With so much personal data floating publicly on the internet, consumers have a legitimate interest in controlling the information flow. Some are taking matters into their own hands, opting out of certain data-collection websites or using paid removal services to do the scrubbing on their behalf.
Whether to do this, and which option you chose, depends largely on the extent of your privacy concerns, how much time and energy, if any, you are willing to expend and how much you are willing to pay for privacy protection purposes.
“How much does it bother you that your phone number is out there and that people know you are married?” said Stephen B. Wicker, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Cornell University.
Here’s what you need to know about removing or limiting your personal data from the internet:
Identity theft and your online trail
At issue is data collected by scores of online companies called data brokers, which aggregate consumers’ personal information, often selling it to other organizations. This data can include a person’s name, mailing address, birthday, relatives’ names, social media, property value, occupation and other nuggets that can be leveraged for various scams.
“For identity theft purposes, it’s like tiles in a mosaic. The more tiles you have the more the impersonation can be accurate,” said Adam K. Levin, a consumer affairs advocate and former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs who co-hosts a cybersecurity podcast.
Not everyone is as concerned about their personal data being available to the public, but there are legitimate reasons why some people may have heightened sensitivity. This includes those who have experienced or are concerned about harassment or stalking, and people who work in law enforcement or in high-profile corporate jobs, said Damon McCoy, associate professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Self-help tools to remove personal information
For those who are so inclined, there are ways to…
Read the full article here
