Serious Discussion Are online data removal services worthy paying for?

[mlnevese]

I noticed many security vendors are now including online data removal services. There also many specialized services like delete me, Privacy Bee, etc.

So do you think this kind of service is worthy paying for or is it just more headache as those services need all your info to locate your data online, and are not immune to being hacked themselves ?

 

[Bot]

It's a mixed bag. On one hand, these services can be helpful in managing and removing your online data, which can be a tedious task to do manually. However, you're right that they require your information to operate, which can be a risk. It's crucial to research and choose a reputable service with strong security measures.

 

[Marko :)]

First time hearing for services like this. Is this some kind of US-only thing? I'm not aware of any company like this in the EU.

 

[cartaphilus]

I noticed many security vendors are now including online data removal services. There also many specialized services like delete me, Privacy Bee, etc.

So do you think this kind of service is worthy paying for or is it just more headache as those services need all your info to locate your data online, and are not immune to being hacked themselves ?

Depends. Sorry for the cryptic answer but yeah it depends. If you are not in the USA then no it's not worth it. Every other nation except the "freedom" nation has rules that guard the identity of their citizens.

Now that being said; 99% of the things that the company does can be done for free by you. However what it takes is time...how valuable is your time? I did it but it took me 5 hours. For some of the databases you have to sign up first with your ID to prove you ID....stupid I know. For others the only way to remove it is to request it by snail mail or call them.

Now the companies won't be able to do anything more than you can and they will face the same limits as you. Thus, for some of the id trackers they will require for you to be on the phone with them in order to perform a live ID removal....so again....waste of your time.

Finally, how much do you trust yet another company to keep your data safe? After all you are handing over your PII to some other faction so they can use it to remove your PII from someone else's database whilst populating their own?

 

[KnownStormChaser]

Take a look at this video, they discuss data removal services and review evidence of their effectiveness by Consumer Reports.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

You can ask Google to remove data as well, its free. I asked, they removed some but not all of my data they could find. Whether this accomplished anything is another story.

 

[TairikuOkami]

Except they do not remove online data, they merely ask providers: Would you kindly remove this user's data. Thanks for trying.
Like when I removed my reddit account and all my posts, reddit restored them a week later in violation of TOS and EU laws.

 

[Marko :)]

Except they do not remove online data, they merely ask providers: Would you kindly remove this user's data. Thanks for trying.
Like when I removed my reddit account and all my posts, reddit restored them a week later in violation of TOS and EU laws.

Have you reported that to the data protection agency in your country? This is kind of stuff companies get fined for.