How To Protect your Online Privacy and Personal Information

If you’ve ever Googled yourself, you know that uneasy feeling when your name, old addresses, phone numbers, maybe even relatives’ names pop up on some random sketchy website. It’s like the internet has been quietly building a dossier on you while you weren’t looking.

And here’s the kicker: The Internet has been building a dossier. More than 1.3 5 billion victim notices for compromised personal data were filed in 2024. And it doesn’t even take a big breach for your information to wind up online.

A whole industry exists around collecting and selling your personal information. These companies are called data brokers, and their business model is simple: scrape up as much information about you as possible, bundle it into a profile, and sell it to advertisers, insurance companies, political campaigns, and even scammers.

The unsettling part is that even if you avoid social media, your personal life can still surface on the web. That can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, nonstop robocalls, or worse—scams carefully tailored to separate you from your savings.

So what can you do? Quite a lot, actually. Let’s go through the why and the how of pulling your personal data off the internet.

REMOVING YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Think of your personal information like puzzle pieces. In the wrong hands, those pieces can be assembled into a picture of your life.

Here’s why that’s a problem:

Identity theft: Just a full name, old addresses, a birth year, and some family connections can be enough to bypass security questions or open credit accounts.
Financial targeting: Scammers buy lists of retirees, homeowners, or certain income brackets so they can push phony investments or fake debt relief schemes.
Emotional scams: If you’ve had a loss in the family, obituaries and public filings can reveal it. Scammers then swoop in with fake “bereavement services” or phishing emails that look supportive but are actually traps.
Physical threats: Having your home address floating around online makes you more vulnerable to stalking or harassment.

Bottom line: leaving your data out there is like stashing a house key under the doormat. It feels hidden, but eventually someone’s going to find it.

WHERE YOUR DATA IS BEING COLLECTED

Even if you’re careful online, data brokers can find your information. They pull it from:

Public records (property deeds, marriage licenses, court filings)
Commercial records (magazine subscriptions, loyalty programs, online purchases)
People search sites (Whitepages, Spokeo, MyLife, etc.)
Social media (yes, even if it’s not yours—relatives’ posts can include your info).

That’s why Googling yourself often turns up things you never posted. Those search results show what others have gathered.

REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION MANUALLY

The DIY route is a possibility if you prefer doing it yourself, but it will take time and patience. Here’s the process:

Search your name: Start with Google, then try people search sites like Whitepages, Spokeo, and BeenVerified.
Find opt-out forms: Most sites are required to offer a way to remove your information. The link is usually hidden in the footer or FAQ.
Submit requests: Fill in your details, verify your identity, and ask them to delete your profile.
Repeat: Each site is separate. You’ll need to do this for dozens (sometimes hundreds) of data broker sites.
Follow up: Some sites will remove your info, then republish it a few months later. Staying on top of it means checking back regularly.

It works, but doing it yourself can be tedious and it’s never really “done.” And it only covers data brokers—other websites exposing your info will need separate effort.

THE EASIER WAY TO REMOVE YOUR INFORMATION

If spending hours chasing down opt-out forms sounds miserable, you’re not alone. That’s why services like Incogni exist.

Instead of doing it all yourself, you give them permission to contact data brokers and shady sites on your behalf. They send the removal requests, track responses, and keep monitoring to make sure your data doesn’t pop back up.

They handle hundreds of broker sites automatically, and you can also flag other pages that need takedowns. Think of it like hiring a cleaning crew; you could scrub the place yourself, but why not let someone else do the heavy lifting?

One solid option is Incogni. They’re offering an exclusive deal for my readers: Get 55% off Incogni’s annual plans with the code “ASKDAVE”. That works out to $13.49/month for their unlimited plan, or $20.69/month for a family plan that covers up to five people.

QUICK TIPS TO STAY AHEAD

Whether you go DIY or pay for help, here are some extra steps to keep your personal footprint smaller:

Opt out of marketing lists: Next time you’re signing up for something, skip the loyalty card or check the “don’t share my info” box.
Use a PO box: Keeps your home address off more records.
Limit oversharing: Be mindful of what family members post online (like tagging your home in a photo).
Freeze your credit: A free step that makes it much harder for fraudsters to open accounts in your name.

THE BOTTOM LINE

No way to avoid it, your personal information is valuable, which is why companies – and scammers – are seeking it all the time. You can’t scrub yourself off the internet entirely, but you can reduce what’s out there.

Whether you chip away at it yourself or let a service like Incogni handle the grunt work, the key is simple: the less of your data floating around, the safer you’ll be from scams, fraud, and identity theft.

Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about privacy, Internet security, and online scams for many years. Please check out my spam, scams, and security help area for more tutorials and guides while you’re visiting. Thanks!