8 ways to remove your personal information from the internet
Of course, the most effective way to keep your privacy online is to share as little of your sensitive data as possible. However, even if you’ve already given away your phone number or email address to certain websites, your information is out there.
While it’s nearly impossible to delete yourself from the internet entirely, you can take steps to minimize the amount of information about you online.
1. Delete unused online accounts and software
Over time, you accumulate many online accounts and software you no longer use. These old accounts and applications may still store your personal information, making them a potential security risk. To make sure your data is safer:
- Identify and delete old email, online shopping, and social media accounts. Make a list of all the accounts you have and identify the ones you aren’t using anymore. Visit each platform and follow the instructions to delete your account permanently. If you're no longer active on Twitter, for example, consider deleting your Twitter account to ensure your data is removed.
- Remove your information. If you can’t delete an account, remove your personal details from it, like your billing address or credit card information. Doing so reduces your digital footprint and minimizes the risk of your data being exposed to a data breach.
- Uninstall unnecessary apps from your devices. Unused apps not only take up storage space but may also create security risks if not regularly updated. Delete apps you no longer use from your devices to reduce the likelihood of vulnerabilities that could compromise your personal info. And a pro tip for you — before you download a new app, always check its permissions to ensure they do not access more data than necessary.
2. Review privacy settings on social media accounts
Most social media platforms store a lot of your sensitive personal information. Adjusting your privacy settings to control who can access your data and how it is used is important to keep your information safe from prying eyes. To make sure your privacy settings on social media are intact, you should:
- Review and adjust privacy settings. Visit each social media platform and online account you use to review privacy settings. Adjust settings on who can see your posts, personal information, and photos to the level you’re most comfortable with. It’s best to limit the visibility of your profile to only those you trust and avoid publicly sharing sensitive information such as your address or phone number.
- Be mindful of what you share. Before you post anything online, take a second to think about it. Even seemingly unimportant details might be used against you. Be careful not to share data about your location, activity, or personal relationships.
- Be careful about posting photos. Photos can reveal a lot about you and your activity. Avoid posting photos that may give away sensitive information or locations you frequently visit. Adjust privacy settings on social media sites to control who can view your images and ensure they do not compromise your privacy or even personal safety.
3. Remove information from search results with Google’s “Results about you” tool
Google is often the first place people look when trying to find information about someone. If your personal data appears in search results, anyone can easily access it. Taking steps to remove your information from Google search engine results helps protect your privacy and reduces the risk of misuse. If you want to remove your personal information from Google search results:
- Remove your personal info from Google. Use Google’s “Results about you” tool to find instances that include your personal information, such as your phone number, home address, or email address, and request their removal. You can find it available in your Google Account settings under “Data & privacy.” After reviewing the results Google surfaces, select any eligible listings and submit a removal request directly from the dashboard.
- Monitor search results. Regularly monitor search engine results for your name or sensitive information. If you find new instances of your personal data appearing online, repeat the process to remove that information. Google can also proactively notify you when new results containing your personal information appear.
4. Request removal from third-party websites and data brokers
Third-party websites and data brokers collect and sell personal information, making it available to anyone willing to pay for it. Requesting removal from these sites helps ensure your privacy and reduces the risk of identity theft. To minimize your information available on data broker sites, there are some steps you can take:
- Submit removal requests to data brokers. Identify which websites and data brokers have your personal data listed and contact them. Some websites have request forms or dedicated procedures for this purpose. You can also reach out to them via phone or other contact details to request the removal of your information. Make sure to include as many details as possible about the information you want removed, such as screenshots and URLs.
- Use automated removal services. To make the process easier, consider using automated tools or services from privacy protection companies designed to remove your information from data brokers. These services can monitor data broker lists for your personal information, contact separate data brokers, and request that information be removed for you.
- Monitor for reappearances. Even after you have successfully removed your information, data brokers can sometimes re-upload it. Keep monitoring the internet for reappearances. Set up alerts to quickly address the situation if your data becomes public again.
5. Optimize browser privacy settings and use anti-tracking tools
Your web browser collects and stores a lot of information about your online activity, which can be used to track and profile you. Optimizing your browser settings and using anti-tracking tools can help protect your privacy and reduce the amount of data collected about you. To do so:
- Adjust your browser privacy settings. Disable third-party cookies, prevent websites from tracking your online behavior, and limit personalized ads. These settings help reduce the amount of personal data collected about you while browsing the internet.
- Clear your browsing history. Regularly delete your Google history to maintain privacy by removing records of the websites you’ve visited. Doing so can prevent websites and advertisers from tracking your online behavior over time. Make sure to clear cookies and cached data as well, which can store personal information and preferences.
- Delete unused extensions. Browser extensions can access significant amounts of your data, including browsing activity and personal information. Hackers can exploit their software vulnerabilities to access this data. Remove any extensions you no longer use or trust to minimize the risk of data breaches and improve browser performance.
- Use anti-tracking and privacy tools. You can also use tools that block internet trackers from monitoring your online activity. NordVPN has a handy tracker blocker feature that stops third-party web trackers from gathering data about you while browsing.
- Use a VPN. A VPN adds an extra layer of security by encrypting your internet connection and changing your IP address. Selected NordVPN plans also include a next-gen antivirus* to help protect you from malware, phishing, malicious websites, and other online threats while you browse.
*NordVPN’s next-gen antivirus is a digital threat protection tool that’s available on Windows and macOS. Learn what it is and how it works in the next-gen antivirus whitepaper.
6. Monitor and protect your identity
Identity theft and fraud are serious concerns that can have long-lasting impacts on your financial and personal life. Monitoring and protecting your identity is crucial to ensure your private information remains secure and is not misused. Below are some steps you can take to protect yourself:
- Use identity monitoring services. Subscribe to identity monitoring services that detect unauthorized use of your personally identifiable information. These services alert you to suspicious activity, such as new accounts opened in your name or changes to your credit report.
- Make public records private. Take steps to make your publicly available records, which can include court records, property records, marriage certificates, voter registration, and litigation archives, more private. You may need to contact government agencies or other entities that publish such records and request that your information be restricted from public access.
7. Secure your online accounts
To lower the chances of your account information appearing online, you have to protect the online accounts you continue to use. To increase the safety of your accounts, you should:
- Use strong, unique passwords. Create passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using easily guessable phrases, common words, or other information such as birthdays or names.
- Try out a password manager. If you’re afraid you won’t be able to keep track of all your passwords, consider using a reputable password manager like NordPass that automatically generates complex passwords and stores them for you.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA requires an extra step to verify your identity, like entering a code sent to your phone or email, along with your password. This action adds an additional layer of security and significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if your password gets compromised.
- Regularly scan the dark web for your information. If you want to take extra steps to make sure your accounts are safe, you can use various dark web monitoring alert tools. For example, NordVPN has a Dark Web Monitor feature that scans the internet for any credential leaks associated with your registered NordVPN email address. Using this feature will allow you to identify exposed credentials and take immediate action to secure your accounts.
8. Use Incogni — a personal information removal tool
Incogni is one of the best personal information removal services for reducing your online exposure. It helps remove your personal information from more than 420 data broker and people search sites, where details like your name, address, phone number, and email address can be collected, shared, and often appear in search results. Instead of contacting each website yourself, Incogni handles the removal requests on your behalf and continues monitoring for new exposures over time.
In addition to automated removals, Incogni also offers an Exposure Scanner that helps identify where your personal information may be exposed across the web, not just on data broker websites. It brings all detected exposures together in one place, where you can choose whether to request their removal, skip them, or mark them as unrelated.
For broader protection, premium plans include unlimited custom removals. You can rely on the exposures Incogni finds automatically or submit links to websites exposing your personal information yourself. Incogni’s removal specialists will then request their removal on your behalf.
If you’re researching the differences between Incogni and Optery or other alternatives, it’s worth considering Incogni for its proactive approach to finding online exposures and its unlimited custom removals. It’s also one of the few services with independently verified removal results and offers both web and mobile apps for managing your privacy.
Similarly, when comparing Incogni vs. DeleteMe or other best personal information removal services, it’s worth looking beyond the number of websites covered. Consider factors such as automated removals, ongoing monitoring, custom removals, pricing, and international availability to find the service that best fits your privacy needs.
If you’re looking for a simple way to reduce your online exposure, save time, and regain control of your personal information, Incogni can help automate what would otherwise be a lengthy manual process.
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