How to Delete Your Personal Information from the Internet—for Free

We’ve all heard the horror stories of what can happen when the wrong people get their hands on your personal information: false credit card charges, fraudulent bank withdrawals, and stolen identities.

If you’re concerned about your personal information, it’s not enough to simply block pop-up ads or delete browser cookies. You may want to consider ways to remove personal information from Google altogether.

There are many professional services available to help manage your online presence. However, if you’re cost-conscious, there are also several free options you can try to eliminate your online information.

https://joindeleteme.com/

 Option 1: Delete Online Accounts

The websites that make our lives easier¾think Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Facebook, etc.¾also store a lot of our personal information, including full name, email, date of birth, address, etc.

Deleting these accounts, especially the ones you don’t use anymore, is an easy step toward removing your online profile. Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, and Facebook each have different instructions for deleting your account, so be prepared to spend some time going through each site. 

 Option 2: Delete at the Source

While Google might be displaying your personal information, a different site most likely owns the file. If you have posted content on blog sites or created an account to comment on a news story, that original website holds the information.

It might be arduous, but your best bet is to go back to that original site and delete your account or content at the source. 

 Option 3: Contact the Offenders

It is very likely that you will need to contact data brokers¾the companies that find, aggregate, and sell your personal information. While it sounds daunting, there are some free but time-consuming steps you can take to facilitate your information’s removal from Whitepages and other data broker sites.

It’s important to note that each data broker company sets up a different opt-out process.

One way to opt-out? Contact them by phone or e-mail. This method might take seven to ten business days to delete your information, but it is relatively easy to do.

Another method: Determine if the company has an opt-out form. This still might take two to three business days, but it is also relatively easy.

A third option: Create an account. This might sound counter-intuitive if you’re trying to eliminate your online presence, but by creating an account and verifying your information you can then file a claim within a data broker’s system, requesting your information be removed. This method creates an official claim with the data broker and can lead to your information being removed almost immediately.

A final option: Turn to the professionals. It’s not free, but DeleteMe is in the business of protecting and removing your personal information. They know the companies to target and can take the stress and time of of managing online privacy off of your shoulders.

 About DeleteMe

DeleteMe empowers people to control how their personal information is accessed and shared online. The subscription service removes details like names, addresses, and phone numbers from websites such as PeopleFinders, Spokeo, and DexKnows, in order to help clients remove personal information from Google.

For more information, visit Joindeleteme.com

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