Although using the internet comes with a lot of benefits, it also comes with quite a few drawbacks. There are many reasons why someone would consider deleting themselves from the internet, especially if they don’t like the idea of having information out there about themselves.
But is it possible to do that? Can you really delete yourself from the internet? Well, sort of. There are some public records that are accessible online, and there might not be much that you can do about them. However, there is some information that you can control, and those are aspects of your digital footprint that you can certainly do your best to remove.
If you have thought about deleting yourself from the internet and you’re in search of tips on how to go about doing so, continue reading.
See Which Websites Are Talking About You
In order to delete yourself from the internet, you need to tackle the websites that are currently showing information about you. A classic example is people search websites. These are basically databases of people’s contact details, sort of like a phone book. The issue, though, is that some of these websites even make it easy to run a quick background check on someone, providing access to additional details like criminal records and lawsuits.
To delete yourself from the internet, you will need to get yourself off any people search sites that are currently displaying your details. There are many of these types of sites out there, but here are three to help you get started:
- Whitepages is probably the most well-known of all of the people search sites. You can perform a search on there using your name, and if you find listings, you can opt out of Whitepages quickly and easily.
- MyLife is another site that can show a lot of information about you. The good news is that it should be easy to remove info from MyLife.
- You might not have heard of Been Verified, but this is another people search website to check. If you find your listings on there, follow the Been Verified opt out instructions.
In addition to people search websites, though, there might also be other sites out there that are sharing information about you to some degree or another. Perform a basic internet search using your full name to see which websites show up. If you want any of your information taken down, contact those websites directly to request the removal of your details ASAP.
Delete Your Social Accounts
Try to remember all of the accounts that you have created over the years to interact with others. Obviously, there are social media pages that you will need to go and delete. But there might also be accounts that you created in order to enjoy some online gaming, and those should be deleted as well. Plus, you might have even joined some forums throughout the years in order to chat with others, so don’t forget about deleting all of those accounts as well.
Last Step: Delete Your Emails
Once you have regained control over the websites that are showcasing information about you, and you have gone ahead and deleted all of your accounts, you can then finally move to the last step, which would be to delete your email addresses. This should be the final step because you will likely need your email addresses to work through deleting your accounts.
