How to remove personal information from the internet

Cybercrime is at an all-time high.

A recent data breach from National Public Data potentially exposed the SSN of every American. Removing your personal information from the internet is a matter of safety now. 

But how do you do that? It’s a lengthy process, but very much doable.  

To help you figure all this out, we’ve put together a guide covering three areas where you need to take action: 

Managing data-harvesters that share your information with other parties.

Removing the information that’s already publicly available

Deleting data that could end up in a breach

Updated: January 31, 2025

Here’s a breakdown of actions you need to take:

Information that’s already publicly available	Data that could end up in a breach	Data-harvesting apps and devices
1) Opt out of data brokers	5) Delete your social media accounts or make them private	9) Restrict personal data collection on your phone
2) Remove yourself from Google	6) Delete online accounts you don’t use	10) Remove personal information from your browser
3) Remove yourself from other websites	7) Unsubscribe from marketing lists	11) Delete unused phone apps
4) Erase public records	8) Remove personal details from AI training models	12) Restrict personal data collection on your smart devices

Part 1: Removing the information that’s already publicly available

First, you’ll want to address the personal information that’s already out there on the web.

This includes data from brokers, search engines, and even public records.

1) Opt out of data brokers and people search sites

Opt out of people search sites, which collect and display your personal details to other internet users.

Data brokers and people search websites are huge contributors to the trade and sale of your personal information online.

Essentially, you’ve got two choices: you can opt out manually or you can invest in a data removal service.

Start with a scan, then opt out yourself or use Incogni.

Opt out yourself

Time required: 5–10 minutes per data broker

Here’s how you can remove your data from people search sites manually:

1. Research which data brokers have your personal information (contact every data broker from our list to check if they have your data).
2. Send data removal requests to each broker that has your data—here’s an opt out guide for over 85 data brokers.
3. Periodically repeat the process as new data brokers pop-up. Also, most brokers and people search sites will collect your information again even after you opt out. 

Note: According to our research, at least 25% of people search sites never respond to opt-out requests. 

Alternatively, you can let others do the heavy lifting.

Use a service like Incogni

Time required: requests sent automatically

Incogni removes your personal information from people search sites and data broker sites and makes sure it doesn’t get listed there again.

In a nutshell, Incogni continuously sends removal requests to new and existing brokers on your behalf and, if you chose, your family, too. 

All you need to do is to create an account, enter the minimal information required to find your records—such as email, phone number, etc., and do nothing.

After a while, you’ll start noticing a decrease in spam, robocalls, and similar nuisances. But most importantly, your data will be off people search sites, ensuring your privacy.

2) Remove yourself from Google 

Delete your personal information and pictures from Google, or request that Google remove content that displays your personal information.

What do we mean by removing yourself from Google? 

• Remove your personal information.
• Delete your images.
• Blur your house on Google Maps.
• Turn off tracking, location and YouTube history.

Remove your personal information from search results

Time required: 5–10 minutes

Google has a dedicated tool where you can ask them to delete your information from the search results.

The process is relatively simple. 

To remove your data from search results in Google: 

1. Search for your personal information online and save search entries that lead to your data.
2. Collect links, screenshots, or other evidence that your PII is displayed in search results.
3. Go to Google’s removal tool and follow the instructions there. 
4. Wait for Google to review your request. You may be asked to provide more details.

If you have any trouble, read our guide here. 

There’s a catch, though.

You can only remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII), that is:

Contact information (address, phone, email)	Handwritten signature or ID document images
Government ID numbers (e.g., SSN, Tax ID)	Personal records (e.g., medical)
Bank or credit card numbers	Confidential login details

Remove your images from search results

Time required: 5–10 minutes

Removing an image from Google requires a separate process. You have two options:

1. Contact the webmaster that holds the image and request that it be taken down. 
2. If this doesn’t work, head over to the “remove an image from Google” page and fill out a request form. 

 You can find our detailed guide on how to remove images from Google here.

Blur images on Google Maps

Time required: 5 minutes

If you own a property, you can blur it on Google Maps. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Submit the form.
2. Search for your address in Google Maps.
3. Open the 360° image.
4. Click “report a problem” in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Turn off tracking, location, and YouTube history

Time required: 2–3 minutes

It won’t come as a surprise if we tell you that Google collects a lot of data on you and your activities.

The good news is that you can turn off some of these features.

Here’s how:

1. Turn off or enable auto-delete of your “web and app activity” to make sure any new accumulated information is deleted periodically. 
2. Go to the Google activity controls page. 
3. Delete any stored data and turn off tracking on web and app activity, location history, YouTube history, and ad settings. 

Remove your info from other search engines

Time required: 20+ minutes per search engine

Google is only one of several search engines. If you appeared there, you’re surely going to show up on Bing and Yahoo as well.

Sadly, most don’t offer a removal tool like Google does. You’ll have to do the work yourself.

To remove your data from Bing and Yahoo:

1. Search for yourself on Bing and Yahoo—look up your name, nicknames, etc.
2. Collect and save URLs to sites that contain your information. You can take some screenshots, too.
3. Reach out to the webmasters of each site that displays your data and ask them to take it down.

Keep reading below for more details on how to remove your data from websites.

If the case is more urgent—reach out to the search engine’s customer support and contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and local law enforcement. 

3) Remove yourself from other websites

Time required: 2–3 minutes per site

If you see a website that displays your personal information—like your name, picture, or other details—and you don’t want it there, ask the webmaster or site owner to take it down.

Email them saying that you didn’t give consent for them to post it and request that they delete it.

Once the content is deleted from the source site, it’ll also disappear from all search engines, like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

Here’s what to do:

1. Collect links, screenshots, or other proof that your information is listed on a website.
2. Look for contact information of the webmaster or site owner—that could be an email, a contact form, or another method of contact.
3. Send a message saying that you didn’t give consent for them to post your data and request that they delete it. 

Use this template to reach out directly to the site manager and request the deletion of your personal information:

Dear [Website Owner], I am writing to inform you that I have found my [personal data] listed on your website, [insert URL or location of the listing]. I did not authorize the publication of my [personal data], and I am requesting its immediate removal. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, [Your Name]

4) Erase public records 

Time required: several weeks or months, depending on the state

A lot of personal information online comes from official sources like court records or DMV files.

While you can’t remove all of this information everywhere, most US states let you request the deletion of sensitive details, such as your contact information or Social Security number.

Each state has its own steps for sealing or removing court records.

1. You can reach out to the local courthouse or court clerk’s office where the records are kept.
2. Ask them about the process and request the forms or instructions needed.
3. Then, submit the required documents as directed by the clerk.

Need more detailed info? See the guide on how to remove info from public records.

Part 2: Deleting data that could end up in a breach

In this section, you’ll learn how to handle information that hasn’t necessarily made its way online yet, but probably will.

A lot of your data ends up on the web through either sites that trade your info or data breaches.

Either way, you don’t want that.

Here’s what you can do.

 5) Delete your social media accounts or make them private

Time required: 10 minutes per account

Delete your social media accounts because they store and share your personal data with other internet users.

Realistically speaking, however, most people aren’t ready to quit social media cold turkey like this. 

What if you don’t want to delete your accounts?

To keep your personal information safe, remove any personal data from your social media profile—the less data is there, the less people can find out about you.

Here is what to do:

• Set your social media profiles to private so only your connections can see them.
• Disable ad personalization to keep your data away from marketers.
• Restrict sharing to limit how much personal info gets spread online.
• Turn off activity tracking to avoid targeted ads and predictions.
• Disable location tracking and consider deleting your location history to keep your whereabouts private.

Follow these detailed guides to set your socials private:

6) Delete any online accounts you don’t need

Time required:  ~1 hour

Delete unused online accounts, especially those for online shopping. When buying online, choose the guest checkout option to avoid sharing more personal information.

It’s easy to lose track of the accounts we no longer use. 

Unfortunately, these websites are still likely sharing your personal information. So make sure you delete anything you aren’t using anymore. 

That includes: 

Social media	Old forums	E-commerce sites	Emails
Job boards	Gaming accounts	Informational sites	Blogs

Here are some tips on how to dig up your unused online accounts:

1. Check your password manager (if you use one) for any saved logins.
2. Search your email accounts for keywords like “welcome,” “thanks for signing up,” “account,” “registration,” “loyalty program,” “rewards program,” “savings,” or anything similar.
3. Go to the Have I Been Pwned? website and run a search with your email addresses to see if any of your data was leaked—chances are, if there’s a breach, it’s from some old accounts.

7) Unsubscribe from marketing lists 

Time required: 10 minutes

The next thing to do is to unsubscribe from any marketing associations that might have your data.

They often collect information like your spending habits, household costs, extra expenses, and even job details.

The good news is that you can do a bulk-opt out.

Here’s how:

1. Go to DMAchoice and sign up for the do-not-mail service and email opt out.
2. Go to AdChoices and follow the opt out process.

For detailed step-by-step instructions, see how to opt out of marketing associations and AdChoices here.

8) Remove personal details from AI training models

Your personal information could be integrated into AI models. 

OpenAI openly states that your chat logs are used for AI learning and can be reviewed by AI trainers. 

This means that any personal information you share with ChatGPT during your conversations might be integrated into it and show up in conversations with strangers. 

Thankfully, most machine learning tools give you the option to opt out. 

Here’s how.

ChatGPT

Time required: 3–5 minutes

To remove your personal information from chatGPT:

1. Go to the Privacy Center, click “make a privacy request,” and select the option that best fits your case.
2. Choose the action you want to take. If you’d like to keep using ChatGPT but delete only your data, proceed with both “data removal request” and “do not train on my data.”
3. Follow the guidelines until the process is complete.

Meta’s Llama

Time required: 2–3 minutes

The only way to stop your personal information from feeding the Llama model is to delete your Facebook profile. 

If this measure is too drastic for you, you can turn off Facebook offline activity tracking. 

1. Tap the three lines in the top-right or bottom-right corner > tap “settings and privacy” > “settings”.
2. Under “security”, you will find “off Facebook activity”. 
3. Scroll down and tap “clear history.”
4. Once this is done, go back to “off Facebook activity,” and tap “disconnect future activity.” 
5. Tap the toggle to turn it off. 

Google’s Gemini (Bard)

Time required: 2–3 minutes

Start by deleting Gemini activity. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Go to your Gemini activity page.
2. From there, you can delete your activity by time period or delete all your activity at once.
3. Turn off activity logging by toggling off the “Gemini apps activity” option.

Part 3: Managing data-harvesting apps and devices that share your information with other parties

Data harvesters are websites, devices, or services that collect and share your data with third parties.

This often includes things you use every day, like your smartphone.

Here’s how you can take control of your data.

9) Restrict personal data collection on your phone

Next, limit how much of your personal information is collected and shared by your phone. 

iOS

Time required: 3–5 minutes

To restrict data collection on iPhone:

1. Go to “settings” > “privacy & security.” 
2. See each category of information, such as “calendars” or “reminders”, to view a list of apps that have access to this data and revoke permissions. 
3. Then, in “privacy & security,” scroll to the bottom, tap “app privacy report,” and select “turn off app privacy report.”

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Android

Time required: 3–5 minutes

To restrict data collection on Android:

1. Go to “settings” > “security and privacy” > “privacy” > “permission manager.” 
2. Adjust permissions such as location sharing, microphone or camera use for each app individually. 

TIP: Turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it, as many tech companies like Google can locate your device when it connects to nearby devices or Bluetooth beacons. 

Read more about making your phone (nearly) impossible to track here.

10)  Remove personal information from your browsers

Browsers store a ton of data, including passwords, cached files, and records of the websites you’ve visited. This can be dangerous if hackers gain access to your device. 

Google Chrome

Time required: 2–4 minutes

1. In Chrome, go to “settings” > “privacy and security” > “third-party cookies,” and block them.
2. In “privacy and security,” go to “site settings” > “location,” then choose to allow or block location access.
3. In “privacy and security,” go to “delete browsing data,” select the data to remove, and click “delete data.”
4. In “privacy and security,” go to “ads privacy” and adjust your settings.

Mozilla Firefox

Time required: 2–4 minutes

1. In Firefox, go to “settings” > “privacy & security,” and set tracking protection to “strict.”
2. In “privacy & security,” go to “Firefox data collection and use” and uncheck any boxes you don’t want Firefox to use.
3. In “privacy & security,” go to “website privacy preferences” and tick both boxes.
4. In “privacy & security,” go to “cookies and site data” and enable deleting cookies when Firefox is closed.

Microsoft Edge

Time required: 2–4 minutes

1. In Edge, go to “settings” > “privacy, search, and services” > “tracking prevention” and choose “balanced” or “strict.”
2. In “privacy, search, and services,” scroll down to “privacy” and enable “do not track” requests.
3. In “privacy, search, and services,” go to “optional diagnostic data” and turn off sending optional diagnostics.
4. In “privacy, search, and services,” go to “personalisation & advertising” and disable the option for personalizing ads and services.
5. In “privacy, search, and services,” go to “services” and turn off all options, then go to “address bar and search” > “search suggestions and filters” and disable suggestions from history.
6. In “privacy, search, and services,” scroll back up to “delete browsing data,” choose a time range, and clear data.

Opera

Time required: 2–4 minutes

1. In Opera, go to “settings” and enable “block ads […]” and “block trackers,” then disable “allow acceptable ads.” 
2. In “settings,” go to “privacy & security”, then disable options under “Opera may use web services […]“
3. In “privacy & security,” go to “third-party cookies” and enable “block third-party cookies”
4. In “privacy & security,” go to “security” and enable all options there.
5. In “privacy & security,” go to “delete browsing data,” select the data to delete, and confirm.

Manage browser extensions

The majority of extensions ask for extensive permissions such as browsing habits and activity. 

According to our study of Chrome extensions, the most “data-hungry” ones are those used for writing and shopping.

Review all extensions and delete the ones you don’t need. For the ones you really want to keep, review their permissions and decide if you still want to keep them.

Here’s how to review your extensions:

1. In Chrome, open the side menu and go to “extensions” > “manage extensions.”
2. Click “details” next to each extension and look under the “permissions” section—you’ll see a summary of what the extension is allowed to do, e.g. read and change all your data on all websites.
3. If you want to delete the extension, scroll down and click “remove extension.”

Want to know which browsers are most private? See best browsers for privacy, best private browsers for iOS users, and best Android browser for privacy.

11) Delete unused phone apps

Remove your personal information from apps you no longer use and delete them from your device—otherwise, they may access your data and could share it with third parties, even if unused.

Apps collect more information about you than you might think—even when you’re not using them. 

If there are any apps you don’t need or haven’t opened in a while, it’s better to delete them. 

You can check in your phone’s settings to see which apps are used the least.

According to our research, 60% of 20 popular budgeting apps share your private data, and over 80% of shopping apps request permissions to record audio or read your contacts.

iOS

Time required: 1 minute per app

How to check which apps you use the least on your iPhone:

1. Open the settings app.
2. Tap “general”.
3. Go to “iPhone storage.”
4. Tap the blue filter above the list of all apps and select “last used date.”
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and delete the apps you use least often.

Android

Time required: 1 minute per app

How to check which apps you use the least on your Android phone:

1. Open the settings app.
2. Tap “apps.”
3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner and select “sort by” and “last used.”
4. Delete apps you don’t need.

Note: Before you delete unused apps, you should first check the privacy and account settings to make sure your data is also deleted. In some cases, you’ll have to contact the developer directly to remove your personal information. 

12) Restrict personal information sharing on smart devices 

Time required: 3–5 minutes

Devices such as smart TVs and speakers also collect your personal information. 

You can at least partially avoid these privacy issues by adjusting the privacy settings on most of these devices. 

You can find the instructions for two of the most popular smart speakers below:

• Alexa–adjust the privacy settings here. 
• Google Home—go to the “account” tab on your phone app, select “my activity” and delete all recordings. You can also enable the automatic deletion of future recordings.

TIP: Always mute your smart speaker when you aren’t using it.

FAQ