The internet is such a critical part of our lives nowadays, that it is hard to imagine a world without it. Your social life is there, your work life is there, and job opportunities are there. But it can also be quite an intimidating-and at times even depressing-place to be in.
internet user
As such, many people are opting for "internet detoxes" where they cut themselves off from the web for a specific amount of time. Some go for a day, others a week or even a month if they want to go to extremes. But what if you want to cut yourself off for good; perhaps even completely delete yourself from the internet?
Is It Really Possible To Delete Yourself From The Internet?
The easiest answer to this question is also the most confusing: it depends.
If what you mean by "delete yourself from the internet" is to fully erase any online trace you have so people won't get a hold of your info, then the answer is no, according to CNET. Anything you've ever posted since going on the web will still be there, even if you go at length to try to take them all down.
In this video by WUSA9, a few cybersecurity experts were asked about whether a person's digital footprint can be fully eliminated. They shared the same answer: it depends, mainly due to how organizations like businesses will always want to track your data as a potential customer:
Here's another situation: any kind of content you post online is always at the mercy of someone reposting it somewhere else. The only possible course of action here is to contact your internet service provider (ISP) to ask for the removal of said content, but that's not even a guarantee that it will be taken down.
Assuming that you did get your ISP to take your post down, other people and automated "data crawlers" will still have enough chances to copy your data and repost/share it somewhere else on the web. This, in turn, makes it "next to impossible" to fully scrub your digital footprint even if you tried.
Read Also: Uses of VPNs for Travelers
How Do I Minimize My Digital Footprint, Then?
Back in 2020, a survey conducted by Kaspersky revealed that four out of five internet users want to delete their personal info online. We now know that this is quite impossible (especially if they want to scrub all of their data). But there are several ways to minimize your digital footprint if you want to, as per WIRED.
big data art
One of these methods is opting out from data brokers-companies which collect and sell personal data to the highest bidder. You might be aware of companies like Acxiom, Experian, Epsilon, Oracle, and even Equifax. You can access a list of data brokers by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) if you want to find out who's been keeping tabs on you.
You can actually contact these said data brokers under specific circumstances to request a deletion of your data. This is possible for users who are covered by the California Consumer Privacy Act, the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), or any other data privacy act being enacted in your home country.
DON'T Deactivate, DELETE
Let's go for something a bit more mainstream: your social media profile. If you're mulling on deactivating your Facebook account, don't. Fully delete it instead. Do the same for everything you put your name to: other social media sites, e-commerce, even your Netflix subscription. There is always an option to delete your account on these sites if you know where to look. The same thing goes for all of your email accounts.
Get Rid Of Outdated Search Results
There is so much data on you on the internet right now that you can literally Google yourself. Also, there's a chance that the info on you can be outdated, which you can delete. The only way to do so, however, is to submit the URL of any outdated search result to Google in the hopes of them updating its servers.
Deleting Yourself From The Web Is Not Simple
Simply put, trying to delete yourself from the internet is a lot of work. And most of the time, it won't even matter as your digital footprint will still be there, in some form or another, waiting to be seen or accessed. So try to question yourself whether you do want to scrub all of your information online-it's not something to be taken lightly.
A man surfs the internet in Beijing on June 15, 2009. The designers of controversial Internet filtering software that China has ordered shipped with all new computers said they were trying to fix security glitches in the programme in the latest blow to the plan to include the filtering software with all PCs sold in China from July 1, which has been criticised overseas and even in China as a bid at mass censorship and a threat to personal privacy.
Related Article: Data Privacy Protection: How to See What Data Websites Get from You
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
