Data Broker Removal Tools

[Adam-F]

Hi All,

I have been thinking of using a data broker removal tool, but I am not sure which one will be best suited for a UK user.

How safe are these services to use?

I believe delete me is a sponser to Security Now, but I would like some impartial advise on the subjet.

I don't want to go down the Incogni route as they are owned by Nord VPN which is also owned by Surf Shark. (Correct me if I am gone here)

Optery at a glance, looks like the best option, as they have a free plan to get users started, by the user putting in manual removal requests with each broker that is found.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[peterblaise]

Q: Google, What is the right to be forgotten on the Internet?

A: The "right to be forgotten" is a legal concept that allows individuals to request the removal or delinking of their personal information from online platforms and search results under certain conditions.

This right, officially known as the "right to erasure" under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enables people to ask that data be removed if it is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected.

It is not an absolute right, and it must be balanced against other rights, such as freedom of expression, and is not recognized uniformly across all countries. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

How it works

• Request for removal: An individual can request that a data controller, such as a search engine or a company, erase their personal data.
• Grounds for request: The request can be made if the data is no longer necessary, consent for processing is withdrawn, or the individual objects to the processing (especially for direct marketing).
• Data controller's obligation: The data controller must erase the data without undue delay, provided there are no overriding legitimate grounds for keeping it.
• Search engine delisting: A key aspect is the right to ask search engines to delist links to personal data that appear in search results for a person's name, especially if the information is considered outdated or irrelevant. [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9]

Limitations and exceptions

• Not an absolute right: The right to be forgotten is not absolute and is often balanced against other rights, such as the right to freedom of expression and information, or the public interest in the data remaining available.
• Exceptions apply: Organizations are not obligated to erase data if it is needed to comply with a legal obligation or for tasks performed in the public interest. [2, 5, 7]

International context

• EU origin: The concept was popularized by a 2014 European Court of Justice ruling and later codified into the GDPR in 2018.
• Global application: While the EU has a strong legal framework for this right, its global application is complex. Some countries, like Russia and Canada, have similar laws or are considering them, but there is no uniform approach across all nations.
• California's CCPA: In the United States, some states, such as California, have passed similar provisions in their privacy laws, notes Varonis. [1, 2, 3, 9, 10]

[1] https://etradeforall.org/news/right...out-them-be-removed-internet-how-does-it-work
[2] https://joindeleteme.com/glossary/right-to-be-forgotten/
[3] https://www.varonis.com/blog/right-to-be-forgotten
[4] http://www.dataprotection.ie/en/individuals/know-your-rights/right-erasure-articles-17-19-gdpr
[5] https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/11/eu-right-to-be-forgotten-online-data/
[6] https://www.igniyte.co.uk/personal-reputation-management/right-to-be-forgotten/
[7] https://illinoislawreview.org/print/volume-2017-issue-1/the-right-to-be-forgotten/
[8] https://support.google.com/legal/answer/10769224?hl=en
[9] https://support.google.com/legal/answer/10769224?hl=en-GB
[10] https://www.privacyengine.io/resources/glossary/right-to-be-forgotten/

 

[PHolder]

delete me

There are two companies that use this name, one is American and one is European. If you are choosing based on the advertising on the TWiT network, make sure you're choosing the right one. I have no experience with the services themselves to offer any useful opinion otherwise. It does, however, seem like the market is filled with shady types on both sides, and it seems like if you ever start paying you're going to end up paying for life or just accept the second you stop paying all your data will magically reappear out of the ether.

 

[Adam-F]

There are two companies that use this name, one is American and one is European. If you are choosing based on the advertising on the TWiT network, make sure you're choosing the right one. I have no experience with the services themselves to offer any useful opinion otherwise. It does, however, seem like the market is filled with shady types on both sides, and it seems like if you ever start paying you're going to end up paying for life or just accept the second you stop paying all your data will magically reappear out of the ether.

Thanks for the reply, so based off what you have said would I be best off using Optery free account and manually removing my data myself?

Also what is the European version of Delete Me (URL) please?

As I am in the UK so I need a service that indexes European data broker.

 

[Adam-F]

Q: Google, What is the right to be forgotten on the Internet?

A: The "right to be forgotten" is a legal concept that allows individuals to request the removal or delinking of their personal information from online platforms and search results under certain conditions.

This right, officially known as the "right to erasure" under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enables people to ask that data be removed if it is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected.

It is not an absolute right, and it must be balanced against other rights, such as freedom of expression, and is not recognized uniformly across all countries. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

How it works

• Request for removal: An individual can request that a data controller, such as a search engine or a company, erase their personal data.
• Grounds for request: The request can be made if the data is no longer necessary, consent for processing is withdrawn, or the individual objects to the processing (especially for direct marketing).
• Data controller's obligation: The data controller must erase the data without undue delay, provided there are no overriding legitimate grounds for keeping it.
• Search engine delisting: A key aspect is the right to ask search engines to delist links to personal data that appear in search results for a person's name, especially if the information is considered outdated or irrelevant. [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9]

Limitations and exceptions

• Not an absolute right: The right to be forgotten is not absolute and is often balanced against other rights, such as the right to freedom of expression and information, or the public interest in the data remaining available.
• Exceptions apply: Organizations are not obligated to erase data if it is needed to comply with a legal obligation or for tasks performed in the public interest. [2, 5, 7]

International context

• EU origin: The concept was popularized by a 2014 European Court of Justice ruling and later codified into the GDPR in 2018.
• Global application: While the EU has a strong legal framework for this right, its global application is complex. Some countries, like Russia and Canada, have similar laws or are considering them, but there is no uniform approach across all nations.
• California's CCPA: In the United States, some states, such as California, have passed similar provisions in their privacy laws, notes Varonis. [1, 2, 3, 9, 10]

[1] https://etradeforall.org/news/right...out-them-be-removed-internet-how-does-it-work
[2] https://joindeleteme.com/glossary/right-to-be-forgotten/
[3] https://www.varonis.com/blog/right-to-be-forgotten
[4] http://www.dataprotection.ie/en/individuals/know-your-rights/right-erasure-articles-17-19-gdpr
[5] https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/11/eu-right-to-be-forgotten-online-data/
[6] https://www.igniyte.co.uk/personal-reputation-management/right-to-be-forgotten/
[7] https://illinoislawreview.org/print/volume-2017-issue-1/the-right-to-be-forgotten/
[8] https://support.google.com/legal/answer/10769224?hl=en
[9] https://support.google.com/legal/answer/10769224?hl=en-GB
[10] https://www.privacyengine.io/resources/glossary/right-to-be-forgotten/

Thanks for this, I will now go through all the links you provided.

 

[PHolder]

Also what is the European version of Delete Me (URL) please

I assume it would be what you would find if you google. Again, I honestly have no experience, I just know that Leo constantly warns about people getting the wrong one because of the name confusion. (They are not related, so the ads you hear Leo give are for the US company he's making sure people don't get confused, as was I trying to do for you so that you make your best choice. I don't know the history of how the name collision occurred, but if one of them caused it to steal the business of the other, that would be a pretty clear sign to avoid one, no?)

would I be best off

I honestly don't know what would leave you best off. It would be nice to feel like you were in control, and I think it's A LOT of work if you don't have the agreements and automation these companies most likely have. On the other hand, I guess, I would ask if it's really a solvable problem, or if you're only spit polishing the surface, while the corruption remains deep down under. If you have the money to spend (maybe it's an investment, maybe it's just frivolous spending) then I suppose there's no harm in finding out what's possible, but I simply advise you that it may be the case when you stop spending, it very quickly will all unravel and then I question what it is you got for all that money.

 

[AlanD]

There are a couple of other ways to deal with this, especially if your aim is to stop spam email.

Under GDPR, marketing mails should have an "unsubscribe" link. Whilst some people argue that all that does is confirm that your email is valid, some companies do honour it.

I also forward spam messages to spamcop.net. They identify the real source of spam mail, and send an automated complaint to the ISP. In UK, you can also send phishing emails to "report@phishing.gov.uk" which gets them to the CyberSecurity people at Cheltenham.

 

[Adam-F]

Would it sill be worth creating an Optery free account, just to see what it initially finds out?