I had been looking for a data broker removal service for quite a while, specifically since some salivating fanboys affiliated with a certain project* sent a threatening package to my house to make sure I got the message. God, it’s fun being a woman on the internet.
Unfortunately, all the market offerings I came across were US-only.
…until this morning, when a generous discount code from the Revolutions podcast led me to discover a data broker removal service which – hallelujah! – covers the UK, and the EU, and yes, the US too, also Canada and Switzerland.
I signed up over my morning coffee and they’d secured seven deletions before I’d finished it. Damn.
Get deleting folks. Here it is – yes this is a discount code. You get a discount! I get a discount! Everybody gets a discount! Go go go etc.
Update, one week later: my details have been scrubbed from 18 data brokers I’d never even heard of, so far. A small part of me will sleep a little bit better.
*It’s not the one you’re thinking of.
Thanks, Heather — I signed up just now, 16 confirmed not holding data on me, and added to 4 suppression lists. 👍
Oh I do love a productive Monday morning!
Hi Heather!
I’ve been aware of incogni for a while, and the service has always felt “too good to be true” — your recommendation of it is likely enough to push me over the edge & committing to buying into the service, but are you aware of any guarantees the data is actually removed?
My understanding of the service is they take the data brokers at their word that the data is removed. Personally, I cannot shake the idea that this is just another scam-type deal, a forum of privacy theatre.
It doesn’t help that a lot of the online discourse regarding incogni & other similar data removal services boil down to “yes it works” & “No it’s a scam” with little evidence supporting either side.
Do you mind writing a little bit about how you came to the conclusion to use the service?
A thorough review of the site and their parent company’s site, which showed me among other things that they’re
a) not American, in fact they’re Lithuanian, which means they have defensive privacy in their DNA thanks to their nextdoor neighbour;
b) they donate to the digital rights movement, including organisations I personally work with;
c) they have a public warrant canary page.
As for taking data brokers at their word, the entire basis of the dystopia we are in is “we take your privacy seriously”. Doing nothing is not an option. Especially when an unexpected delivery arrives at your front door.