With data brokers making big money by selling your personal details, it’s never been easier for bad actors to get access to your phone number, email address, physical address, and even sensitive data like your social security number.
That doesn’t just leave you at risk from spammers and scammers, but some people unfortunately have to worry about their contact details being used for stalking and harassment …
How to remove personal information
Data brokers are companies whose business is buying and selling personal data. While they do grab headlines on rare occasions – as in the case of a major data breach – they mostly operate in the shadows.
Despite occasional talk of lawmakers or regulators intervening, data broking remains a perfectly legal business, taking advantage of the small-print we frequently agree to when registering to use a website or buying an app.
Fortunately there are steps you can take to remove your personal information from the internet.
Google yourself to identify sites with your details
The first step is to Google yourself. Sometimes including information someone might already know about you will narrow down searches for more common names, so here are examples:
Jane Doe Jane Doe Boston Jane Doe doctor Jane Doe Massachusetts General Hospital Jane Doe Harvard
In some cases, you’ll be able to remove the information yourself – for example, in profiles you created. In other cases, you might need to use the Contact Us link to ask the website to do it.
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