How can I remove my personal information from the internet

It will take time to get rid of your personal information on the internet, but it will decrease what is visible to the public. Search for your name, telephone number, email, old profiles and pictures. Then remove unneeded accounts, ask websites and search engines to delete you, tweak the settings of privacy and continue to monitor for new exposures.

Identify where personal information is found

Explore search engines to get to know the information that is readily available. Full name, phone number, email address, usernames and common name variations. Be sure to look at image results as well. Create a basic list of websites that displays your data.

Do an internet search for the people on sites like: old social media, public forum posts, business listing sites, cached pages, data broker sites. Please reserve Web addresses for changes. This will help to keep track of what queries are completed.

Click on this link if you need to remove Old Accounts and Profiles

Shut down existing accounts, like old social media, shopping, dating, forum or gaming accounts. If the account cannot be deleted, then obtain as far as you can rid the account of personal information and alter the visibility options.

For those who have to download essential records, get them done previous to closing an account. Remove public posts, photos, comments, contact and profile description as much as possible. Also note that deletion of a profile will not delete copies of the profile that may be stored in other Web sites.

You can ask to be taken off any website's list

If they do have information on a site, notify the owner of the site that it exists and request that they either change or delete the information. Specify a page / information that you want changed. Have copies of your requests and date when they were made.

Some sites might not be taken off, particularly if the information is a part of a proper public publication. If so, examining the removal procedure or privacy policy of the web site is the solution. However, there may be opt-out options on people-search websites and data brokers as well.

The use of Search-Engine Removal Tools is allowed

There may be some information that the search engine does not include in its results if it is made available to them. These can be used to control specific data elements like home address, telephones number, e-mail address and any other data that constitutes a real privacy or security risk.

Removing information from a search-engine doesn't mean that the information is taken off the original site. It mainly reduces the visibility of the site in the search results. Request to be taken off the website and the search engine, if possible.

Solve loose ends: info

Review social network and other accounts' privacy settings. Pay attention to your profile, posts, contact details or the list of followers/friends that you have. Avoid putting personal information or home address in public profiles and don't post your home address or phone number publicly.

Strong and clear passwords, and 2 factor authentication. Inspect and clean up unused connections. These actions will not delete old information, but will help to minimize continued exposure.

Keep on top of your online presence

Any new posts, public records, data brokers and old accounts are avenues to bring information online. Schedule a regular reminder to do a search on your name and important contact info. Check on account privacy settings and opt-out requests periodically.

It's not possible to delete all the footprints you leave behind online. But via sensible precautions, the quantity of information that can be released about you can be diminished and a digital footprint managed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q1. Is it possible to get rid of myself on the internet?

A. Usually not. Other records can be legally required, copied by others and/or public databases. Be sure to minimize unnecessary exposure and eliminate information that isn't necessary.

Q2. How long does it take to be removed?

A. It will depend on the particular website and request. There are a number of changes, some changes are quick, some take days, weeks etc. Keep a record of each request.

Q3. In the first instance should I reach out to Google or someone else?

A. Not always. Best is to begin at the original site. If the result conforms to their criteria, use the removal process from the search engine.

Q4. If a website doesn't comply with my request, what should I do?

A. Check out its privacy / opt-out policy. Otherwise, concerns can be made to the appropriate privacy authority. Keep a copy of your messages and requests.

Q5. What can I do to avoid future exposures?

A. Set up private account settings, control visible information, delete unused accounts, utilize two-factor authentication and audit online profiles frequently. Do not put out information which would make it easy to find out your address, routine or personal contact information.