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Incogni can protect you from bad actors. Image source: Incogni
The internet is a necessary tool, but it’s a double-edged sword that takes more than it gives and can leave your data exposed to bad actors. Here’s how to eliminate threats with data removal.
If you’ve ever created an account online and provided details like your home address, name, phone number, email, or other details, those have probably leaked. Data breaches occur regularly at everything from major corporations to small businesses, so don’t expect your data to be safe just because it’s held by an established name like Home Depot.
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The constant sharing of data necessary to participate in social media and e-commerce has led to a hoard of valuable personal data that is leaked regularly. These leaks are harvested, auctioned off, and organized into profiles for nearly every human on Earth.
Even a single piece of data, one exposure, is enough to gain unwanted attention. That’s especially true today thanks to the data-scraping LLMs like ChatGPT.
It has become incredibly simple for someone with a bit of extra cash to pay for data profiles offered by data brokers and people search sites. In some cases, user data can be inadvertently exposed by chatbots when the right questions are asked.
Don’t worry, though; there are ways to remove your personal information from the internet. The manual approach is time-consuming and impractical, so instead, rely on a data removal service like Incogni, which is an automated solution that can quickly remove data from over 270 data brokers.
Understanding the threat of exposed personal data online
If you name some of the traditional effects of a data leak, you’ll likely reference identity theft or stalking. These are still relevant, but they’re not the only thing at stake when personal information is easily found online.
Data brokers hoard and sell user data, so get yours removed. Image source: Incogni
Political persecution is an increasingly prominent problem when it comes to data being found online. Whether it’s a photo of you at a protest or your address being doxxed after someone disagrees with you, it’s not ideal to leave that information easily accessible to anyone.
Online data can also be used to implicate users in other crimes based on general search history or make you a target of some individual. Whether you’re a public figure, journalist, or regular citizen, any amount of personal information online can be used against you.
The data profiles generated by data brokers and people search sites can also lead to the obvious issues, like identity theft. Or, that data can help a bad actor carry out a phishing campaign using an individual’s data as a way to pose as a government or company official.
The best way to avoid any potential problems is to remove your personal data from the internet. Here’s why Incogni is the only smart option.
Incogni can help
Okay, we’ve got you good and scared of the potential threats of personal information being exposed online. However, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Incogni can get your personal data off the internet. Image source: Incogni
It is within your legal right to request that personal data be removed from most websites. The only time there is an exception is when dealing with free speech or government entities, like social media, blogs, public records, and government databases.
Pretty much everything else is fair game. Though you as an individual would have to dedicate hundreds of hours contacting each website, company, data broker, people site, and other entity to get data removed.
That’s why Incogni exists — it’s an automated system that helps users get their data taken down from hundreds of sources. Incogni has a database of over 270 data brokers it contacts automatically, plus there’s a Custom Removal feature that can remove data in search, obscure directories, old business listings, and more.
Of course, there are different features tied to various paid tiers. The Standard Plan gives users access to automated removals, while the Unlimited Plan includes Custom Removals, 100 additional people search sites, and 170 private databases.
There’s also a handy dashboard that lets users keep an eye on the progress of every data removal request. See when a request is sent, and watch as additional requests are sent until data is removed.
The automated Incogni system also periodically checks websites to see if the user’s data reappears. If so, another request is sent repeatedly until a response is given and action is taken.
How Incogni removes personal information from the internet
Improving your digital hygiene, reducing the data you share with websites, and using only vendors and sites you trust can go a long way in threat management. But the data that already exists needs to be taken care of too.
View your active removal requests with Incogni’s dashboard. Image source: Incogni
Incogni’s entire business is built on helping people live with peace of mind while still using the internet. Instead of moving to a cabin and severing yourself from society, simply rely on a service that works, and works hard, to get your data away from bad actors.
Here’s how the process works:
- Sign up for an Incogni account and provide permission for the company to act on your behalf.
- Incogni scans people search and data broker sites for your data.
- Removal requests are sent, then resent until something is done.
- Repeated scans prevent websites from re-adding data about you.
- Lists of data brokers, people search sites, and more are updated regularly so Incogni can stay on top of things.
- If a data broker appeals a removal request, Incogni handles the appeal for you.
If you sign up for an Incogni Ultimate subscription, you’ll get this same process, plus even more automated data removal. Also, you’ll be able to make Custom Removal requests based on data you’ve discovered in various locations outside of Incogni’s usual purview.
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Stop your personal info from being bought, sold, and abused with Incogni. AppleInsider readers get 55% off Incogni today with code APPLEINSIDER55. The provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and you can cancel anytime.
