How to remove your personal information from the internet

Everything you post online has an opportunity to be used to track you, whether it’s your next stalker or a digital ad agency. Your data is up for grabs. Here’s how to reduce your digital footprint online.

Being alive today means being an internet user — it can’t be helped. However, there’s no need to give up and let the data brokers and potential scammers suck up every detail about your life.

There are several methods available for reducing your digital footprint to a minimum. Before getting into how to delete personal information from the internet with Incogni, let’s dive into some basic internet hygiene.

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Why digital hygiene is a good first step to online privacy

There are many tools at your disposal that help keep your data private, especially for Apple users. From app tracking transparency to Safari’s built-in tracking blockers to iCloud Private Relay, your data is only really exposed when you choose to expose it.

Abstract illustration with a trash can, eye, map pin, geometric shapes, and a large X on a computer screen against a dark blue background.

The internet is filled with digital footprints left by its users. Image source: Incogni

That said, there are many situations where you’re going to need to share your personal information. Your name, phone number, address, email, photos, social media statuses, Google search history, Amazon purchases, and more are all being used by data brokers and people search sites.

This data is obtained because most of it is available for purchase thanks to its existing on the open web. More private details, like your home address or payment information, are revealed in hacks or data leaks, which are then bought and sold as well.

The exposure of so much personal information can lead to identity theft. It also makes it easy for bad actors, like stalkers or thieves, to gather a mass of information on you.

So, the only real option an internet user has is to reduce the amount of data that’s there in the first place. Utilize alternate email addresses when setting up accounts, provide false personal information when possible, and only make purchases from trustworthy, verified websites.

If you practice these basic habits while navigating the internet, and use unique, strong passwords for every account, your chances of getting into a bad situation drop significantly. Though, you may be wondering what to do about all of the data that already is out there.

Take the fight to data brokers and people search sites

There’s a solid chance that if you’re reading this, you’ve been on the internet long enough to have mountains of personal data already out there. While you might be able to reduce what you share going forward, you’ll still need to remove your personal information from the internet.

Some of the easiest work you can do as an individual is delete old social media history, delete search histories, and change settings on how data is collected in apps. Also, delete accounts that you’re not actively using.

The data that’s already been hacked, purchased, and distributed that people search sites and data brokers collect can still be deleted. However, it’s quite the manual process if you try to do it on your own.

It is within your legal right to submit data takedown requests to each and every website, but doing so could take hundreds of hours. Also, your request may not be taken seriously and get “lost” in the shuffle.

Text 'They can't scam who they can't find' and 'Let us get your personal information off the internet' with illustrations of an eye and web pages.

Remove all of the data you don’t want hoarded by data brokers. Image source: Incogni

Instead, save yourself some time and money and let the professionals handle your personal data deletion. Incogni has a personal information deletion service with a database of people search sites, data brokers, search engines, private companies, and more to submit removal requests to.

It’s simple, sign up for an Incogni account and they’ll take care of the rest.

Here’s how Incogni works to remove your personal information from the internet.

Provide Incogni permission to act on your behalf.

Incogni then scans through its database of people search sites, data brokers, and others for your data.

Removal requests are sent to each place your data is found. If requests aren’t fulfilled, follow-up requests are made.

Repeated scans of the database prevent websites from re-adding your data.

Incogni keeps its database up to date and scans for your data regularly.

If any website appeals a removal request, Incogni handles it for you.

If you’re a proactive internet user worried about your data and privacy online, you likely spend some time researching potential threats. If you come across a website that has your information and you’d like Incogni to submit a removal request, that’s possible with Custom Removal.

Custom Removal is included with the Incogni Unlimited plan.

Simply submit a link for removal and Incogni will determine if the website is eligible for their service. If it is eligible, Incogni will go through the data removal process, which can take about 45 days.

Everything is hands-off for the user. A dashboard keeps the user updated on all submitted and completed requests.

Let Incogni restore your privacy online

Reducing the amount of data about you online can help alleviate a lot of stress and annoyances. You’ll be a smaller target for identity theft, scammers, and spammers will have a harder time getting ahold of you, and advertisers won’t have such an eerily accurate understanding of you.

Using the internet doesn’t have to mean losing access to basic rights like privacy and security. But it also shouldn’t mean needing to work full time to combat the bad actors and data brokers.

Incogni helps by hunting down your data and getting it removed and keeping it removed. Rest easy knowing that their work to remove your personal information from the internet will keep you worry-free.