DeleteMe Review: Does It Actually Remove Your Info From the Internet?
▼ Summary
– Approximately 16.4 billion Google searches occur daily, many for people’s names, including both public figures and ordinary individuals.
– DeleteMe, founded in 2010, and competitor Incogni contact data brokers to remove personal information like addresses and phone numbers.
– The effectiveness of data removal services is limited by a lack of comprehensive US federal privacy law and inconsistent state-level protections.
– DeleteMe and Incogni both offer dashboards to track removal requests, but Incogni updates more frequently and contacts more brokers.
– The author, who used both services, found DeleteMe reduced unwanted calls and cleaned up Google results, while Incogni worked similarly for an elderly relative.
Since you’re reading this, there’s a decent chance someone has already searched for your name today. With roughly 16.4 billion Google searches happening every day, a massive chunk of those queries target people , famous names like Lionel Messi or Sabrina Carpenter, but also plenty of everyday individuals. You, me, and anyone who’s ever signed up for a rewards card or filled out an online form. I know my own name has been floating around out there, based on the relentless spam calls I receive.
DeleteMe, founded in 2010, positions itself as one of the oldest players in the data removal industry. Services like DeleteMe and its rival Incogni handle the frustrating work of contacting data brokers on your behalf, requesting the deletion of your personal details , including current and past addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. The goal is to reduce unwanted marketing and make it harder for strangers to track you down. I started using DeleteMe back in January, and while it hasn’t been a perfect solution , scammers still find ways through , I’ve noticed a real drop in unsolicited marketing calls. It also cleaned up my Google search results, so now the first thing people see is my old articles, not my home address.
I’ve also tested Incogni, managing an account for my elderly mother, and she saw similar improvements. That’s not surprising, according to DeleteMe executive Jason Dalrymple. “We all basically do the same thing,” he says. “We’re bound by the same laws and constraints in compliance. It’s a cat-and-mouse game.”
The reason these services can’t guarantee total privacy is that U. S. data broker regulation is a legal gray area. There’s no comprehensive federal law governing how private companies use personal data. Instead, protections vary wildly by state. I live in Missouri, where I consider myself lucky to have running water, let alone privacy protections. California offers stronger safeguards, while many states offer none. Data brokers aren’t obligated to delete your information just because a service asks. They might demand extra verification, deny the request outright, or simply ignore it , all of which requires the deletion service to follow up repeatedly.
Both DeleteMe and Incogni let you track progress through a dashboard showing how many removal requests have been made and fulfilled. Digging deeper reveals specifics on each broker, though most names will be unfamiliar. The main difference I noticed: DeleteMe’s dashboard updates less frequently and covers fewer brokers than Incogni’s.
I personally prefer Incogni’s dashboard because it’s satisfying to log in every few days and see constant updates , the service is actively crawling the web and busting brokers, rating each one on speed and compliance. DeleteMe, by contrast, produces a report every few months showing progress on a smaller set of sites. Dalrymple argues that this surgical approach is intentional , a feature, not a bug.
(Source: Wired)
