I have been upset recently by a colleague googling me and found my full name on several 3D Printing sites I used to use. I guess I signed in with my google account and so it just pops up now that I’ve deleted all my socials.
I have a fairly uncommon first + last combo so the cursory google search and then sending “delete my data” emails from the email they know from the 3 data brokers who popped up seems good and now just my linkedin is showing (this is the ideal state).
Is there more I’m missing? should I go for a deleteme subscription in case I missed anything? Other sources I should go to?
I really don’t mind sending my own emails to these pests, but is that really all the services are doing? Or is there a backend I’m missing?
You could put out fake data. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get your real data removed, so start giving fake info for stuff that doesn’t need know who you really are.
Restaurants who ask for my name, I give “Gordon R” or “Guy F” or something similar. Do that with your digital life.
Nope. Dont do it. Google yourself, search your email inbox, start doing it by hand. It will take months. Why not do it through a company? Here: https://youtu.be/iX3JT6q3AxA
Not completely relevant, but the foss website/extension justdeleteme is a good resource for going through and “deleting” accounts.
Every now and then I go through my bitwarden and delete accounts I don’t need anymore, contributing to the justdeleteme site if it’s not on there.
These services aren’t super expensive and they tend to do a pretty efficient job. I had a weirdo trying to doxx me for a year and was just pulling outdated info off broker sites, it’s a pain in the ass and clearing out that into all at once helps ease the mind.
