Data grab alert: Anthropic just changed its privacy policy … again. You have until Sept. 28 to opt out if you don’t want your convos used to train AI. Otherwise? Your chats get stored for five years and turned into robot brain food. The toggle to opt out is tiny, buried under an “Accept” button. Sneaky.
Removing your info from the web takes forever - Unless you do this
© Sitthiphong Thadakun | Dreamstime.com
I’ve warned you about all the scummy sites that collect your personal details for years. I’ll never forget, not too long ago, when my son Ian asked about a house I lived at in my 20s. I couldn’t remember where it was.
Ian called and asked if it was a particular street in LA. It was, but how the heck did he know? The address I lived at many years ago was listed with my name on a people search website. So creepy!
I’ve got a super smart, easy way to get yourself off sites like these.
Your personal information is big business
Data brokers collect your Social Security number, birthdate, address, health info, contact details, you name it — and sell it to the highest bidder. It’s nearly impossible to remove all that from the web yourself.
That’s where Incogni comes in. It’s a personal data removal service that scrubs your info from the web. It handles the hard work for you. Seriously, it’d take hundreds of hours to do it all on your own.
If you’ve ever agreed to a Privacy Policy online (we all have!), this is a solid way to protect yourself from identity theft, health insurers jacking up your rates, robocalls and more.
It took me about 3 minutes
Before I could recommend it to you, I tried it out myself. The process took me a few minutes, and I was immediately opted out of 27 databases, with 47 more requests sent.
All you have to do is create an account and then enter your name and address. These sites require this info to remove your data — so you’d do that whether or not you use Incogni.
Then, you grant Incogni permission to reach out on your behalf. After you finish the setup process, you’ll see a list of sites you’ve been removed from and pending requests.
It’s so easy
List: The very worst gifts you can give if you care about privacy
Facebook.com/Ray-Ban.com
Anytime you go online or use a connected device, your privacy is at risk. This isn’t to say you should throw away all your tech and live in a cave, but there are ways to minimize exposure.
Let’s start with your choice of browser. This has a significant impact on your online experience. Many browsers share popular features like dark mode, but when it comes to privacy, you’ll find a greater distinction. Tap or click here for the best privacy-focused browsers, ranked.