Does DeleteMe Actually Get Your Info off the Internet? I Tried It
A personal review of the data removal service DeleteMe highlights the limitations of such tools in a landscape lacking comprehensive federal privacy laws. While the service can reduce unsolicited marketing, the process remains a difficult 'cat-and-mouse' game with data brokers.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing struggle for digital privacy and the inadequacy of current regulatory frameworks in protecting personal information from data brokers.
DeleteMe was founded in 2010 and claims to be one of the oldest companies in data removal. Services like DeleteMe and its competitor Incogni work by contacting data brokers on your behalf and getting them to remove your personal information, including your current and past mailing addresses, your phone numbers, and your email address. Theoretically, this process removes you from annoying marketing lists and makes it harder for randos to find you. I've used DeleteMe since January, and while it's not a silver bullet for ensuring the complete absence of unwanted communication from strangers and scammers, it seems to have helped with the number of unsolicited marketing calls I get. It also helped clean up personal info from my Google results, so you're more likely to read an old article I wrote than see where I live.
The author provides a balanced personal account of the service's effectiveness while explaining the broader legal context.
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