Reclaim Your Privacy: How Incogni Shields Your Personal Data from Exploitation
In today’s digital era, our personal information is more accessible than ever, often without our explicit consent. Data brokers—companies that collect, aggregate, and sell personal data—operate in the shadows, profiting from the sale of our sensitive information. This data can include everything from phone numbers and home addresses to Social Security numbers and financial details. Once in the hands of these brokers, our information can be sold to marketers, scammers, and even cybercriminals, leading to a myriad of privacy concerns.
The Pervasive Threat of Data Brokers
Every day, countless personal records are bought and sold by data brokers. These entities gather information from various sources, including social media platforms, online purchases, public records, and more. The data collected can encompass:
– Full names
– Email addresses
– Home addresses (both current and previous)
– Phone numbers
– Dates of birth
– Employment history
– Social Security numbers
– Financial information
The sale of this information can lead to increased spam calls, targeted scams, identity theft, and even physical threats. For instance, a Reddit user shared a harrowing experience where a scammer contacted multiple family members and even knew their workplace details, highlighting the potential dangers of such data exposure.
Introducing Incogni: Your Personal Data Guardian
Recognizing the urgent need for individuals to reclaim control over their personal information, Surfshark introduced Incogni in 2022. Incogni is a subscription-based service designed to automate the process of removing personal data from data broker databases. By acting on behalf of users, Incogni sends removal requests to a vast network of data brokers, ensuring that personal information is deleted and not resold.
How Incogni Works
Incogni simplifies the complex and time-consuming task of data removal through a streamlined process:
1. Profile Creation: Users provide essential details such as name, email address, and home address. This information helps Incogni identify and match records in data broker databases.
2. Authorization: Users sign an online authorization form, granting Incogni the legal right to request data removal on their behalf.
3. Automated Removal Requests: Incogni sends automated removal requests to over 420 data brokers, covering various categories, including people search sites, marketing data brokers, risk mitigation brokers, recruitment data brokers, and financial information brokers.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Incogni regularly re-scans and sends fresh removal requests to ensure that data brokers do not recollect and resell personal information.
5. Progress Reports: Users receive regular privacy reports, keeping them informed about the status of their data removal requests.
Custom Removals: Tailored Data Protection
In 2025, Incogni introduced the Custom Removals feature, allowing users to submit specific links where their personal information is exposed. This feature is particularly useful for removing data from platforms not covered in Incogni’s standard list. Users can submit an unlimited number of links, and Incogni’s privacy experts will work to remove the information, typically within 45 days.
Subscription Plans and Pricing
Incogni offers flexible subscription plans to cater to different user needs:
– Standard Plan: Priced at $7.99 per month (billed annually), this plan includes automated data removal from over 420 data broker sites, removal of multiple emails, addresses, and phone numbers, and recurring removals.
– Unlimited Plan: At $14.99 per month (billed annually), this plan offers all the features of the Standard Plan, plus the Custom Removals feature, allowing users to submit specific links for data removal.
– Family Unlimited Plan: For $22.99 per month (billed annually), this plan extends the Unlimited Plan’s benefits to up to four additional family members.
All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing users with peace of mind when subscribing.
The Importance of Data Privacy
The consequences of personal data exposure are far-reaching. Beyond the nuisance of spam calls and emails, exposed data can lead to:
– Identity Theft: Cybercriminals can use personal information to impersonate individuals, leading to financial loss and legal complications.
– Financial Difficulties: Data brokers may sell information such as health-related internet searches, credit scores, and background information to insurance companies, banks, and potential employers, potentially resulting in increased insurance rates, loan denials, and loss of job opportunities.
– Compromised Privacy and Safety: People search sites can expose personal details, making individuals vulnerable to stalking, doxxing, swatting, discrimination, physical harm, blackmail, and extortion.
Taking Control of Your Data
Manually removing personal information from data brokers is a daunting and time-consuming task. Each broker has its own opt-out process, often buried in complex legal language and requiring persistent follow-up. Incogni automates this process, saving users countless hours and ensuring a higher success rate in data removal.
User Experiences and Testimonials
Users have reported significant reductions in spam calls, emails, and an overall improvement in their online privacy after using Incogni. The service’s user-friendly interface and regular progress updates have been praised for making the data removal process transparent and accessible.
Conclusion
In an age where personal data is a valuable commodity, taking proactive steps to protect one’s information is crucial. Incogni offers a comprehensive, automated solution to reclaim control over personal data, reducing the risks associated with data exposure. By leveraging Incogni’s services, individuals can safeguard their privacy, minimize unwanted solicitations, and protect themselves from potential cyber threats.
