Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Data removal services began to appear around 15 years ago, after data brokers realized that data could become a new, valuable currency — and one ripe for exploitation, given the lack of laws and little to no consumer data privacy protection written into legislation.
Incogni and DeleteMe, founded in 2021 as part of VPN provider Surfshark and in 2010 by Abine Privacy, respectively, are two of the most widely-known data removal services in the US. Both companies offer data removal services to consumers, which include requests sent to data brokers to remove your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from their systems, the deletion of your data from people finder websites, custom removal requests, and more.
As both services at their base levels are priced with a difference of only a few dollars a month — $8.29/month on Incogni’s annual plan (though at the time of this writing, Incogni is offering 55% off annual plans with code ZDNET), and $10.75/month if you sign up for 12 months with DeleteMe (alternatively, $8.71/month on a two-year contract), which do you choose?
Also: Best data removal services: Wipe away your digital footprint and leave no trace
To help you decide, I have researched and spoken with both organizations, broken down the key components of each business, listed what they offer consumers — including their areas of specialization — and found out what Incogni and DeleteMe have planned for the future. Here are my findings.
Key factors
Incogni
DeleteMe
Owner, headquarters
Surfshark, Inc., Netherlands
Abine, Inc., Massachusetts, US
Data removal
In-house team, proprietary systems, international
In-house team, proprietary systems, international
Revenue generation
Subscription-only business
Subscription-only business
Consumer data encryption
AES-256
AES-256
Audits?
Deloitte Assurance, in the process of being audited for SOC 2
Third-party audit by a licensed CPA for SOC 2, in the process of ISO 27001
Mobile apps?
Coming soon
Yes
Trustpilot rating
4.4/5
4.4/5
Price
Starting from $8.29/month, 30-day money-back guarantee
Starting from $8.71/month, 7-day money-back guarantee
You should buy Incogni if…
Incogni
1. You want to focus your data removal on data brokers
Incogni says it significantly reduces the likelihood of its customers becoming victims of cybercrime or experiencing financial loss from scams, and that it can even help prevent physical threats arising from exposed personal data.
This company is one of a handful of excellent data removal service providers around, and it is one that focuses on taking consumer records out of the hands of data brokers — and people search companies — likely to store, share, and sell them for a profit.
Data removal requests and confirmations are dealt with automatically through API integrations, email processes, and online forms, and request outcomes are displayed on user dashboards. Requests are resent every 60 to 90 days, depending on each broker’s data removal practices.
Public and private data brokers are on Incogni’s radar. Some of the private data brokers covered by Incogni include Acxiom, Equifax, and Comscore. Incogni states that total coverage under automatic removals encompasses over 420 public and private brokers. Since launching custom removals last year, at least 1,000 additional unique domains have contributed to an aggregated total of 1,400.
2. You like the idea of rapid removal through automation
Incogni leverages automation in most of its data removal processes, and a company spokesperson told ZDNET that due to its scale, “we aim to have as much automation as possible.”
So, how does it work? Once you’ve signed up, scans immediately start, and requests, backed by Incogni algorithms, are automatically sent to hundreds of data brokers to remove existing information. Some brokers will also add you to “suppression” lists, which claim they won’t collect your PII in the future.
Also: 9 ways to delete yourself from the internet (and hide your identity online)
“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,” the Incogni spokesperson said. “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.”
It appears that automation is effective, considering Incogni told us it completed over 90 million data removal requests last year.
3. You want a data removal solution centered on usability
Perhaps having taken pointers from the Surfshark VPN service, Incogni is extremely easy to use.
Upon signing up, users undergo a quick onboarding process, during which they are required to provide personal information that will enable the start of the data removal service. Now, don’t think you’ll need to dig out your past education records or your Social Security number — some basic data points will do.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for marketers and data brokers to connect the dots and create full profiles of us, including our home addresses and even family connections — but data removal services can use just a few data points to start the journey to deletion.
“There’s barely anything else the user has to do,” the Incogni spokesperson said. “The only other action where the user might be involved is in cases where our systems identify multiple profiles on People Search/Finder sites that contain very similar personal information. Here we notify the users immediately and ask them to select which profile we should remove based on the information provided. The rest of the data removal process within the standard functionality is completely effortless for the user, and does not require any technical know-how, and gets done by our team.”
The caveat is when it comes to custom removal questions, as you will need to find and submit sites exposing your PII that you want personally dealt with. You’ll only have access to custom request services on Unlimited plans. In addition, the user dashboard is simple to understand, but I’d like to see more information being provided to users in the future.
4. You’re hoping for spam call reduction
Spam and robocalls are some of the most annoying things you may have to deal with on a daily basis, and they’ve been a scourge we’ve been dealing with since the days of landlines.
By reducing the number of data brokers trading and selling your data — including your phone numbers — you may end up with fewer of these nuisance calls — and that’s precisely what many Incogni customers report.
What’s next for Incogni?
Speaking to ZDNET, Incogni said that Android and iOS apps are in development. While there is no firm date for release as of yet, it’s likely the company will opt for a limited release covering the US first, and then gradually roll out its service to other locations.
The company is also focused on improving its custom removal services, expanding coverage, and going beyond data brokers, especially in a time where generative AI and large language models (LLMs) are scraping and recycling consumer data.
“When these models collect data, they don’t care if a site is a data broker or not,” the Incogni spokesperson said. “Any exposed personal information is a potential risk and can be weaponized by malicious agents. We feel that this is the next frontier in giving people control over their privacy.”
You should buy DeleteMe if…
DeleteMe
1. You want to go beyond basic data broker scans
Back in 2010, DeleteMe was the first subscription-based data removal service to launch.
Rather than calling itself a data removal service, DeleteMe prefers to be known as a privacy company, with its CEO saying DeleteMe’s mission and vision is to “restore that sense of fairness and privacy and control to your digital data, wherever it’s used any country, any database, or any situation.”
While DeleteMe does begin by damming the stream of information to the most egregious organizations trading and selling your data — typically data brokers — the company is keen to emphasize that data removal tasks are dynamic, and they do more than just scan a list of data brokers and file automated requests.
Also: Best data removal services: Wipe away your digital footprint and leave no trace
DeleteMe and many other competitors list hundreds of sites covered by their services, but in practice, scans are tailored and targeted depending on the types of records and where exposed PII is found. Lists are continually checked, updated, and validated, with scores of websites being monitored for the removal of PII.
“There are 150 of these sites in the US that are really important, where we frequently find customers’ exposed PII on,” Rob Shavell, co-founder and CEO of DeleteMe, told ZDNET. “And what really is important is to do a good job there, not to constantly be adding sites that nobody’s information is on just because it looks good to a potential buyer.”
2. You want a human touch with custom requests
While some other organizations rely on automation, DeleteMe maintains a personal, human touch with many of its data removal tasks.
Proprietary automated tools and in-house Privacy Advisors work to identify personal data and handle removal requests, and employees will examine the results of automated scans while conducting their own research on behalf of users. These teams will then go deeper to find out what information is exposed, where, whether or not it is for sale, and how much PII has been made available either publicly or to interested buyers.
This hybrid approach also means that custom removal requests are included with each subscription tier, so there’s no need to upgrade to a premium plan just to be able to submit a request. According to DeleteMe, hundreds of thousands of custom requests have been processed across thousands of different sites, with a success rate of at least 70%.
3. You want a free scan and do-it-yourself guides
Another benefit of DeleteMe is the firm’s free scan, which you can use as many times as you wish to learn a little about what PII of yours is floating around the internet. It’s for US residents only, and yes, naturally, it’s a lure toward subscription, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a useful tool.
Once you’ve received your free report, you can use DeleteMe’s vast repository of do-it-yourself data removal guides if you don’t want to sign up for the service. Step-by-step guides are available for opting out of data collection from companies including WorkNumber, Experian, Meltwater, MightRep, and more.
4. Vehicle data privacy is important to you
An interesting facet of DeleteMe’s services is the development of processes designed to tackle the flow of information from your vehicle, to you, to third parties.
Shavell said that automotive privacy is something the company is very excited about, and as license plate details have begun to show up in the systems of US data brokers, DeleteMe is working on ways to handle this latest invasion of consumer privacy.
The creation of profiles that link vehicles, registration plates, and drivers is already underway and is likely to intensify over the next few years. Data brokers may leverage these records to sell them to insurance companies, for example. So, if this is an area that concerns you, DeleteMe is the best choice.
What’s next for DeleteMe?
There are some interesting new projects and improvements in the works at DeleteMe, including new data broker additions, improved Google Street View blurring, real estate removal listings, Dark Web monitoring, expanded country coverage (including Brazil, Spain, and the Philippines), and enhanced identity masking, which will hopefully stop consumers having to hand over PII to organizations in the first place.
