Today, data has become one of the most important resources in the world. Unlike physical resources such as wood and fuel, the same data set can be repeated and used for different applications. Tons of user information is observed or generated by technology and algorithms to facilitate the personalization we see today.
How and why do we generate data?
So you may already know that even the largest companies in the world need your data to survive. For example, Facebook and Google services might appear free. However, you pay them in a different currency: your data. Social media can use your posts and interactions with ads to determine your likes and dislikes. In some cases, uploaded photos may be used to enhance facial recognition or other technologies. Unfortunately, we don’t know everything that happens to our data.
It’s a frightening thought to have your personal information floating around the internet, changing hands without your permission. In addition, your personal information may end up on the Internet through phishing, data breaches, sales to data brokers, or similar reasons. Still, some procedures can help you minimize the damage. If you’re wondering how to get your information off the internet, this guide will help and point you in the right direction.
Don’t share personal information
The first step begins with refusing to share personal information on forums, review sites, social media accounts, and gaming portals. You wouldn’t want to tell a fellow player your first pet’s name or your full name.
In addition, you should never post media related to your location or information that someone can use to track you. For example, if you’re on vacation, control your impulses and post photos and videos when you get back. It helps filter out the content you really want to share and stops sinister people from stalking you.
Contact the search engines to remove your data
Search engines like Google and Bing use data from your devices to improve ad targeting. However, the companies that serve these ads may receive personally identifiable information about you that can quickly fall into the wrong hands.
Therefore, it’s an excellent idea to remove any permissions that allow search engines to collect data from you. You can go to the privacy settings in Google and turn off personalized advertising so that your data is not shared with advertisers. There are similar features for other services like Microsoft, Steam, and Twitter.
In addition, you can ask Google to remove some search results that may be inaccurate or out of date. The first step, of course, would be to contact web administrators who control your data on a particular web. If you don’t do this, Google will only remove the search result, but the data will still be visible on other channels.
Clear your cache
When you browse the Internet, certain websites may not allow you to access their content unless you agree to their terms or download something onto your computer. While mostly harmless, some websites can break your trust and install something malicious on your devices, such as B. a keylogger or a Trojan.
The first step you can do is to remove the cache that you have accumulated. Also, refuse third-party cookies that could collect information about your activity.
Check your social media accounts
As we rush through life, we often forget what we share on social media and how it can be used to compromise personal information. As such, you should regularly review your social media accounts and remove any posts that may reveal your location or personal information. Experts also advise checking the permissions given to the various social media apps on your PC and smartphone.
You should also delete all applications from your PC and mobile phone that you no longer use. Some of them may still have permission to collect your personal information. During uninstallation, make sure to delete all temporary files as well.
Hire a service to track and remove your online data
You can hire professional data removal services that will erase all your personal information from the internet. They can never find out who has your phone number or home address after coming across it through your transaction history or a data broker.
Best services to remove your personal information from internet
There are many online services that offer to erase all your online data. However, a select few stand out from the crowd by making their purges more thorough and delivering better value.
- incognito A premium service that includes most EU, UK and US data brokers. The service constantly performs rechecks to ensure that your data is not re-added to any database.
- 411.com. 411 works with White Pages to remove all of your personal information from the internet, including your phone number. It always checks your profile before deleting the relevant entries from the available databases. Once you have confirmed your identity, your data will be deleted within 24 hours.
- Privacy Bee. It’s a little pricey, but gives you more control over which companies can and can’t access your personal information. You can even assign it as an extension that prevents trackers from entering your system.
Use a VPN
The final step is to take care of your IP address which comes up while browsing. For example, all websites read your IP address to determine your location and other attributes. So, a VPN for PC or any other device can be very beneficial to make sure you never reveal your true location.
Instead, you can connect to a remote server offered by a Virtual Private Network app. Then all traffic is encrypted and redirected through this server. And of course, your IP address will also be replaced with the one that determines your chosen server location.
Conclusion
With so many aspects of our lives coming online, we should do our best to filter out private information. We hope this guide will help you get your information off the internet. Of course, GDPR and other privacy regulations can help users remove data manually. Finally, services should have the means to implement such requests.
