How to remove your work details from ZoomInfo, Apollo, Lusha, RocketReach and other sales databases

A UK guide for professionals. Last reviewed October 2026.

If your work phone number and email address appear in sales databases, you can ask each company to stop using them for marketing and, in many cases, to delete them. This guide explains how the process works under UK data protection law.

Which companies hold your details?

Sales intelligence companies such as ZoomInfo, Apollo, Lusha, Cognism and RocketReach are the best known, but there are dozens of smaller providers and resellers. They collect details from company websites, online profiles, sign-up forms and data shared by their own customers, then sell search access to sales teams.

There is no central register of who holds your details, which is one reason removal takes time.

What to ask for

  • An objection to direct marketing. You have an absolute right to object to your personal data being used for direct marketing. Once you object, the company must stop.
  • Erasure. You can also ask the company to delete your data. This right applies in many, but not all, circumstances.
  • Confirmation. Ask the company to confirm what it has done and to keep your details on its suppression list so that they are not added again.

How to send a request

  1. Find the company's privacy contact. It is usually listed in its privacy policy, as an email address or an online form.
  2. Say who you are, which details the company should look for, and which rights you are exercising.
  3. Give only the information the company needs to find your record. You do not need to send identity documents unless the company has a genuine reason to ask.
  4. Keep a copy of what you sent and the date you sent it.
  5. Expect a reply within one calendar month. A company can extend this by up to two further months for complex requests, but it must tell you within the first month.
  6. If there is no reply, send a reminder. If the company still does not act, you can complain to it formally and then to the Information Commission (ICO).

What happens next

When a company acts on your objection, it should keep a minimal record so that your details are not added to its database again. This is known as a suppression list. It means a single request can protect you well beyond today, although not every company keeps to it.

Why your details can come back

New providers appear, and existing ones collect fresh data when you change role or update an online profile. Checking again every few months is the most reliable way to keep your details out of circulation.

Guides for the biggest sales databases

Let ColdStop Pro do it for you

Sending, tracking and chasing requests to every sales database is time-consuming. ColdStop Pro does it on your behalf under a letter of authority you sign online. We contact more than 25 sales databases, follow up with those that do not respond, and report every outcome. Our subscription plans re-check every quarter and send new requests wherever your details reappear.

Plans start at £29. Results vary and we cannot guarantee a reduction in the calls or emails you receive. See our plans or read how to stop cold calls at work.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.