Safety/Privacy Archives - Page 6 of 6

Imagine the net without hundreds of posts or selfies pinned permanently to your name. Imagine that in what you might call a glitch in the matrix, and others would call a miracle, you cannot google yourself. There seems to no proof that you exist online—no face photo, no tweets, nothing. It would be amazing if such immediate erasure were possible, but if you are going to become a ghost in the machine, you are going to need to review our five tips on how to remove your identity from the internet. Let us say that you have the simplest tools at your disposal: a laptop, a phone, and your good sense. Is there a way that this is enough for you to begin erasing your identity and moving closer to real online anonymity? You might not think that the average person of average intelligence and expertise would be able to erase your identity, but you might find yourself surprised by the simplicity of the methods in this post. By reading this article on how to remove any trace of your identity online, you can ensure that you are able to protect your name, face, and ideas from spreading online while attached to your true self. Using the methods described in this article for ghosting the machine, you can: Slowly identify and target all the accounts and user profiles that provide information about your identity. Get a powerful hold on the reigns of the cloud which is storing every keystroke and search query for its own profile of you. Track down and delete the items online that are damaging to your identity in real life or which you simply no longer want to be attached. Protect your privacy and purge your identity from the web with simple tools already available to you as an internet user. If you are realizing that having control over what is and is not under your name is an essential as 21st-century living, knowing a few tips for ghosting the machine and deleting your identity from the web is a useful addition to the measures you already take to protect your privacy. Considering the Risks and Rewards of an Online Identity In considering that it might be time to rid yourself of your identity (online), you must also think about the risks you take in untangling from the web. Some of the reasons to have an online identity are more legitimate than others, and so before you take steps at deleting your online footprint you should think about the possible pros and cons of digital identity. Because an online identity is mostly an expectation of friends and corporations, your attempt to delete yourself will need to take communication with those who value you online as a preparatory step. Messaging employers, family, and close friends about your decision may give them time to ask for your personal contact information, and it prevents any lonesomeness that might set in from the likes, tweets, and clicks you will no longer ring your bell. Other than the reward of connecting online, there is a risk that your lack of online identity will speak to a lack of expertise (think LinkedIn) or a lack in lifestyle (think Instagram), so finally the last thing to think about is how you will live your life without the distraction, tracking, and invasions of these apps and sites. The Three Step On How to Remove your Identity from the Internet! Step 1) Removing Yourself from Broker Sites As you know, there are sites that make use of your personal information (such as your phone number, address, and public records) by selling them to those creeping on your privacy. Sometimes the information costs a small access fee, but other times, your personal information is free. There are two kinds of brokers of your personal information: Primary brokers who collect public records, and secondary brokers who use social networks to boost insight into your life. If you want to remove yourself from either of them, you will need to reach out to the broker and request not to participate. Step 2) Deleting Your Personal Accounts You definitely have more accounts than you feel you have time to personally address, but ridding yourself of all the services for which you have an account is essential to your disappearing act. Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, even Google+ needs to be accounted for, logged into, and permanently deleted. For this reason, many websites and apps (like Account Killer) promise up-to-date instruction on how to deactivate any account and erase any data attached to your online identity. Perhaps the most important will be to address Google’s information which can be deleted through their account page. Step 3) Shutting Down Email After you have removed yourself from broker listings and no longer have personal accounts, the final step is to delete yourself from email. Email is like your phone number on the internet, and even banks use it as a way to identify unique users, making this an extreme step to take in your desire to dissipate from even the deepest parts of the web. Login to your email (or email), and follow the account steps necessary to first download your old data, and then to delete your entire account and address. Final Words on Disappearing from the Web without a Trace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L66I-A7CCo0 Whether you are faced with a case of identity theft, involved with someone using online information to track you, or simply need more space in your life for actual, real experience, these three steps are all that you need to delete your own online identity. A competent person who wishes to protect themselves from being stolen by a random hacker will be able to name all the accounts associated with them, and individually attack and address them until there are no prisoners (or traces of your identity online). Afterward, no one, not even you, will be able to establish much about you without speaking directly to you and asking for the information they want. Each of the steps in this tutorial and how-to article were chosen because they are the most difficult and controllable steps you can use to take back your online identity. It doesn’t matter if you are an aspiring hacker or just an individual who values their privacy, these steps are a good start for you to begin deleting yourself from the reserves of the internet. Give them a try in your quest to become a ghost in the machine monetizing your every move and motion.