When you purchase something online, sign up for a social media account, or fill out a free trial form, you leave traces of personal information on the internet. While sharing this data is often necessary for transactions and interactions, it can also pose a threat to your personal data privacy and security.

If you want to take control of your online presence and protect your sensitive information, hiring companies that remove personal information from the internet might help. In this article, we’ll explain how these companies remove your data from the internet and review some of the top personal data removal services. You’ll also learn how to protect your financial information when shopping online. 

Disclaimer: The information in this guide is valid as of September 2024. For the most recent information, please visit the official websites or contact customer support for the listed services.

What Are Personal Data Removal Services and How Do They Work?

Data removal services are companies that can help you remove your information from data brokers and people search engine websites. When you first engage with a data removal service, you typically have to provide some personal data to help the service understand how, where, and in what context your data appears online. 

Data removal services have vast lists of websites they can check against to find who has or might have your data. Once they locate sites containing your personal information, they might report the findings before starting to work on removing the data from each source. Since data brokers and similar service providers often have opt-out forms to stay compliant with data protection laws, a data removal service automates opt-out requests on your behalf.

Some of the common types of personal information that these services remove include:

• Contact information (name, phone number, email address)
• Financial information (credit score, income information)
• Buying habits (purchase history, payment method used)
• Government-issued identification (Social Security number, driver's license)
• Personal documents (birth certificate, criminal records)
• Health information (medical history, insurance information)

What To Look for in a Personal Information Removal Company

When choosing a data removal service, opt for a company that demonstrates coverage of major regulated data brokers and people search engines. You can check online reviews, customer testimonials, and case studies to gauge a service’s success rate. Since you’ll also be providing these companies with sensitive information, consider assessing their data protection measures, including the use of encryption, confidentiality agreements, and secure servers.

Other considerations to check for include:

• Scope of services—Besides data removal, some companies might also offer de-indexing and dark web monitoring to protect your data from future leaks.
• Pricing and packages—Data removal services have different pricing tiers based on the services offered. Some companies offer one-time removal services, while others have monthly or yearly subscriptions.
• Customer support—To ensure a smooth and satisfactory experience, choose a company that offers responsive and reliable customer support through various channels such as email, phone, and live chat.

Best Companies To Remove Personal Information From the Internet

Below are three of the top companies that specialize in personal data removal:

1. DeleteMe
2. Incogni
3. Optery

DeleteMe

Since 2010, DeleteMe has removed over 100 million personal listings from the internet^[1]. The service claims to be able to remove private information from over 750 data brokers^[2] and offers DIY opt-out guides for anyone who prefers to handle the process themselves^[3]. 

To make sure the data users provide remains secure, the service employs 256-bit AES and TLS 1.2 encryption, performs third-party risk management, and offers data backup and disaster recovery^[4].

DeleteMe's email masking feature enables users to create a placeholder email address to prevent data aggregators from collecting their personal email addresses^[5]. This reduces the chances of harassment, spam, and other unwanted emails.

Users can select from one- or two-year plans, with prices varying depending on how many people they want covered^[6]:

Incogni

Developed by Surfshark in 2021^[7], Incogni scans people search engines and 200+ data brokers^[8] for users’ personal information and sends removal requests on their behalf. The provider continually tracks down and adds new data brokers to their database, ensuring comprehensive coverage. Incogni also provides regular privacy reports to help users keep track of their removal progress^[9].

Incogni offers two plans billed monthly or yearly^[10]:

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and users can add up to four members to their Family and Friends plan.

Optery

Optery removes a user’s home address, phone number, and other private information from Google and 615+ sites​ that collect and distribute personal information^[11]. The service’s Exposure Reports and Removals Reports provide screenshots of the user’s private information found online and confirm the removals. 

As an AICPA SOC 2 type 2 compliant company, Optery employs data security measures such as AES 256 encryption to safeguard user data from online threats^[12].

Optery offers a free plan that provides a report of users’ personal information exposure and self-service removal tools. Users who want monthly automated scans, custom removals, and a dedicated support team can choose any of these paid plans^[13]:

How Effective Are Personal Data Removal Services?

While removal services can significantly reduce online exposure and protect privacy, they can’t guarantee the complete deletion of personal information from the internet. However, you can implement several measures that reduce your data exposure and protect personal information, such as:

• Sharing only the bare minimum—Services and products offered by companies such as Google or Amazon might require some personal information. However, you could still adjust their privacy settings to ensure you’re not sharing more than you have to. 
• Using a virtual private network (VPN)—Services such as Keeper, NordPass, and Dashlane hide your IP address and encrypt internet traffic, making data collection and tracking more difficult. 

• Leveraging virtual cards for online shopping—Virtual cards are random card numbers you can use as a stand-in for your actual card numbers at checkout. Some banks provide them to their clients, but if you get virtual cards from a specialized provider like Privacy, you’ll also benefit from advanced card controls and robust security measures.

Protect Your Financial Information With Privacy Cards

After connecting your bank account or debit card to Privacy, you can generate virtual cards—unique 16-digit card numbers with expiration dates and security codes that you can use for online purchases. When you use a Privacy Card, the vendor stores the virtual card details, not your actual payment information, limiting exposure during data breaches.

As a PCI-DSS-compliant company, Privacy protects your personal information using the same security standards as major banks. The service employs the AES-256 encryption cipher to secure your data and undergoes regular third-party audits by external firms to ensure its security and privacy practices comply with industry standards.

Other security measures include:

• Real-time transaction alerts—Privacy sends instant notifications for every transaction on your virtual cards, allowing you to quickly identify potentially suspicious charges.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA)—You can set up 2FA to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your Privacy account.
• Fraud protection—Privacy investigates potentially unauthorized transactions and initiates chargebacks against fraudulent merchants if it finds grounds for it.

Privacy Virtual Cards and Features

Privacy offers three types of virtual cards:

1. Single-Use Cards—These cards close shortly after the first transaction, making them useless to potential hackers. They’re perfect for transactions with new or untrustworthy merchants. 
2. Merchant-Locked Cards—These cards "lock" to the first merchant you use them with, and any attempts to pay with them elsewhere will be declined. You can use them to shop at familiar and reputable stores and for recurring payments, such as subscriptions and utility bills. 
3. Category-Locked Cards—They "tie" to a specific category of merchants, such as streaming services, online shopping, or food delivery. You can use these cards to track spending and improve budgeting. 
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Privacy lets you pause or close your virtual cards anytime, and it will decline any further charges. This feature can be helpful when you want to cancel a subscription and avoid unwelcome charges while going through the cancellation process. 

You can also set spending limits on your Privacy Cards, and Privacy will decline any charges that exceed them. This feature helps protect you from overcharging or hidden fees.

Privacy Convenience Features 

Privacy offers several features that make your online transactions more convenient:

• Privacy App—Available for iOS and Android, Privacy's mobile application allows you to create, use, and monitor your cards' activity on the go. 
• 1Password integration—With this integration, you can create, store, and manage your virtual cards and passwords from the password manager's browser extension.
• Privacy Browser Extension—Available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Safari for iOS, the browser extension autofills your virtual card details at checkout, streamlining your shopping experience.

How To Use Privacy

To get started with Privacy, do the following:

1. Visit the signup page
2. Enter the required Know-Your-Customer (KYC) information
3. Add a funding source (debit card or bank account)
4. Submit your request and generate your first virtual card
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Privacy offers four subscription plans:

References

^[1]DeleteMe. https://joindeleteme.com/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[2]DeleteMe. https://joindeleteme.com/sites-we-remove-from/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[3]DeleteMe. https://joindeleteme.com/blog/opt-out-guides/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[4]DeleteMe. https://joindeleteme.com/security/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[5]DeleteMe. https://help.joindeleteme.com/hc/en-us/articles/13592469434899-Email-Masking, sourced December 12, 2024

^[6]DeleteMe. https://joindeleteme.com/privacy-protection-plans/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[7]Incogni. https://incogni.com/about-us, sourced December 12, 2024

^[8]Incogni. https://blog.incogni.com/data-brokers-incogni-covers/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[9]Incogni. https://incogni.com/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[10]Incogni. https://incogni.com/pricing, sourced December 12, 2024

^[11]Optery. https://www.optery.com/, sourced December 12, 2024

^[12]Optery. https://help.optery.com/en/article/how-optery-secures-your-data-a1uw2d/, December 12, 2024

^[13]Optery. https://optery.com/pricing, sourced December 12, 2024

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