Data Aggregators

With all the cyber-attacks and data hacks lately, it’s becoming more important that consumers take some proactive actions to protect themselves. Data Aggregators collect, compile, and sell our personal information which is gathered from multiple sources. These sources can include public records, social media accounts, online transactions, surveys and much more. Collecting and selling our information is big business.

Remember that the value of personal data extends beyond monetary terms. It impacts privacy, security, and individual rights. If you have concerns about your data, consider reviewing privacy policies, opting out where possible, and staying informed about data practices.

There are quite a few companies that will help you remove your information from the internet data brokers. Some you can try for free and others require a monthly or annual payment. I firmly believe we should all subscribe to at least one of these companies in an attempt to control the information readily available and for sale on the internet.

I’ve signed our family up with Optery after running a free scan on myself. My “exposure report” came back with 73 pages of information that most anyone would not want shared via aggregators. Also, by signing up for a subscription plan, the company will continue to monitor my family and remove any data that we don’t want to be generally available for a fee. We will revisit this topic again in 6 months to see if it’s worth the money.

Bottom Line: We can never completely remove our information from the internet but there are ways to minimize our digital footprint. A few of the larger data brokers “aggregators” include Acxiom, Equifax, Experian, Oracle, and Epsilon. In most instances, you can opt out of their collection process.

Thousands of companies are recklessly collecting, hoarding and selling data about us. Taking steps to reduce your digital footprint and protect your personal information is a smart move. Here are some services that can help you in removing your personal and private data from the internet.

Get a FREE one-time scan here:
https://www.experian.com/protection/personal-privacy-scan

https://joindeleteme.com
A DeleteMe subscription costs $129 per year, just short of $11 per month. You can reduce what you pay per person by adding family members to your DeleteMe account. You pay $229 per year for a two-person subscription or $329 for a family of four.

Https://optery.com
Remove your home address, phone numbers and other private info from Google and 335+ sites. You can sign up for free and after the scans finish, you will get a personalized exposure report along with self-service removal tools. You’ll even get custom scans of your Google search results every 90 days. If you sign up to the paid subscription, the cost is $249.00 billed annually.

https://privacybee.com
PrivacyBee offers a free vulnerability scan as well as an annual paid plan at $197.00 per year