If you’ve ever searched for your name on Google, you would see links to your LinkedIn profile and social media accounts like Instagram and Facebook along with your shared pictures. But did you know that your home address may also appear across many sites?
It’s what data broking is all about: almost all organizations, from banks to the hotels you’ve stayed in, and other public services share your home address details with their business partners and third-party vendors who use it to sell related services to you.
Unknowingly, you would have consented to it while entering into a contract or booking a service online. The lengthy terms and conditions on their websites mention how the company will be collecting and sharing your information to offer you better services. But, most of us never read these detailed terms.
Having your home address publicly accessible online can expose you to cybercrimes, harassment, and heavy losses. Burglars keep scanning the web to view and use your info to snoop on your neighborhood and plan a theft. And, hackers may use your home address in someone else’s name and steal your identity.
But taking the right and timely steps can help you remove your publicly listed address, and keep you and your loved ones protected. Using a tool likeIncognican make the process easy and painless.
What Can You Do to Remove Your Address From the Internet
you may remove your address listed publicly online via the following steps.
Step 1: Start by Identifying Where Your Address Is Listed
Step 2: Request Removal from People Search Sites
This is not an easy request to make. Removing your address from People Search Sites involves handling multiple opt-out processes of various sites. you may do so by usingdetailed opt-out guidesprepared by Incogni, but you need a lot of spare time and patience. Moreover, keeping track of your opt-out requests and their progress, and ensuring their completion can be taxing.
The best option to get your address removed is to use a personal and trusted data removal service likeIncogni.
Step 3: Opt-Out From Data Brokers
Data brokers are engaged in collecting, aggregating, and selling personal information to third parties such as marketers, insurance companies, government entities, and other data brokers.
Though they support the targeted marketing strategies of many brands, the way they collect data without your consent denies you your right to privacy.
Moreover, the people buying your sensitive information could misuse it for nefarious activities and illicit gains. These data buyers could be scammers keeping you on their radar to steal your identity and use your credit cards or home address for illegal activities.
Data broking is a big business worldwide. An estimated 4,000 data brokers operate around the world today. Some major data brokers include Acxiom, LLC, and CoreLogic, Inc.
Acxiom collects and analyzes consumer data for targeted advertising and marketing, while CoreLogic provides property information and analytics for the real estate, mortgage, and insurance industries.
Indeed, there are data brokers for almost every aspect of what people are engaged in or possess. you’re able to keep your home address and the data safe by opting out from data broker databases.
How to Opt-Out from Data Brokers
Removing your address and other info from data broker sites can be tedious and frustrating, as each has a different opt-out process. But if you have the time and patience to do so, you need to take three basic steps:
Use an Automated Data Removal Service
This might be the best way to remove your address from data broker sites as doing it yourself takes a lot of time and effort. Specialized data removal services likeIncognitake care of this lengthy process for you.
According to Incogni’s research team, it would take the average internet user over 304 hours to remove their data, just once. Imagine doing it repeatedly to keep your data off the market.
From predicting which data brokers likely have your data, sending opt-out requests, handling disputes, and conducting regular repeated removals, Incogni does it all for you.
What Makes Incogni the Best Way to Remove Your Address
As a recognized legal entity, Incogni uses theCalifornia Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)andColorado Privacy Act (CPA)to make data brokers comply with data removal requests. It also monitors People Search Sites and regularly sends them opt-out requests.Incognialso asks data brokers to add your profile to their suppression lists, where available, to ensure your name is never listed again.
Incogni’s automated data removal tool covers 164 data brokers. It works to remove every trace of your address while you sit back and relax. Using Incogni saves you time and keeps your data off data brokers and people search sites, and out of circulation online.
Get 58% off Incogni today
Also Remove Your Home Address From These Platforms
Google Search Results
First, run an advanced search and follow the step-by-step instructions in thisIncogni guideto remove your phone number.
Moreover, suppression techniques like creating your new profile can help push unwanted listings further down in Google search results.
Social Media Profiles
Contact Website Owners
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) gives the right to remove content that violates your privacy. If your address has been posted without your consent, you can submit a DMCA Takedown Request to remove your address from sites and forums.
How to Maintain Your Privacy in the Future
Put Incogni to Work and Remove Your Address from the Internet
If keeping your address private and safe matters, consider using Incogni data removal. With Incogni’s Family and Friends Plan, you can protect up to four loved ones. Or choose an individual plan for yourself.
A year’s subscription at a special 50% discount will cost you $7.49 per month for an individual plan and $16.49 monthly for the Family and Friends Plan. Plus, with the ongoing Incogni cybersecurity week deal, you geta year’s subscription at 58% offby using the code codeMAKEUSEOFat checkout.
