DeleteMe Review - Your Safeguard Against Data Brokers

Founded in 2010, Abine had a clear vision of creating a subscription-based privacy service that would help users delete their personal information from data broker sites and prevent identity theft. The result of that vision is DeleteMe - an online subscription service that removes your information from more than 750 data brokers and boasts having already removed more than 100 million pieces of data.

In our DeleteMe review, we have covered everything you need to know before you sign up, including prices, the data aggregator websites covered, the removal process, and customer support.

What Are Data Brokers?

Whenever you subscribe to a free Internet service, you have to enter personal data. That same data gets crawled and collected by shady Internet information merchants called data brokers. 

Data broker websites take your information, store it in a database, and sell it to third parties who then use that data in conjunction with statistical models to try to figure out which product or service you might need. Thus, unwittingly and unwillingly, you become a subject of unsolicited marketing efforts. Data broker databases can be especially harmful to companies as personal employee information can be used to create serious cybersecurity risks.

Which Companies Can Remove Your Information From the Internet?

It's hard to completely disappear from the Internet and maintain online privacy, but there are services out there such as DeleteMe that can help you keep data brokers away. DeleteMe is a subscription service that regularly crawls more than 750 data broker sites to delete your information and keep personal data safe.

The information DeleteMe removes includes:

• full name
• aliases
• addresses
• age/date of birth
• email
• phone numbers

How to Get My Information off the Internet

After you complete the DeleteMe login process, you'll find yourself on the DeleteMe dashboard where you'll be asked to enter the personal data you would like to be removed. DeleteMe's experts review that information and then send data removal requests to data broker sites to have your data deleted. After 7 days, you will receive a report that states what information was deleted and which data broker sites had it.

DeleteMe Personal Report

Apart from the list of brokers and personal info, DeleteMe also informs you of the total number of listings they've scanned and how many of those listings had your data. Additionally, you can learn how much time DeleteMe has saved you by using their digital footprint removal service and which brokers mentioned you the most.

In the Findings section, you will see detailed information about every data broker and how much time it will take for said brokers to completely remove online information. The list of data brokers is regularly updated each month, and DeleteMe will automatically remove your info from newly added brokers as well.

How Quickly Does DeleteMe Work? 

It is impossible to remove data right away, and sometimes the data removal process can take a few months. That is why DeleteMe renews removal requests every three months. The reports are regularly updated, and you will be given a timespan until the next scan and opt-out request.

DeleteMe for Companies

Individual users aren't the only ones in danger from data sales. Companies are even more vulnerable as data brokers also collect their employees' data and endanger their data privacy. 

Data brokers then sell that information to companies that bother you with regular emails trying to sell you their services and products. In addition to being exposed to unsolicited advertising and third parties, data brokers can even come across important security data that can put your business at risk. 

The removal process for companies is pretty much the same as for individual users. The company owners collect data from their employees and enter it into DeleteMe removal requests. After 7 days, they receive a Findings report that lists all the information that was listed online and that will be deleted. The only difference is the price. Instead of a fixed cost, company owners will receive a customized price plan depending on their data removal requirements.

How to Disappear From the Internet Completely

Apart from data brokers, there are other websites out there that collect your information. These are people search sites such as Spokeo, Intelius, WhitePages, and others. While DeleteMe can automatically remove you from brokers' sites, people search sites require a little more effort on your part; it has to be done personally, and DeleteMe can't provide you with that service. Instead, DeleteMe provides necessary information in their blog section that you can use to prevent people search sites from listing personal information. In addition to advice for people finder sites, DeleteMe has a comprehensive knowledge base that will teach you how to disappear from social media sites and how to stay safe on the Internet in general.

DeleteMe Customer Support

Regardless of how thorough and detailed the FAQ and knowledge sections are, sometimes there are questions that only humans can answer. For that purpose, DeleteMe has a customer support team that can be reached through live chat, phone number (1-833-335-3836), and email. They are available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm Eastern Time.

DeleteMe Subscription Plans

DeleteMe offers three pricing plans that you can choose from, depending on the number of people using it, the length of the subscription, and the type of your DeleteMe account. There is also a Family plan if you wish to keep your relatives and family members safe, and all plans are priced either annually or biannually. Company owners will receive a personalized price depending on their needs.

Final Thoughts

Just like other data removal services, DeleteMe is unable to completely remove every single piece of information about you from the Internet. Some websites, especially people search sites, require your personal attention and time for removal. Additionally, DeleteMe's price may be a bit steeper compared to its competitors.

However, the higher price is justified by the extensive coverage of data aggregators. DeleteMe boasts a data broker library that is more than three times larger than that of its closest competitor, making it the best company for removing personal information.