According to CNBC, there were 2.6 million fraud reports and 1.1 million identity theft cases in 2024, resulting in over $12.5 billion in losses according to the Federal Trade Commission. Cybercriminals often obtain personal information by hacking data brokers that track and sell our details to marketing agencies, credit card companies, and pharmaceutical firms. Services like DeleteMe, Incogni, and Optery promise to remove personal identifying information from these data broker files. Rob T. Lee, chief of research at the SANS Institute cybersecurity training center, confirms these services do have an impact by removing people from well-known data broker locations. The services work by finding your contact information and sending removal notices to data brokers.
Sponsored content — provided for informational and promotional purposes.
How they actually work
So here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes. These services basically act as your personal privacy assistants, constantly scanning hundreds of data broker sites for your information. When they find your phone number, address, or other personal details, they send formal removal requests on your behalf. And they keep doing this regularly because data brokers are notorious for re-adding information they’ve previously removed. It’s a constant game of whack-a-mole that most people simply don’t have time to manage themselves.
The real value proposition
Look, the question isn’t whether these services work at all – they clearly do remove some of your data. The real question is whether they’re worth the ongoing subscription cost. For most people, the time savings alone might justify the expense. Think about it: manually finding and requesting removals from dozens of data brokers could take hours each month. Plus, these services often find obscure data brokers you’d never know existed. But here’s the thing – they can’t remove everything. Some data brokers simply ignore removal requests, and certain types of information (like court records) are often considered public anyway.
Who should consider them
If you’re in a high-risk category – think public figures, executives, or people who’ve already experienced identity theft – these services are probably a no-brainer. The peace of mind might be worth the price tag. For the average person? It’s more of a judgment call. The FTC’s own data shows identity theft is rampant, so any protection helps. But you could also take the DIY approach and manually request removals from the biggest data brokers yourself. It just requires more time and persistence.
The broader context
What’s fascinating is that we’ve reached a point where protecting our personal information requires paying third-party services. Companies like DeleteMe, Incogni, and Optery are essentially solving a problem that shouldn’t exist in the first place. The entire data broker industry operates in this gray area where our personal information becomes a commodity without our explicit consent. And as SANS Institute experts confirm, these removal services do make a difference. They’re not perfect, but in today’s digital landscape, they’re one of the few practical tools we have to push back against the constant data harvesting.
