Aura review
Aura Sub, LLC (VC-backed) · Boston, US · formed 2019
Bottom line
Aura isn't really a data-removal service - it's a broad, polished identity-protection suite (credit monitoring, VPN, antivirus, password manager, insurance) that includes broker removal on every plan. If you want an all-in-one kit and don't mind handing over a lot of personal data, it's a legitimate, well-reviewed option and it is not itself a data broker. But for removal specifically it's a compromise: it requires your SSN, it disclosed a roughly 900,000-record breach in March 2026, it draws a lot of billing complaints, and there's no independent test of its removal effectiveness.
| Owner | Aura Sub, LLC - formed 2019 from the merger of Intersections Inc. (1996) and iSubscribed, backed by WndrCo and General Catalyst. Also owns the Identity Guard brand. |
|---|---|
| "Both ends" conflict? | Not a data broker itself; acts only as your opt-out agent. Caveat: its policy discloses ad-tech data sharing that California law treats as a "sale/share." |
| Data you hand over | Name, DOB, and SSN (or government ID), billing, and for some features uploaded photos/documents - a much larger footprint than a removal-only tool needs. |
| Sells your data? | States it does not sell personal data. But acknowledges advertising cookies/pixels "may be considered a sale/share" under California law, and shares data with service providers, affiliates, and partners. |
| Security | Claims SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (self-reported; a PCI-DSS claim wasn't corroborated). March 2026 breach: ~900,000 marketing records exposed via an employee phishing attack (no SSNs/passwords/financial data). |
| Independent test | Not in Consumer Reports' study. U.S. News ranked Aura #2 identity-theft protection in 2026 (feature-breadth ranking, not a removal test). |
| Coverage & method | 200+ broker/people-search sites, bundled in every tier; ongoing re-submission. Aura doesn't detail automated vs human. |
| Price (2026) | Individual ~$9–12/mo (annual, renews higher); Couple ~$22/mo; Family ~$32/mo. 14-day trial, 60-day guarantee. |
| Affiliate link? | Aura runs an affiliate program (Impact), but we're not currently enrolled - our link is plain. |
Who owns it - and can you trust them?
Aura (legal entity Aura Sub, LLC) was formed in 2019 by merging the old credit-monitoring firm Intersections Inc. with the startup iSubscribed, backed by the venture firms WndrCo and General Catalyst. On the core "both ends" question it's clean: Aura doesn't operate data-broker or people-search sites - it acts as your opt-out agent, not a data seller.
Two pieces of background for the full picture: Aura's CEO, Hari Ravichandran, personally settled SEC charges in 2018 (from his earlier company, Endurance International) over allegations of overstating subscriber numbers - a $1.38M settlement without admitting wrongdoing, unrelated to Aura. And Aura's own privacy policy discloses advertising data-sharing that California law classifies as a "sale/share." Neither is disqualifying, but both belong on the record.
Security & the 2026 breach
An attacker compromised an Aura employee's account through a targeted voice-phishing (vishing) attack - publicly attributed to the ShinyHunters group - and accessed roughly 900,000 records from a marketing database tied to Circle Media Labs (a company Aura acquired in 2021). Aura says no Social Security numbers, passwords, or financial data were exposed; the leaked fields were names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and support notes. For a company whose entire brand is protecting your identity, it's a notable incident - though it hit a marketing list, not the core protection platform.
Aura claims SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 compliance (self-reported; we couldn't corroborate a separate PCI-DSS claim it has made). Given the March 2026 event, treat the marketing security badges with the usual pinch of salt.
Your privacy & data
This is the biggest trade-off. Because Aura bundles credit monitoring and identity-theft insurance, it collects far more than a removal-only tool needs - name, date of birth, and your Social Security Number (or government ID), plus billing and, for some features, uploaded documents. If your goal is simply to get off people-search sites, that's a lot of sensitive data to concentrate in one company - especially one that just had a breach. It does state it doesn't sell your data, with the California ad-tech caveat noted above.
Does it actually work?
Aura wasn't included in Consumer Reports' controlled study, so there's no independent measurement of its removal effectiveness specifically. It covers 200+ sites and re-checks periodically, and it's well-reviewed overall for breadth and polish (U.S. News ranked it #2 for identity-theft protection in 2026) - but that's a whole-suite ranking, not a test of the removal feature. It also draws significant billing and cancellation complaints (a very low BBB customer-review score despite an A+ accreditation grade), a recurring theme worth weighing.
Pros
- Removal bundled in every tier; not itself a broker
- Broad suite: credit, VPN, antivirus, insurance
- Well-reviewed for breadth and ease of use
- 60-day guarantee and 14-day trial
Cons
- Requires SSN/ID - a large data footprint to concentrate
- March 2026 breach (~900k records)
- Heavy billing/cancellation complaints
- No independent removal-effectiveness data
Visit Aura
Consider Aura if you want an all-in-one identity suite - not if you just want the cheapest, most focused broker removal.
Visit Aura →Plain link - we are not currently in Aura's affiliate program, so we earn nothing from this.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Aura data breach; Help Net Security, 900,000 records exposed (March 2026).
- SEC, 2018 settlement with Hari Ravichandran (Endurance International).
- Aura, data security and privacy policy.
- Consumer Reports, 2024 study (Aura not included).
Last reviewed July 2026. Spot an error or something out of date? Let us know - we'll correct it.