DeleteMe makes it harder for people to find you online

It’s a fact of modern life that our data is everywhere. From social media to sketchy data brokers, it’s hard to keep our information from getting into the wrong hands.

A company called Abine knows this all too well and has been running its DeleteMe service for the past decade, helping consumers keep their information out of the hands of unscrupulous data brokers.

DeleteMe - Remove Personal Info from Google

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DeleteMe is a privacy service that aims to help individuals remove their personal information from public online directories. 

Learn More at DeleteMe

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DeleteMe takes your data back from sketchy data brokers

Your data should be yours, but it’s not. Everyone from the White Pages to Spokeo and dozens of lesser-known data brokers hold your information.

In an ideal world, you would have control of your data and the option to sell it. But, until we reach that point, something like DeleteMe at least helps manage where your data is located.

Here’s how it works:

• You give DeleteMe your information so they can search for matching records held elsewhere
• Then, they help get those records removed and send you a report of what’s been done within seven days
• DeleteMe then sends removal requests to a huge list of data brokers every three months on your behalf
• It’s a recurring yearly subscription because data brokers are always regaining your information

How effective is DeleteMe?

DeleteMe promises to be your knight in shining armor, safeguarding your online privacy by removing your personal information from public directories.

But, does it actually live up to the hype? The truth is, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

On one hand, the service can help you eliminate unwanted information floating around the web. But, on the other hand, it’s not a one-and-done solution.

Your information could reappear on the internet at any time, and DeleteMe can only remove what it finds during your subscription.

So, while DeleteMe can be effective to a certain extent, it’s not guaranteed that all of your information will disappear from the web forever. It’s just one tool in the ongoing battle for online privacy.

How much is DeleteMe?

For $129 a year, or $230 for two people, you can get DeleteMe’s experts to remove your data.

Using their handy guide, you could do it yourself, but it’s super time-consuming, especially if you have to do it every few months. Some things are just better left to the professionals.

DeleteMe - Remove Personal Info from Google

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Who is it good for?:

• People who want to be proactive in managing their online reputation
• Individuals concerned about identity theft or online scams and want to reduce the information available to potential scammers
• Privacy-conscious individuals who want to reduce the amount of personal information available about them on the internet

Learn More at DeleteMe

KnowTechie is supported by its audience, so if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale.

What do you think? Is this something you’d use to protect your data? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.