people in US, GB, IE. UK and EU data protection law reaches it, so you have a right to erasure and a deadline it must meet.
The route that works
We checked this route ourselves on 2026-08-30.
Its privacy policy names GDPR and legitimate interests, so the Article 21 objection applies.
The ground to use
It relies on legitimate interests, so a bare deletion request is easy for it to refuse. The request that works pairs an objection under Article 21(1) with the erasure ground that follows from it, Article 17(1)(c).
Questions people ask
- How do I remove my data from ContactOut?
- Use the removal route at https://contactout.com/optout. It relies on legitimate interests, so a bare deletion request is easy for it to refuse. The request that works pairs an objection under Article 21(1) with the erasure ground that follows from it, Article 17(1)(c).
- How long does ContactOut have to respond?
- Under Article 12(3) of the UK GDPR it must respond without undue delay and within one month of receiving your request. A request sent on 2026-09-06 would be due by 2026-10-06. It can extend by up to two further months for a genuinely complex request, but only if it tells you inside the first month and explains why.
- What if ContactOut refuses or ignores me?
- It has to tell you which exemption under Article 17(3) it relies on and why. If the deadline passes with no answer, that is itself a failure to comply, and you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
- Will ContactOut ask me to prove who I am?
- Yes. It asks for identity confirmation, and the statutory clock restarts from the day it receives that information. Send only what is necessary to identify you.
Where this came from
Deadline rules from ICO guidance, last checked 2026-08-16. NoDossier is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.