A Guide To Finding And Removing Personal Information On The Internet

The internet holds many consumers’ personal information. As an avid internet user, you have searched your name on popular search engines like Google. The majority of users search their names with low expectations. They are unpleasantly surprised to find that a lot of their personal information is available to the public. Users discover that their addresses and phone numbers appear. Some see their Google mail accounts as well. Others even find their banking information within search results. Whether the internet showcases your embarrassing photographs or sensitive financial documents, you need to protect your identity. Continue reading for a guide to finding and removing your personal information from the internet.

Search For Identifying Information

Begin the process of removing personal information from the internet by searching for identifying information online. Start with popular search engines like Google. Search for identifying characteristics such as your name, your address and even your e-mail. You can opt out of these websites like Nuwber to control your information online. Most users discover a few unpleasant pieces of information. However, the majority of the results will likely consist of others mentioning your name. You will also find completely unrelated articles. Only take note of the relevant search results from popular search engines. Then, take your research a step further. Search for yourself in data collection sites. There, you will discover an immense amount of personal information from a variety of sources. Take this initial step to find your personal information on the internet.

Fill Out Google’s Removal Request Form

Once you find your personal information online, proceed to fill out Google’s removal request form. While this step only takes care of the information you found on Google, it acts as a great starting point. When internet users want to obtain your personal information, they usually start with Google. Prevent them from retrieving valuable data by filling out the search engine’s removal request form. Google cannot guarantee a complete information removal. However, they can take steps to remove as much personal information as possible. Use this tool to remove more of your personal information from the internet.

Enable Social Media Privacy Settings

Additionally, enable social media privacy settings to remove your personal information from the public eye. Many internet users assume that they need to deactivate their social media accounts to remove personal data. Fortunately, that is not the only option. You can continue to use your favorite social channels without offering up sensitive information online. Popular platforms offer advanced settings for keeping information safe on the internet. For instance, Facebook allows you to make your account private to your friends. With this setting enables, only the people in your friends list can see your Facebook statuses and pages. You can even disallow lookups in Facebook’s settings. Familiarize yourself with these settings on a variety of social platforms. Enable them to remove your personal information from the internet.

Remove Information From Data Broker Sites

Since data broker sites typically hold the most personal information, remove yourself from them. Consider all data broker categories. Internet users access both primary data brokers and secondary data brokers to gain others’ information. Primary data brokers retrieve personal information from public records. Secondary brokers use the same data and add more information from other online sources. These sources typically include social media sites and blogs. Reach out to both types of brokers. Ask them to remove your name and all personal information about you from their databases. Then, you can find and remove your personal data from the internet successfully.

Cancel Online Shopping Accounts

Finally, cancel online shopping accounts to protect your personal information online. The majority of internet users now conduct their shopping online. It is more convenient and much faster than running to the mall. However, the online shopping platforms that so many users praise come with various risks. Even the most popular platforms offer your information to the public. The best sites use data security tools to keep your banking information private. They still showcase your name, address and email address. Prevent hackers from retrieving this information by canceling all of your online shopping accounts. Take this advice to remove your personal data from the internet.

The internet knows a lot of your personal information. It even provides this data to other internet users on a variety of platforms. To protect your identity online, first find the information available by searching for identifying characteristics. Then, use Google’s removal request tool to prevent hackers from gaining information on the popular search engine. Enable social media platforms’ privacy settings as well. Remove information from both primary and secondary data broker sites. Lastly, cancel any online shopping accounts that you use. Follow these steps to find and remove your personal information from the internet.