There are several reasons why you might want to “delete yourself” from the internet. From receiving unwanted spam to protecting yourself from scams that exploit personal data, the risks are clear. Having personal information online makes you vulnerable to identity theft, fraud, and even stalking. Criminals can open credit lines in your name or misuse your location data for harmful purposes.
Even seemingly harmless personal data, like your job history or income bracket, can cause issues. For instance, you might find that loan applications are denied, insurance premiums rise, or job searches are delayed. These problems arise from the use of outdated or inaccurate personal data that impacts important decisions.
What Does It Mean to “Delete Yourself from the Internet”?
“Deleting yourself” from the internet doesn’t mean completely disappearing, which is nearly impossible. Even if it were, you likely wouldn’t want to do so, given the benefits the internet offers. Instead, you can take control of your personal information. You don’t need to vanish, but you can remove your personal data from circulation, which reduces your exposure to potential risks.
Types of Personal Information to Remove
Personal data includes:
- Current and past names
- Aliases, email addresses, phone numbers
- Addresses, educational background, and work history
- Income, licenses, certifications, and marital status
- Financial information, criminal record, and court records
These details can be sold or exposed online, often without your knowledge. The key is to manage how this data circulates.
Steps to Take Control of Your Personal Information
You must address two main issues:
- Prevent your personal data from circulating online.
- Stop companies from gathering and publishing your data.
Your everyday online activities generate data that businesses use for profit. This includes anything from online shopping to buying a car. Here’s how to tackle the problem.
Remove Your Information from Circulation
The first step is to stop existing personal data from spreading. You likely have information already circulating, as most people do. Start by taking measures to halt the dissemination of your data.
Stop Data Brokers from Selling Your Information
Data brokers collect and sell personal information. They gather data by scraping websites or purchasing existing profiles. These brokers often run “people search” websites where your data is sold to anyone willing to pay, including scammers and marketers.
You can identify these brokers by searching your name, address, or phone number. However, many operate in the background and sell your data to businesses like advertisers, government agencies, and insurance companies.
Thanks to privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you can opt-out. Many data brokers provide opt-out procedures that let you remove your data from their databases. However, this can be time-consuming, requiring you to submit opt-out requests to each site individually.
Alternatively, you can use a service like Incogni to automate this process. Incogni removes your information from over 220 data broker sites, saving time and effort.
Remove Personal Information from Google Search
Google search results often expose your personal information. While Google can remove links from its search results, it can’t remove the content itself. To fully erase content, you’ll need to contact the website’s administrator directly.
Google offers forms for removing outdated, harmful, or illegal content. It also provides a form for removing content containing personally identifiable information or doxxing material.
Prevent New Data from Being Exposed
Removing existing data from search engines is only part of the process. You must also stop new personal data from being published. Many people unknowingly share personal information online, especially on social media.
Stop Publishing Personal Information on Social Media
Social media platforms often make it easy to share personal information. However, once published, this information becomes public by default. To protect your privacy, consider deleting social media accounts or setting them to private. Avoid posting personal details, and turn off location services to prevent your device from sharing this information.
When posting photos, ensure they don’t include identifying details like car registration plates, private documents, or reflections. You should also remove metadata from photos, which can contain location data and device information.
Stop Apps and Devices from Leaking Personal Information
Apps and programs on your devices can collect and leak personal data without your knowledge. Many apps access location data, microphone and camera inputs, and files. Even harmless apps can collect and sell data to advertisers.
To protect your privacy, regularly delete unused apps. Consider using websites instead of apps for data-heavy services like shopping or social media.
Be Cautious with Browsers and Online Games
Browsers and browser-based games can collect vast amounts of data about your online activities. To enhance privacy, use secure and private browsers like Mozilla Firefox instead of Google Chrome. Avoid free browser-based games, as they often collect and sell personal data to monetize the service.
Stop Your Online Accounts from Leaking Data
Many people have multiple online accounts, which could contain personal information. Even accounts used once for a discount may store data that can be exposed. Deleting unused accounts and reviewing your stored information can help minimize this risk.
By following these steps, you can significantly reduce your digital footprint and protect your personal information from misuse.
