Protecting yourself from identity theft, safeguarding your privacy, or simply regaining control over your online presence are all compelling reasons to delete personal data from the internet. And there are likely more reasons than you realize. With every click, more information about you enters the databases of websites, search engines, and other online platforms. This guide outlines steps you can take to minimize your digital footprint.
Enhance Your Online Security
Start with basic online security measures. Disable third-party cookies in your web browser settings (like Google Chrome) and enable the “Do Not Track” feature. Browsing in private or incognito mode also provides an additional layer of privacy.
Chrome third party cookies
When downloading new apps, carefully review their privacy settings to control data collection and sharing. Be particularly cautious with gaming apps, which often collect extensive user data.
Uninstall Unused Apps and Manage Data
Apps on your devices are often more than just convenient tools; they frequently collect substantial amounts of user data. The more permissions an app requires, the more potential for data collection. Before simply uninstalling unused apps, take steps to remove your data from the provider’s systems:
- Access the app’s settings to understand its data collection and usage practices.
- Disable all data collection options within the app.
- If applicable, log in to your account associated with the app, delete your personal data, and deactivate or close the account.
When downloading new apps, prioritize those with robust privacy settings and consider alternatives if an app requests excessive information.
Delete Old Email Accounts
Unused email accounts can pose a significant security risk. They often contain a trove of personal information, from private messages and shopping receipts to sensitive banking and health data. A compromised email account can have severe consequences.
To delete an old email account, consult your email provider’s instructions, typically found in the account settings. Before permanent deletion, back up any essential data, such as photos and documents, as account restoration is typically impossible.
Remove Personal Information from Google
As the world’s most popular search engine, Google is also a major data aggregator. Fortunately, removing your information from Google search results is relatively straightforward. You can:
- Submit a request through Google’s online form to remove personal information from search results.
- Follow the instructions in Google’s help documentation to remove outdated information or images from websites appearing in search results.
- Request the removal of specific personal data or content that could be exploited for doxing (the malicious publication of personal information).
Note that complete removal from the internet is never fully guaranteed, especially if you actively use social media, are associated with a company, or are a public figure.
Close Old Websites and Unused Accounts
Many of us create accounts on various online platforms, often for minor benefits like discounts or free shipping. These accounts, including social media profiles and personal blogs, can accumulate personal data, including addresses and payment information.
Deleting unused accounts is a crucial step in cleaning up your digital footprint. Identify online shops you regularly use and delete accounts on those you don’t. Consider using the guest checkout option for future purchases to avoid accumulating unnecessary data.
Similarly, close inactive social media accounts, even if they haven’t been used for years. Your data might still be accessible. Closing these accounts helps minimize your online presence.
Delete binary code
Review old blogs or websites. Are they up-to-date? Do they contain information you now prefer to keep private? Regularly check and update or close these pages to protect your data.
Manage Your Data with Data Brokers
Data brokers operate behind the scenes, collecting, aggregating, and selling personal data. This data ranges from basic information like your name and age to sensitive details like health and income. They track your online activity through social media, apps, and e-commerce websites, as well as offline activity through public records and loyalty cards.
This data is often sold to advertising agencies, political parties, financial institutions, and even potential employers. It can be used for targeted advertising, credit assessments, or even tenant screening.
Manually removing your data from numerous data brokers can be time-consuming. Services like AVG BreachGuard or Incogni offer a more efficient approach by specializing in data removal from these brokers. While they offer a valuable service, they may not cover all data brokers, so some data might remain in circulation.
