Can You Really Delete Yourself From The Internet?
The answer may surprise you. It’s not as easy as just deleting your social media accounts or removing your website.
Your personal information is out there, and it’s very difficult to remove it all completely. In this article, we will discuss the various ways that you can try to delete yourself from the Internet and whether or not it’s even possible.
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How does your personal information get on the Internet?
Your personal information is all over the Internet, and you may not even realize it. Any time you create an account on a website, fill out a form or make a purchase, your personal information is being collected. This information is then stored in databases that can be accessed by anyone with the right tools.
Have you ever wondered how companies are able to target ads directly to you? It’s because they have access to all of this personal data that you’ve been providing them. They know what websites you visit, what products you’re interested in, and where you live. All of this information can be used to target ads directly to you.
So how can you delete yourself from the Internet? Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can try.
Run a background check on yourself
In the battle to delete yourself from the Internet, it’s first a good idea to find out what the Internet knows about you. There are a few ways to do this. You could Google yourself and see what comes up. Or, you could run a background check on yourself.
There are many websites that offer background checks, but not all of them are created equal. Some of these websites will only give you information that’s already public, while others will dig deeper and give you access to information that’s not publicly available.
Delete your social media accounts
The first thing you need to do is to delete your social media accounts. This includes any and all accounts that you have on any platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
You will also need to remove any and all content that you have posted on these platforms. This can be a very difficult and time-consuming task, depending on how many years you’ve been active on social media and how much content you have posted.
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Take down your website
Next, you need to remove your website (if you have one). This means deleting the site completely from the Internet and ensuring that no backups or copies of the site remain. If a third-party provider hosts your website, you will need to contact them directly to have your site removed.
Remove your personal information from databases
Now that you’ve deleted your social media accounts and removed your website, you need to remove your personal information from any and all databases that it’s stored in.
This can be a very difficult task, as there are likely many places where your personal information is stored. You will need to contact each company or organization directly to have your information removed.
Opt-out of data collection
Even if you delete all of your social media accounts, remove your website, and remove your personal information from databases, companies can still collect data about you. They do this by placing cookies on your computer when you visit their websites. These cookies track your online activity and allow companies to target ads directly to you.
There are a few ways to opt-out of data collection. You can install browser plugins that block cookies, or you can use a private browsing mode. You can also contact companies directly and request that they stop collecting data about you.
Is it even possible to delete yourself from the Internet?
As you can see, it’s very difficult to delete yourself from the Internet. Even if you take all of the necessary steps, there’s no guarantee that your personal information will be completely removed.
The best you can do is to make it more difficult for companies to collect data about you and limit the amount of personal information that’s available online.