Why Online Users Are Taking Steps to Remove Personal Information

Many users are genuinely unaware of how much personal information they have online or why it matters. However, as more online visitors know about the impact of modern digital tools and trends, they often resort to established privacy practices that safeguard their online identity. As a result, it has now become common to see several individuals who are seeking ways to remove personal information from internet and protect themselves. 

This article is based on recent consumer reporting data, observed digital trends, and commonplace privacy practices that can show you where you stand with respect to online data safety. 

Why Personal Information Is Widely Available Online 

 Whether you're creating a social media presence, filling forms, or registering on financial/government-owned platforms, your personal information is potentially at risk. Data brokers can also access your personal information via routine online activities such as visiting a news media website or other virtual platforms. 

Let's see more on the various routes through which your personal privacy can be exposed to the internet. 

• Data broker websites: These are companies that collect, analyze, and sell personal information from online purchases from third parties or any of the sources below. 
• Social media profiles: Social media accounts are major routes to a massive digital footprint that is potentially open to strangers. 
• Public databases: Increasing digitalization of public records via voter registration, property deeds, marriage licenses, divorce records, and criminal histories has made them potentially more available to third parties and criminals than ever. 
• Old or inactive accounts: Neglected or forgotten accounts via email platforms, social networks, or e-commerce sites pose a major overlooked privacy risk. 

What Types of Personal Data Are Most Exposed? 

  The personal, professional, and intimate information of internet users is the most exposed. Third parties and hackers potentially look forward to data like this to gain some form of advantage over the owners: 

• Names and addressess
• Phone numbers 
• Email addresses 
• Family connections 
• Professional experience and records 
• Financial information, bank records, and passwords 

Risks Associated With Public Personal Information 

  When the personal, financial, professional, or intimate information of online users gets to third parties or scrupulous individuals, the original owners are at risk of scams, impersonation, and unwanted contact. 

Consumer reporting data shows that many online users are discovering that their online information is putting them at risk of the following: 

• Identity misuse 
• Account recovery abuse 
• Reputational issues 
• Ongoing spam 

Consequently, they're making moves to protect themselves from these risks. Next, we see how they're doing this. 

How Users Are Responding to Data Exposure 

  Users are actively reviewing listings, requesting removals, and adjusting privacy settings. Recent digital trends show that the need to remove personal information from the Internet is at an all-time high, amidst skyrocketing global internet connectivity and awareness. 

Some of the most common methods involved here include: 

• Opt-out requests: Opting out of email listings, social media platforms, data brokerages, and shopping accounts is helping many reduce their digital footprint. 
• Account clean-up: Others are turning to existing online accounts and reducing publicly available information to suit their privacy preferences. 
• Privacy setting updates: Several users are editing their privacy preferences on multiple online media to the minimum allowable limits. 

  What Works Over Time and What Doesn’t? 

  One-time actions help, but ongoing monitoring is often necessary (and more helpful). Here's what we mean. 

One-time Removals vs Repeated Exposure 

 One-time removals are commonly reactionary user requests to delete personal data from search engines, data brokerages, or websites. However, continuous internet usage unintentionally places deleted user data at risk of re-exposure via system glitches and cyclic data brokerage operations. 

Manual Actions vs Consistent Checks 

  Since data is constantly re-collected, manual/one-time removals are often insufficient. Instead, users would do well to subscribe to automated deletion services that keep resubmitting removal requests. 

Short-Term Fixes vs Long-Term Habits 

 Short-term security fixes, such as those through any of the above methods, can help boost users' online privacy. However, a more reliable method to reduce users' digital footprints and vulnerability over the long term involves proactivity and consistency with monitoring sensitive online data. 

  Major habits for maintaining data privacy include using: 

• Strong, unique passwords for every account 
• Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) 
• Regularly updating software 
• Conducting periodic security audits of your apps and social media settings 
• Automating data deletion requests 
• Limiting online personal information to relevant and necessary data (especially for public figures with already large digital footprints) 

FAQ

Q: Can personal information really be removed from the internet? 

A: While you can't completely wipe personal data from the internet, you can reduce your digital footprint by deleting your accounts, reviewing your privacy settings, and opting out of data brokerages. 

Q: Why does removed data sometimes reappear? 

A: Background syncing services, system errors, cloud-based backups, and viruses can sometimes make deleted data reappear. 

 Conclusion 

Many informed users are taking steps to reduce their data exposure for various reasons discussed here. They're aware that ignoring online exposure can lead to ongoing privacy and security issues, and are actively latching onto advanced and effective ways of protecting their online presence over the long term. 

It doesn't matter if you're learning about this for the first time - or not. There's no better time to review your online presence and take practical steps to reduce (unwanted) visibility online than this. You'll thank yourself for it later. 

The content has been authored in collaboration with our guest contributor, Mirsad Fiso.