If you're concerned about your privacy or you just want to distance yourself from the online world for any reason, you might be thinking about deleting yourself from the internet. But is that even possible? Well, while you can't get rid of public records that you have no control over, there are several ways that you can take control over the information that is available about you online. We've outlined a few of those ways below so you can get started whenever you are ready.
Look for Websites That Are Sharing Information About You
To delete yourself from the internet, you need to know where information about you is being shared. Again, you can't do much about public records that might be out there about you, but you can certainly perform a quick search of your name on your favorite search engine to see which websites are currently displaying personal details, such as where you're located, how old you are, where you work, and more.
Many times, having your information removed is as simple as contacting a website and politely requesting that your info be taken down so that it can no longer be found by people you don't know. For example, if you discover that a listing on Spokeo is sharing background information about you, just follow the Spokeo opt out instructions on the site to have it taken down.
Sites like Spokeo are referred to as people search websites, and they act as databases that can help you find contact details and background info on just about anyone. A well-known example is USPhoneBook, so that's another page where you might find information about yourself. In that case, you could follow the USPhoneBook opt out instructions.
Another example that's worth checking out is PeopleFinders. Yet again, you have the option of having your information removed by following the instructions on the PeopleFinders opt out page.
Deactivate and Delete All of Your Online Accounts
Another way to delete yourself from the internet is by removing all of the accounts that you opened through the years. This would include online shopping accounts, subscriptions to newsletters, and various accounts with businesses that you might have used in the past. Try to remember all of the accounts you opened so you can go and delete them one by one.
Remember, this also includes social media accounts, which can hold a lot of your personal information. If you fail to delete your social media accounts, you would end up leaving behind loads of details, photos, and videos that people would still be able to find. So, again, go to those accounts one by one to follow the instructions on how to totally remove them from the internet.
Get Rid of Your Email Addresses
Finally, to delete yourself from the internet, it is also a good idea to delete your email accounts. This includes email accounts that are used for personal and work reasons. You want to be sure that any accounts that are associated with your email addresses are deleted first. Then, it's a matter of just figuring out the steps to get rid of those email addresses for good.
There you have it: a few surprisingly easy ways to start deleting yourself from the internet if you are serious about removing as much information about yourself as possible.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
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