Data Deletion Tools

TASK: There are tools available that help you delete data stored about you online. This may seem counter-intuitive due to the fact that you have to give them some personal details, pay for the service and only then can they help you remove data. This is true but the scale of such a task is significant and a good start can be letting the professionals help you. The best way overall is to remove this data yourself by following a guide like the “Data Removal Handbook” found here. There is however a service called JoinDoeleteMe.com that can do this for you, or at least make a start. They have been around ten years and seem very good, most importantly they seem trustworthy. In fact if they broke this trust their business model would fail. There is an excellent podcast from OptOut with the CEO Rob Shavell here.

WHY: Removing your data from the myriad of companies that harvest it takes a great deal of time and effort. Often the data brokers repopulate your data as you continue leaking information simply by going about normal life, much of which is online. Using a service like JoinDoeleteMe.com can speed up your progress toward privacy. Slowly over time you can learn to do the job yourself. NB I have no affiliation to the company JoinDeleteMe, they are simply a very good service in my opinion.