Data detox: How to wipe your info in 2026

December 2, 2025

By Kim Komando

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping online. While you’re busy filling your cart, retailers are filling their databases with your personal data. But you don’t have to pick between good deals and good privacy. Let’s talk about how to protect yourself as we head into 2026.

🛒 The truth behind shopping habits

Incogni asked over 1,000 Americans about their online shopping and data habits. Some eyebrow-raising stuff came up:

• A whopping 95% of folks worry about their info getting caught in a data breach (for good reason)
• But 78% say they’ll give their info away if there’s an extra perk attached
• Nearly one in five will trade their personal details for a discount as tiny as 10%

Once your data’s out there, it’s open season for advertisers, spammers, scammers, and data brokers who buy, sell and swap your details like it’s clearance merchandise.

📊 What you’re really handing over

Most of us enter our phone numbers, home addresses, and full names into forms without a second thought. When you give it voluntarily, it’s a green light for companies to use it however they want.

Enter data brokers. They scoop up your info from retailers, loyalty programs, contests, you name it. They stitch this all together into a profile that reveals your habits, interests, income, family, and more. After that, it’s sold to advertisers, spammers, and any creep with a wallet.

🔎 See what they have on you

Incogni’s free digital footprint checker scans the web to see what public data brokers are sharing about you. Just enter your details, and click Run free scan.

Your report should land in your inbox in about an hour. You’ll find all kinds of info lurking out there. But spotting the problem is only half the battle. Those listings won’t delete themselves.

🛡️ Take back control

That’s why I use Incogni. They remove your personal info from sketchy people-search sites and data brokers. The same ones that collect, trade and publish your details without your permission. Since I joined, they’ve sent over 2,700 removal requests on my behalf. It would’ve taken me ages to do that by myself.

All you do is sign up once. Incogni’s team does the hard work, sending out removal requests and tracking every response. Watching those listings disappear from my dashboard never gets old. Plus, I see way fewer weirdly specific ads and spam calls have dried up.

✅ Use promo code KIM60 to get 60% off today. You can cover up to five people on one family plan. Spot a link you want down? A real person jumps on it and keeps you updated. If you don’t love it after a 30-day trial, you get your money back. No hassle, no hoops.