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.

 

[boughouri]

Bumping this old thread from 2024 cause the debate over whether these tools are worth the money is still super relevant. I was also extremely hesitant to hand over my details to another company just to delete them elsewhere. I spent a few weeks trying to manually email these data brokers to take my address down, but they just ignore you or ask for a copy of your driver's license, which is insane.

I hit my absolute breaking point with the spam and ended up running my details through Protect My Data to scrub my footprint, since tracking down every broker yourself is a total nightmare. Whatever you do, stop giving out your real phone number to retail cashiers when they ask for it at checkout.

 

[Sorrento]

Store cards, loyalty schemes, personalised shopping, etc. etc. All give out info we best keep to ourselves, I have throw away valid email accounts I use for such things if I really need to - Each & every bricks & mortar shop I go in now asks 'do you have our loyalty card,? Me, a polite but a assertive No - 'Would you like to have our card & get money saving offers'? Me: even more assertively 'absolutely not', I may say: 'I don't want to be emailed & tracked by your company for all eternity'

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

My wife and I use this service, which is available in my country; it works well for calls, text messages, and regular mail.
It doesn't work as well for email.

RPO - Know your rights

 

[simmerskool]

Bumping this old thread from 2024 cause the debate over whether these tools are worth the money is still super relevant.

well after some long-term internal debate, I did sign up for DeleteMe several months ago (someone I like on youtube recommended it and I must have been fed-up at the time). DeleteMe sends a monthly report of what they've done, what's been taken down. This is NOT an endorsement -- I'm not sure of the effect it has had on my receiving end...

 

[Marko :)]

Bumping this old thread from 2024 cause the debate over whether these tools are worth the money is still super relevant. I was also extremely hesitant to hand over my details to another company just to delete them elsewhere. I spent a few weeks trying to manually email these data brokers to take my address down, but they just ignore you or ask for a copy of your driver's license, which is insane.

I hit my absolute breaking point with the spam and ended up running my details through Protect My Data to scrub my footprint, since tracking down every broker yourself is a total nightmare. Whatever you do, stop giving out your real phone number to retail cashiers when they ask for it at checkout.

I only give my phone number where it's absolutely necessary and only to the companies I trust they won't spread it elsewhere. When talking about loyalty programs, I'm not signed up into any. My parents usually are and we share these cards together; I just add their cards into my Google Wallet and I'm using them when buying something. Much more effective way of collecting points than if we signed into loyalty programs separately.

While not technically illegal, data brokerage is not compatible with EU law so we don't have to deal with issues like that.

Store cards, loyalty schemes, personalised shopping, etc. etc. All give out info we best keep to ourselves, I have throw away valid email accounts I use for such things if I really need to - Each & every bricks & mortar shop I go in now asks 'do you have our loyalty card,? Me, a polite but a assertive No - 'Would you like to have our card & get money saving offers'? Me: even more assertively 'absolutely not', I may say: 'I don't want to be emailed & tracked by your company for all eternity'

I have specific e-mail pseudonym just for shopping accounts and I specifically make sure before signing up to unsubscribe from any future e-mails.

My wife and I use this service, which is available in my country; it works well for calls, text messages, and regular mail.
It doesn't work as well for email.

RPO - Know your rights

We have the same. There's a registry called "NE ZOVI" (DON'T CALL). I'm not in it though as I never receive any telemarketing calls or messages.

well after some long-term internal debate, I did sign up for DeleteMe several months ago (someone I like on youtube recommended it and I must have been fed-up at the time). DeleteMe sends a monthly report of what they've done, what's been taken down. This is NOT an endorsement -- I'm not sure of the effect it has had on my receiving end...

It's sad that people have to pay private companies so they would... maybe... remove their personal data from web and data brokerage. EU's GDPR is the best thing ever.