The Internet Knows Everything About You And Most People Have No Idea
I used to think online privacy only mattered if you were famous or reckless on social media. I don’t overshare. I don’t post my address. I don’t put my life online. So I assumed I was safe.
I wasn’t.
One night I Googled my own name and what came up honestly made my stomach drop. My full name, old phone numbers, previous home addresses, emails I stopped using years ago and even relatives names were sitting on public data broker websites that I had never heard of.
This hidden trail is called your digital footprint and it grows every time you shop online, move, open an account or sign up for anything. According to the Federal Trade Commission, data brokers legally collect and sell this information to anyone willing to pay
That is how identity theft happens before you even know your information is exposed.
And it gets worse.
Cybercriminals don’t guess your information anymore. They buy it. The FBI reports that identity theft and personal data leaks are now among the fastest growing crimes in the US
I realized something in that moment. This was not about privacy anymore. This was about safety.
So I started removing my personal information from the internet.
Not deleting social media. Not hiding accounts. I went after the actual data broker sites that buy and resell our lives. Whitepages, BeenVerified, Spokeo, Intelius, MyLife, Radaris and dozens more.
Each site had a different opt out form. Some required ID. Some made you email them. Some ignored requests entirely. It felt designed to wear you down.
That is why services that automate data removal exist now and why I personally use tools that monitor and remove my information from these sites instead of doing it manually every few months.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains how exposed personal data leads directly to financial fraud and identity theft
If you have ever received a scam call that knew your name, a strange email that felt too personal or had your information used without your permission then your data is already out there.
And it does not disappear on its own.
Every week that goes by gives brokers more time to scrape, store and resell it again.
That is why I put together a full step by step guide on how to remove your personal information from the internet before it spreads even further. I made it simple because fear based tech articles don’t help anyone.
You deserve to control your digital life.
You deserve to feel safe again.
And most importantly your personal information should never be public property.
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Affiliate Disclosure
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to sign up. This helps support my work at no extra cost to you.
What businesses should know about data security and consumer privacy. Also, tips on laws about children’s privacy and credit reporting.
