Here’s Why You Should Take Control Of And Delete Your Personal Data Online

Odds are, your personal data and footprint are all over the internet, with various malicious actors trying to get at personal information that you really should have access to. There are a couple of ways to cover that footprint that data brokers and other institutions can’t access it, and it’s surprisingly easy.

Why care about your data?

In general, every single thing we do on the internet leaves some of our information behind, much like a footprint. This is true of social media, online storefronts, and even more personal sites like financial and medical portals. In some way, your data is being collected, such as a phone number, an address, or an email. Your Social Security number can even end up being sold off.

Some might feel that’s all fine and good if the company that collects the data was the one using it, but the truth is that the collected personal information you left behind often ends up being sold to the highest bidder. There are troves of information out there being sold and purchased by data brokers, and this upside-down stock market of birthdays and first pet names.

If that doesn’t give you something of a gross feeling, then maybe let your data float through the internet. However, erasing your data footprint means retracting that information and keeping it off of the market. It also means malicious actors can’t access it for various reasons you might not want to think about.

Deleting personal data can be almost too easy

One of the easiest ways to go back and remove personal data from the internet is through a trusted service like Incogni. Incogni is a tool that searches hundreds of data broker databases and people search sites for your personal information. When you’re ready, you can have the service wipe your digital slate clean, clearing those sites of your name, address, email, Social Security number, and more.

This data is all taken out of circulation and removed from the marketplace.

The upside of using Incogni versus doing it yourself comes down to time and effort. Incogni has built a structure of reaching out to services and doing the heavy lifting, allowing you to simply watch the work get done. Otherwise, you would have to reach out to data brokers and people search sites and request that your data be removed, one by one. It’s a painful process, and it doesn’t always yield the most assuring results.

Incogni isn’t a one-time thing, either. These data removal requests are sent out regularly. With a reasonable subscription ($8.29/month), the service will continue to offer protection as needed, leaving your data out of the hands of unwanted users. This applies to up to 3 phone numbers, 3 emails, and 3 addresses, allowing you to protect every piece of sensitive personal information you have.

Incogni also offers a friends and family plan at $16.58/month. That includes protection for up to 4 loved ones. All annual plans are under a 55% discount for 9to5Google readers when using the code “9to5Google.” Cancellation is available at any time, and Incogni comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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