ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Incogni is an automated data-removal service with an easy onboarding process.
- It requires minimal technical knowledge to operate.
- A dedicated mobile app doesn’t exist yet, but would be welcome.
Ever heard of Incogni?
You may have heard about the company, launched by one of our favorite VPN providers, Surfshark, in 2021, if you were looking for ways to reduce the volume of information that data brokers and people search websites have on you.
Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is constantly being exposed, collected, traded, and sold, with many data brokers operating in a Wild West scenario with little legal or regulatory oversight. This doesn’t mean, however, that trying to pry their hands away from your PII is a fruitless endeavor.
Also: Best data removal services: Wipe away your digital footprint and leave no trace
Dedicated data removal services are out there that can tackle data brokers on your behalf, forcing them to remove PII and potentially stop data collection entirely.
I’ve been testing Incogni for the past few weeks, and here’s why it’s quickly become one of my top choices for data removal services in 2025.
Setting up Incogni
TEAM could this be resized if needed? my image editor has crashed out and I’m leaving soon (vacation)
Charlie Osborne/ZDNET
Setting up Incogni couldn’t be easier and only takes minutes. You sign up online and create an account. Choose your plan, and then you will need to submit some basic information — to start with, your first and last name, and your email address at a minimum. However, to hone in the search, you can also choose to provide your middle name, date of birth, home addresses, and other email addresses connected to your identity.
You will then be shown a dashboard that will show you data removal requests sent, accepted, ongoing, and overall progress. There is also an activity log.
While there aren’t any mobile apps available at present, they are in the works. Incogni told ZDNET that an iOS and Android app will be available at launch.
How it works
Incogni aims to tackle data removal requests at scale with the help of automation, backed by human, in-house staff specializing in data removal and privacy.
The data removal service focuses on disrupting the flow of consumer data — including PII — that ends up in the hands of data brokers, often without the consent of subjects. This information is then either exposed online for the world to see or sold to other organizations.
Also: 9 ways to delete yourself from the internet (and hide your identity online)
By combining automation and human oversight, Incogni targets both public and private data brokers, providing comprehensive coverage that includes over 420 public and private brokers and more than 1,000 unique domains registered in response to custom data removal requests made by customers.
Incogni told ZDNET that it completed over 90 million data removal requests last year and that the company’s growth trajectory is likely to continue. Many new US customers joined the fold due to their concerns surrounding a lack of adequate data privacy laws and current political tensions.
Data removal requests are automatically sent to data brokers once you have signed up for the service. You are given access to a dashboard that shows you how many data brokers have been contacted, how many requests have been processed, and how many have been completed. Requests are automatically resent every 60 to 90 days.
“Automation allows us to have streamlined processes in place to not only submit data removal requests but also to process the received confirmations/responses of data brokers and make sure that our users are updated with the outcomes immediately,” Incogni told ZDNET. “The human oversight with our core functionality is focused on maintaining these systems and running double-checks on a daily basis to make sure that we’re consistently getting our data removal requests processed by data brokers and have all the necessary confirmations.”
Also: How to remove your personal info from Google Search – it’s quick and easy
Geographically, Incogni covers all 50 US states, and can also tackle data removal requests in the EU, UK, Northern Ireland, Canada, the Isle of Man, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
Outside of reducing your PII exposure and digital footprint, the service also aims to help reduce your spam and robocalls. Cold-calling marketers, scammers, and robocalls can be infuriating as they take up your time, line, and attention, and many customers have reported that they have noticed fewer incidents since signing up, according to Incogni.
How much does it cost?
So, let’s talk about price. Surfshark’s Incogni is one of the cheapest options available (although, admittedly, not by a huge margin), with one-year plans starting at $8.29/month. The company is currently offering a 55% off deal on annual plans for ZDNET readers, with the code ZDNET.
One thing to note, however, is that if you want to use the service for custom data removal requests, you will need to sign up for the Unlimited plan, which costs $14.99/month — and there are cheaper solutions out there for custom requests, such as those provided by DeleteMe.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Incogni is an excellent data removal service and one that I have tried myself and can recommend without reservation. When ZDNET chooses to highlight particular products and services, it is because they have stood out from the crowd in some way — whether it is a service, excellent customer feedback, or new and exciting features.
We extensively research and, when possible, test products to ensure our experiences match what users are saying, and should our opinion change in the future, we will update this article with our findings.
