With data brokers making big money by selling your personal details, it has become easier for spammers and scammers to get access to your phone number, email address, physical address, and even sensitive data like your social security number. Apple’s privacy protections help, but if you want to get proactive about removing your existing personal data from the internet, it’s never been easier to do so. Data brokers are companies whose business involves buying and selling personal data.
They mostly operate in the shadows, and despite occasional headlines, they remain a legal business due to the small print we frequently agree to when registering to use a website or buying an app. This not only makes your contact details available to spammers and scammers, but also records your online activity which can hurt your finances by impacting your credit score. The law does allow you to opt out, but manually identifying all of the companies holding your data and issuing removal requests is an incredibly labor-intensive task.
Fortunately, there’s a much easier solution. Instead of you having to contact hundreds of different companies, jumping through whatever hoops they put in your way, you can outsource the work to data-removal service Incogni.
Removing your personal data easily
The company behind Surfshark does all the hard work for you, contacting more than 250 data brokers and people search sites on your behalf, and issuing demands for the removal of all of your personal details. With fewer companies having your details, you’ll receive less spam. Fraudsters often steal details available online and keeping them private reduces risk.
Keeping your personal details private can also help avoid dangers like stalking and harassment. Subscribers can monitor the process on their Incogni dashboard, which shows potential databases found, requests sent, and requests completed. There are various plans available for individual and family needs, including a recently launched Unlimited plan that the company believes to be a game changer in the world of data removal services.
Managing your online privacy doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Using services like Incogni can simplify the process of removing your data from the countless brokers and companies that may hold it, and the benefits of doing so are numerous. Protect your personal information and regain control over your digital footprint today.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
