WSJ, Part One – Go Delete Yourself From the Internet. Seriously, Here’s How. Find your data, request removal…and repeat [no paywall] – “Google updated its “Results About You” tool, and using it has been an eye-opening experience. It uncovered my home address, phone number and email on so-called people-search websites, along with my birth date and grandma’s name—even though I requested removal from some databases years ago. It regularly sends emails alerting me to more exposed data. And yes, your info is out there, too. Plug your data into Google’s free tool—the company promises not to use it for any other purposes—and wait a few hours for the alerts to roll in. Why care? Easily available personal data can expose you to junk mail, identity theft or impersonation scams. For executives, government officials and public figures, the stakes are even higher. Attackers use people-search databases to increasingly target them for harassment or violence, according to a 2024 report by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Even private individuals have become victims of doxxing, the malicious sharing of personal info. If you’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket, bought a home, answered a census survey or registered to vote, those details are now a part of public record. Credit card sign-ups, magazine subscriptions and warranty cards are other reliable sources of personal information. Data brokers scrape these records, plus social-media profiles, then package the data as dossiers on millions of Americans. There are hundreds of people-search services. And while most offer an opt-out process, the data can reappear when companies refresh their databases. That’s why you might want to enlist another service, the kind that deletes your data from the internet. While services can’t completely scrub your info from the web, they can make it harder to pin you down. Here’s how it all works.
Delete Yourself From The Internet – Or At Least Try
WSJ, Part Two – Delete Yourself, Part 2: Your Personal Data on the Dark Web [no paywall] – “How to lock down your finances and online accounts after a data breach spreads your information to the secret corners of the internet. How much does your data sell for on the dark web?
• Your credit-card number: $6
• Your PayPal account credentials: $100
• Your crypto wallet login: $350
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about tools to scrub your information from websites. I received many emails from readers who asked: “What about my data that’s on the dark web?”
This hidden part of the internet is where criminals exchange illegally obtained data, such as passport details, passwords and Social Security numbers—including mine, I recently discovered. The above pricing, provided by cybersecurity company NordVPN, gives you a sense of how marketable your data can be following a hack. This guide will help you find out if your sensitive information is on the dark web, and prevent bad guys from doing damage with it…”
