PCMag has published a practical guide on how people can reduce their digital footprint and cut the amount of personal and private information exposed on the public internet. The report says a range of automated cleanup services is available for users who want help shrinking that footprint, while those who do not want to pay can still lower risk by manually shutting down unused accounts.
Start by cleaning up old accounts
According to the guide, the first step is to identify and manually close forgotten online subscriptions and social media accounts that are no longer in use. It also recommends downloading a backup of personal data before permanently deleting a social account.
For information that appears in search engines, users can submit privacy or legal removal requests through the three-dot menu next to Google search results. Copyright holders can also file a DMCA, or Digital Millennium Copyright Act, takedown request.
PCMag adds that regularly clearing browser cookies and website data can also help reduce the digital traces users leave behind.
Limit what you share when opening new accounts
The guide advises users to be careful with personal details when registering new accounts, including items such as date of birth, phone number, and address. On the browser side, it recommends rejecting non-essential cookies, blocking unnecessary website permissions such as location and camera access, and using HTTPS connections.
Users who do not want their social profiles to be public can also switch those accounts to private.
How data brokers collect and sell personal information
The article says data brokers collect and sell personal identity information at scale by combining public records with multiple other channels. Users can either contact a specific website on their own or use tools such as Incogni, DeleteMe, and Optery to send opt-out requests.
These services act on behalf of users by sending deletion requests and monitoring results on a recurring basis, which is meant to address cases where brokers re-index information after scraping public files again.
Removal services are not permanent
PCMag says services such as Incogni, DeleteMe, and Optery cannot permanently erase personal information from the internet. Because data brokers keep updating their databases with information from public records and other sources, personal data can still reappear online.
Rules differ by region
Regulatory approaches to data brokers vary across jurisdictions. In California, the guide says, the state government offers a free DROP platform, short for Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform, that allows residents to submit deletion requests to more than 600 brokers through a single access point.
Key points listed in the article
- Users can manually identify and close inactive subscription, shopping, and social accounts, and should back up their data before deleting social profiles.
- Privacy or legal removal requests can be submitted through Google search result menus, while copyright owners can also file DMCA requests.
- Data brokers collect and sell personal information, and users can send opt-out requests through Incogni, DeleteMe, and Optery.
- California provides a free DROP service that lets residents request deletion from more than 600 brokers through one portal.
- Because brokers can scrape and re-index data again, users still need to clear cookies and cached data regularly, disable unnecessary website permissions, and keep social accounts private to reduce the chance of personal information reappearing in public search results.