The best 3 minutes I spent on privacy in 2023

How websites secretly capture your data.
© Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com

I know, big statement, right? But stay with me.

I’ve been talking about people search sites for years. Heck, I did a whole series of articles on how to remove yourself from them.

Also called data broker sites, they collect and sell personal information to anyone interested. This can include marketers, people you’d rather not be in contact with — and scammers.

People search sites scrape your information from local, state and federal public records, court records, social media, forums and other sources. They can also purchase information from data brokers.

Your name, address, birthday, gender, marital status, family members, social media profiles, education level, property records, financial records, phone number, police record, employment information and more are there for the taking (and selling).

Yes, all this is legal — as long as they give you a way to opt-out. The problem is you’ll have to do so one by one for each site, and they make it as tricky as you’d expect.

There’s an easier way

That’s where our sponsor Incogni comes in. Incogni does all that hard work for you. It took me three minutes to go through the sign-up process, then they get to work removing you from 180+ sites. You don’t have to lift a finger after that initial setup.

I have a special deal just for you. Right now, get 60% off an annual subscription using code KIM60.

Tags: data broker sites, family, Incogni, opt-out, personal information, privacy, social media, sponsor, subscriptions