Data Removal Services: Limitations and Benefits, My Strategy and How Your Personal Information is Collected
-A “How to” Post
Once you have escaped, the medium and long term battle is keeping your information out of the hands of data brokers, public domains
and or
greatly limiting the information they can get.
Most of this, will change how you conduct your life and will make it a little more challenging and time consuming.
-The Tactical Victim-
It’s a Mindset, a New Way of Life 🔒
My Strategy
- I will Share a strategy I use…that seems (I say this, because I can not be 100% certain), to maximize privacy and minimize my time-effort, watching my every move.
- I have written other articles on how to remove your data, and tools to use, which I will include at the bottom of the article too.
- I will also provide a YouTube Channel, whose creator is a near expert on privacy tools, online and for your phone and many other privacy tips.
First: The Limitations of these services
I have signed up to a Data Removal Service, as well as emailed Data Brokers themselves to remove my data (its a pain in the ass and very time consuming).
I read, its not a good idea to email them:
-Unless you know they have your information's showing already.-Don’t give a data broker, that doesn’t have any of your information.
-Also I have read, not to use your primary emails address when contacting them, use a burner, or something that isn’t used for your other personal/professional needs.
Yea, it’s already challenging
Their Limitations because of:
1. Your Actions: (OPSEC Limitation)
You can sign up for all the data removal services you want, but if you
- Create a Facebook, Instagram and website, with your name on it,
- Play games on apps and give them your data…
- Sign up for your grocery store discount card
- Use a rewards credit card from a clothing store
- Give out your real name and email, to websites and surveys online or in person
the data you removed process will eventually be replaced, by your own actions.
Here’s what I mean about OPSEC and why spending more money on tools and apps, isn’t necessarily a long term solution
Here’s some more ways Data Brokers collect information about you
Limitations based off how your use the service:
2. Monthly/Yearly vs 1 Month Plan Limitations
Some people will pay for the data deletion services, for a month or two, and then cancel their membership.
If your taking multiple data mitigations strategies (in articles and a YouTube video I will post below):
this will likley allow, your anonymity online and privacy from data brokers, to last a bit longer
VS
someone who just relies on the paid service to do everything for them and doesn’t practice OPSEC or use other browser tools to help the reduce the data/information they share.
The Downfall/Risk of Completely Canceling?
After doing some research, I read each data brokers handles things differently.
Some, will permanently keep your data off their website.
Others, will add it back on later.
Here is some commentary from the creators of one of the Opt out Services you can use.
They Go over the challenges of using these services, partially, as well as dealing with data brokers.
I recomend reading this, to give you a fuller picture and to adapt your desired short and long term data removal plan accordingly.
-“The problem is hard to solve for two reasons.
First, there are so many data brokers, each with their own nuances and distinct processes for opt outs.-5% of data brokers simply do not comply with opt out requests
How can I make it more difficult for data brokers to track me?
Another way to make data brokers job more dfficult, is by adding Layers to your life.
I’ll include the full article below.
in short, each time you change cities, change your number and email.
Yes, its a b*tich, but, imagine how difficult it will be to find you?
Exactly.
Also, practice using 3 different emails at a time, along with the use of temp emails services.
This makes is harder for brokers, and your abuser, to correlate each user of each service.
In addition, don’t include your last name in your email.
One Idea I use
- I sign up for the full suite of features, and use it for 2–3 months.
-Then, I lower my subscription, to a lower/less featured and less data brokerage covered plan.
My Follow Up Plan:
a) Googling Myself
I then, each month, look up my information, emails number, on google..to see what pops up.
b) Long Term Lower Featured Plan
I also use the lower paid features of the plan, to see what's out there on me.
Desired Effect:
It also, has a limited number of data brokers, that it still covers, which MAY, help slow the re-emergence of my information (I read some data brokers buy data from other data brokers, so, I think I ‘break the links in the chain’, by doing this, and, slow the information spread down.
c) Using a Data Broker
Also, I signed up to a Data Broker, to be able to search my name and see what pops up when I search myself.
d) Re-sign Up, for the Full Features
Every couple to few months, I sign up again for the full features.
Its a hassle, but does seem…to offer overall better protection than the low feature plan alone, it is less time consuming than doing it all manually, and it is less expensive than keeping the full featured plan each month.
Where else do Data brokers get your data?
Take a look at the below delete me article, this will give you some other ways, data brokers collect your information.
Free Solutions
Email:
Use a temp email, or “burner email” to give out, that doesn’t have information attached to, and is only used for that purpose.
Phone:
-Use the “text me”, apps, where possible
-Use a fake phone number when you legally can
-Buy a prepaid phone in cash, with a number that isn’t tied to your name.
Online and in person:
Have this email and number ready to use, with a fake name, if you really want to get emails on different updates that don’t need your legal name.
Online:
-VPN: A free, but reputable vpn, will also help reduce cookies and leakage of data about you when surfing the web
-Browser Extensions: That limit your data sharing, like Ghostery.
-Browsers: Firefox and Brave, are more privacy focused and have more data reduction options than chrome does.
MOST IMPORTANT: Your Choices/Mindset (OPSEC)
Stop putting your name, with your email and number down for anything other than the doctor, dmv, bank, communication with law enforcement.
Also, where allowed, don’t give your social security number, unless its required
Paid Solutions
-Check out these services, each works a little differently.
More Advice and Tools (My Articles)
Other Experts
Here is a Great Youtube Channel for DV and Stalking victims:
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Thank you all for your support
-The Tactical Victim-
It’s a Mindset, a New Way of Life 🔒
