Is MyLife Safe? The Shady Truth About Its 'Reputation Scores'

MyLife is not a typical people-search site. It assigns every person in its database a numerical "reputation score" — and then makes that score appear prominently in Google search results when someone searches your name. In 2023, the FTC took action against MyLife for deceptive practices, resulting in a $2.6 million settlement. Despite this, MyLife continues to operate and still publishes reputation scores on millions of Americans. Here is what you need to know.

Is MyLife Legal?

MyLife operates legally, but it has a documented regulatory history that other data brokers lack. In 2023, the FTC and the State of California sued MyLife.com and its CEO Jeffrey Tinsley, alleging that the company used deceptive tactics to get people to pay for their own background reports — including showing alarming snippets about "criminal or arrest records" in search results and email alerts designed to scare people into purchasing a subscription.

The FTC alleged that MyLife:

• Falsely implied that people had criminal records when they did not
• Used fear-based marketing to drive subscriptions — suggesting your "reputation" was at risk
• Made it difficult to cancel subscriptions and continued charging people after cancellation requests
• Created and displayed "reputation scores" that had no credible methodological basis
• Charged users to see information about themselves that they had a right to access

MyLife settled for $2.6 million without admitting wrongdoing and agreed to stop several of the alleged practices. The company continues to operate under a consent order.

What Information Does MyLife Show?

MyLife profiles combine standard people-search data with its controversial reputation scoring system:

• Full name, age, and location
• Current and past home addresses
• Phone numbers and email addresses
• A "reputation score" — a numerical rating between 0 and 5 displayed publicly
• Background check summary — surfacing criminal or arrest records in preview teaser text
• Known associates and relatives
• Social media profile links
• Employment and education information (where available)
• Property ownership records
• Court and criminal records (available behind a paywall)

The most distinctive — and most problematic — element is the reputation score. MyLife's profiles are optimized for Google indexing, meaning a search for "[Your Name] background check" or sometimes just "[Your Name] [Your City]" will return a MyLife result showing your score and a teaser about potential criminal records. This public-facing score can affect how employers, landlords, or anyone else who Googles you perceives your background.

Where Does MyLife Get Your Data?

MyLife sources data from similar channels as other data brokers, with some additions driven by its social-network origins:

• Public government records — court filings, property records, voter registrations
• Phone number directories and address databases
• Social media public profile data
• Commercially licensed consumer data and marketing databases
• Self-submitted information from users who created MyLife accounts
• Historical data from social networking predecessors (MyLife grew out of early social site Reunion.com)
• Court records and criminal justice databases

The self-submitted information element is worth noting. When other people create or update their MyLife profiles, they may add connections to you or share information about you — potentially adding inaccurate data to your profile that you did not put there and cannot easily correct.

Is MyLife Safe to Use?

This is where MyLife diverges most sharply from other data brokers. Its documented history of deceptive practices — confirmed by the FTC — means it earns a lower trust rating than more straightforward data brokers like Spokeo or BeenVerified. The FTC found that MyLife used manipulative design patterns to extract subscription payments, including implying that people had criminal records when the actual report contained no such records.

If you are thinking of subscribing to MyLife to see your own information, be aware that the company has a documented history of making cancellation difficult and continuing to charge after cancellation requests. Given the FTC settlement, the company has made reforms — but many privacy researchers still rate MyLife as one of the least trustworthy actors in the data broker space.

Can MyLife Be Used for Stalking or Harassment?

Yes — and the reputation score feature introduces a harassment vector that other data brokers do not have. Someone who wants to damage another person's reputation can share a link to their MyLife profile showing a low score and teaser text about "criminal records," even if the full report contains nothing significant. This reputational damage can happen before the subject even knows their MyLife profile exists.

For location-based stalking, MyLife provides the same home address and phone data as other people-search sites. The combination of physical location data and publicly visible reputation damage makes MyLife a more dangerous tool for bad actors than many of its competitors.

How to Remove Yourself From MyLife

MyLife provides an opt-out process, but it is more convoluted than most. You can request removal by visiting the MyLife website and submitting a request through their privacy/opt-out page, or by contacting their support team directly. MyLife has historically been slow to process opt-out requests and may require multiple follow-ups.

Removing your profile from MyLife does not necessarily de-index the Google search result immediately — Google's cache may continue to show the old profile page for weeks. You can speed this up by submitting a URL removal request to Google after your MyLife profile has been deleted. For a full walkthrough, see our MyLife opt-out guide.