Cyber news, tools & one smart career path.
5 min read
Quick Reality Check
You have a right to delete your data. Dozens of data brokers are hiding how to do it.
What happened:
Dozens of data broker companies secretly collect, buy, and sell your personal information: your name, address, phone number, relatives, even financial records and online habits and many of them bury or hide the very pages you need to request deletion. Separate investigations found at least 30 to 35 registered brokers using website code so Google and other search engines will not show their opt out or deletion pages in results.
Why it matters:
If you cannot find the form, you cannot use your rights. Hidden deletion pages slow removals keep your personal information exposed. That raises the risk of identity theft, relentless spam calls and texts, targeted phishing emails, and financial fraud that can drain your accounts. It can invite stalkers or strangers to your home, enable social engineering against your family and coworkers, and even allow unauthorized background checks by landlords, employers, or strangers.
Read more, here.
60-Second Protection Fix
Here is what to do right now to protect yourself
What you can do:
- If you are in the U.S., use my new tool. It will help you scan public data broker sites and show you who has your info. Enter your name and email and your report arrives in about 15 minutes
- If you are outside the U.S., follow the steps below:
- Find where your data is. Google your name with “address,” “phone number,” and “data broker.” Then check popular broker sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, PeopleFinders, Intelius, BeenVerified, and MyLife. Use a private or incognito window.
- Remove yourself from sites: start with Whitepages, BeenVerified, TruthFinder, and Spokeo. Use each site’s opt-out form to remove your record.
- Track and repeat. Keep copies of your requests and the dates. Expect to recheck, since listings can reappear and new brokers pop up.
- Don’t want to do this yourself? Have a deletion service like Incogni do it for you.
Get the full walkthrough in my step-by-step guide, How to Delete Your Data. Download it here
Must-Have Tool:
I created a new tool just for my followers, and I am so excited to share it. I partnered with Incogni to build a scan that checks public data broker sites and shows which websites have your personal information. Enter your name and email to get your report in about 15 minutes.
Try it here and see how exposed your data really is.
(This tool is only available in the US right now but you can read my “How to Delete Your Data” guide to learn how to search yourself)
Check Out Privacy Engineering and Data Governance (aka “The Data Guardians”)
These teams design how sensitive data is collected, stored, and shared. In a case like hidden deletion pages, they set rules for fair design, ban dark patterns, and audit vendors so people can actually use their rights. If you like building rules that protect people at scale, this could be your path.
Learn more about Privacy Engineering and Data Governance in my Free Intro Course: Cyber Paths 101
What You Missed This Week
Your personal data is already leaked and here is my free tool to prove it. Watch my video to see how it works and what to clean up first. Click on the image or watch here
What We're Hearing From You!
"How could I do the same (find a remove personal data online) and have my personal data removed from online? "- @mbn_7591
That’s a great question, that’s what this entire email walks you through.
If you are in the US: I created a tool that scans most of the public data brokers sites and tells you exactly where your information is.
If you are not in the US: Use the attached guide to stretch for your personal information
From that list, you can start manually going to those companies to opt-out. That does take a lot of time and the data keeps coming back, so what I personally do is use a deletion service and they do it on my behalf and send me a report every month of everything they deleted.
Let’s keep building together!
Stay protected,
Cybersecurity Girl
Know someone who’d enjoy this? Pass it along and have them sign-up here! And if you have thoughts or feedback, just hit reply, I’d love to hear from you.
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