We talk to Darius from Incogni, who tells us how you can remove your personal data from the internet. Plus, a family claims an Amazon driver stole their cat, people are yelling a lot at Siri, and there’s a new sober dating app.
Your privacy restored
© Eduard Goricev | Dreamstime.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
Ever Googled yourself and thought, “What the heck is that doing online?” Old addresses, phone numbers and even the car you drive are all out there. Worse, it’s probably on some sketchy people search site or buried in a mountain of search results.
I’ve been there too. After I went on a mission to wipe my info from every site I could find, I barely made a dent. That’s when I found Incogni.
The solution that works
I started with Incogni’s standard service. They send opt-out requests to 250+ data broker sites. Watching that removal list grow felt amazing. No more spam calls or texts cluttering up my phone, either. But some of the worst offenders, like search engine results, aren’t part of this deal.
So, I upgraded to Incogni Unlimited, which took things to the next level. You can submit links to specific sites where your info is shown. Spot yourself on a people search page? Just send it to Incogni. They’ll handle it until, poof, it’s gone.
You got the power
Before you say, “Kim, this sounds like a lot of work.” It isn’t. Incogni makes submissions a breeze.
Here’s how to do it:
- Copy the URL where you see your info.
- Paste it into your Incogni dashboard.
- Their team checks if it’s eligible (spoiler: it usually is).
- They reach out and sort out the removal for you.
- You get a notification when it’s done.
Submit as many links as you want. Unlike other services that cap you, Incogni lets you go wild.
Is there anything they can’t remove?
Some sites are off-limits, like government records, criminal conviction reports or social media accounts. But almost everything else is fair game.
What you need to know about DeepSeek
© Rokas Tenys | Dreamstime.com, play.google.com
I’ve been saying it for years: The country that masters AI will dominate the world economically, politically and militarily. Since ChatGPT dropped, the U.S. seemed untouchable. Most of us Americans assumed we were a couple of years ahead of China in terms of AI, but the game has changed — and fast.
Why I used Incogni to wipe my info off the internet
I got this note the other day from Mike S. (Hi, Mike! 👋): “Next time you talk about Incogni, maybe you can do a deep dive?”
Mike, you’re not the only reader who’s asked for a more in-depth look at how Incogni works and why I chose it to wipe my info from data broker sites. I picked this service before they became a sponsor. So, without further ado …
Shortcut to reading annoying privacy policies
© Fairoesh N. | Dreamstime.com
Tech privacy policies are confusing on purpose. I know, big shocker! But I’m always surprised by just how difficult these things are to comb through and what they hide.
Today, I’m calling out the biggest offenders — and sharing one of my favorite, easy-to-use privacy tools.
Are your smart devices tracking too much?
© Wittaya Pinpan | Dreamstime.com, © Veranika Semchanka | Dreamstime.com
Your smartwatch is great for tracking steps, but have you ever thought about where all that personal data actually goes?
From sleep patterns to calorie intake, it’s like a digital diary — and it’s worth billions to insurance companies, marketing outfits, advertisers and, of course, hackers. Don’t panic! I’ll walk you through how to lock down your privacy.
How to remove personal data from data-broker sites (Spoiler: I use Incogni)
© Eduard Goricev | Dreamstime.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
I’ll never forget when my son, Ian, asked me where in Los Angeles I lived. I told him I couldn’t remember — it was 30 years ago, and I lived there for maybe six months. A few minutes later, he called and had the address. It was available for free to anyone on the internet on an online people search directory.
Data brokers are selling your life. Here’s how to stop them.
© Dark1elf | Dreamstime.com
The data broker industry is worth almost $400 billion. Whether it’s your Google Search history, movies you’ve streamed or a summary of your last doctor’s visit, they’re keeping tabs on your life.
Feel violated? You should. These brokers even sell your data to scammers so they can use it to target you. No wonder most people get overloaded with spam texts and calls every day.
Area codes and numbers that are probably spam
© Kukurund | Dreamstime.com
Whew, the election’s over. The onslaught of robocalls and texts is over, too … right? Nope.
There are fewer political calls and messages, sure, but there are always scammers and spammers. It may be easier for these creeps to get a hold of us now that our phones aren’t constantly lighting up with election-related notifications.
Best way to stop spam texts for good
© Fizkes | Dreamstime.com
“Official notice from USPS. Your delivery is on hold.” I wonder why …
“Hi, how are you?” Who could this be?
I wasted 36 hours trying to do it myself
© Fizkes | Dreamstime.com
So many of the calls, emails, messages and DMs I get are about privacy and security. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day where no one asked me some version of “How do I get all this info about me off the internet?”
Best ways to block scam calls - And an easier way to stop scammers
© Dmitrii Melnikov | Dreamstime.com
When it comes to telemarketing and scam calls, the best thing to do is not pick up the phone. But it’s not always easy to tell whether an incoming call is legitimate — especially if your phone doesn’t show that scam or spam warning.