How to disappear from the internet

[harlan4096]

A step-by-step guide to deleting as much of your digital footprint as possible.
 
It’s frankly concerning just how much online services — and people we’ve never met — know about us. In fact, most of this data lands online because of us: the average internet user has dozens of accounts — if not hundreds.

That’s why doing a vanity search on yourself is so useful and eye-opening. Think about it: your digital footprint has been building up for years. Social media, message boards, old marketplace listings — everything you’ve ever typed is just sitting there, waiting to go off like a ticking time bomb.

Carelessly posted photos, videos, or even old comments have been known to go viral years later, causing serious retroactive problems for the poster. You might be thinking, “Who’d even care about me?” Well, trust us, plenty of folks would. This ranges from angry exes, advertisers, and scammers, all the way to potential employers and government agencies. HR departments routinely deep-dive into candidates’ histories before hiring. Furthermore, data found by using shadowy services that search for information leaked in data breaches is frequently used for doxing and harassment.

So, if you don’t manage it, your digital footprint can unexpectedly come back to bite you. Sure, it’s impossible to erase it completely, but you can certainly try to minimize the amount of information available to everyone. Today, we talk about how to scrub your digital footprint without sliding into full-blown paranoia. (Actually, we’ve got a few extra tips tucked away for the truly paranoid among you too!)

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