How to delete your personal data from the internet

By Iulian · Published 1 June 2026

If you search your own name, you may be surprised how much turns up: your address, age, relatives, old accounts. A lot of it comes from data brokers, companies that quietly collect and sell your personal details. You can claw a lot of it back. Here is how.

Why your data is out there

Data brokers gather information from public records, online sign-ups, loyalty schemes and leaks, then package and sell it. That fuels targeted ads, but it also feeds scammers and makes identity theft easier. Reducing your footprint is a real safety win, not just a tidy-up.

The free, do-it-yourself route

1. Find yourself. Search your name, your name plus your town, and your email and phone number, and note where you appear.
2. Opt out of the big data brokers. Most have an opt-out or “remove my information” page, often buried in the footer. It is tedious but it works.
3. Use Google’s removal tools. Google’s “Results about you” feature lets you ask for pages showing your contact details to be removed from search.
4. Close old accounts you no longer use, since each one is a little pool of data.
5. Lock down social media and remove your full date of birth, address and phone number from public profiles.
6. Opt out of the open electoral register (in the UK) so your details are not sold on.
7. Check for breaches with Have I Been Pwned and change any exposed passwords.

The paid shortcut

Doing this by hand across dozens of brokers, and keeping them from re-listing you, is a slog. Subscription services such as Incogni, DeleteMe and Mozilla Monitor Plus will contact the brokers and chase removals for you, on repeat. Worth it if your time is short or your details are widely spread. We will point out the ones that genuinely earn their fee.

For the bigger picture, see our simple guide to protecting your privacy online. More in our VPNs and privacy section.