9 ways to delete yourself from the internet (and hide your identity online)

Google’s search engine provides links and website addresses to users in response to search queries, but unless the right controls are in place, your search queries can be cataloged for marketing purposes. On the other hand, Google can also be used to uncover exactly what information about you is in the public domain.

Not every search engine will reveal the same results. Try out other search engines, such as Bing, for a more comprehensive look.

Once you know what is online about you, you can start tackling the problem. Run a quick search for your full name and note any website domains that flag you, social media account links, YouTube videos, and anything else of interest.

Tips for secure browsing and searching

• To improve your privacy and reduce your online footprint, prevent search engines from cataloging your queries. This information can be used to create a profile on your interests, product choices, and more, which can then be sold to marketing agencies.
• We recommend using the Brave browser for the best secure browsing experience. DuckDuckGo — available as a browser or a search engine — is also an excellent choice to prevent personal data collection.

Check out our recommendations: The best secure browsers for privacy: Expert tested

In the EU citizens can request the removal of information from Google search results. After filling in this form, requests are reviewed by Google employees on a case-by-case basis. You must provide the specific URLs you want to be delisted, search queries related to these URLs, and you must explain why the tech giant should agree to your request. 

The more information you can provide, the better.

“Broadly, the reviewer will consider whether and how the information may be in the public interest and weigh this against your rights under the applicable data protection law,” Google says. “There are several reasons why information may be in the public interest. As part of the balancing exercise, Google looks to a number of different sources, such as the guidelines developed by European data protection regulators.”

Also: How to find and remove spyware from your phone

Google adheres to the data protection laws of your area but may not accept every request to remove links relating to you. Reasons given for refusal include technical reasons, duplicate URLs, information deemed “strongly in the public interest,” and whether or not the content on a web page relates to professional lives, past convictions, work positions, or self-authored content. 

“Frequently, a case presents considerations that point in different directions, and we carefully consider those before making a decision,” Google says. “If we don’t have all the information we need, we may ask you for more information. That information helps us understand how the various factors might affect your request.”

At the time of writing, Google has received roughly 1.7 million delisting requests and around 6.8 million URL delisting requests. Over three million URLs have been delisted after review.

If you are a resident of the US or elsewhere, you may be able to request for limited information to be removed from search results, such as phone numbers or home addresses that could be used for identity theft and may have been leaked through doxxing.

You can’t control your digital footprint without knowing where and what information concerning you is stored. 

Just as importantly, you should know if your information has been leaked online. Data breaches occur daily, so it’s more a question of what, not if. 

The Have I Been Pwned service is run by cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt and can be a useful tool for discovering if any account information belonging to you has been compromised or included in a data breach. 

If you find an email address or telephone number of yours has been “pwned” — in other words, you have been linked to a data breach — check to see what leaks you are involved in. 

There will be a message along the lines of, “Oh no — pwned! Pwned in 9 data breaches and found no pastes.”

Do not panic. The majority of us will be connected to a data breach. Instead, focus on changing any passwords you have used with compromised accounts as they are now vulnerable — and you should also ensure you aren’t using them for any other service. 

You won’t be able to do much about the data leak itself, but this also could serve as a reminder of where you have opened online accounts. Consider deleting any accounts you no longer need.

Many companies have now become aware of the issue and services including credit monitors and password vaults will often run periodic checks online for any compromised passwords. If they have been found, you should change them immediately. 

Make sure to visit the Google Account page, where there are numerous settings that can boost your privacy, reduce data collection, or remove you altogether from the ecosystem.

• Privacy checkup: The Google Privacy checkup allows you to tell Google to stop saving search queries and your location history.

You can choose to disallow Google from saving web and app activities, Chrome history, voice and audio, and other data. 

Google has also introduced an autodelete function for data stored, including YouTube histories. In this section, you can also choose whether or not to allow Google to use your information for tailored advertising and what you want to happen to the data in your account if it goes inactive.

• Security checkup: The Google Security checkup can show you which devices can access your account, including laptops, PCs, and handsets. You can also find a list of third-party applications that have been granted permission to access your account. Revoke permissions as necessary. 
• Download your data: To find out exactly what data Google holds on you, head over to Google Takeout. You can download an archive of your information, including access logs, calendar records, Chrome data, Drive files, and more. 
• Delete me: Found under Account Preferences, Google’s deletion service can be used to delete select products or remove your account entirely. You can also download a copy of all your data. 
• Personalized ads, search results: If you want to stick with Google’s search engine, you can still ask the company not to show you results based on data associated with your Google account. In addition, you can ask for no personalized adverts. 
• Quick tip: If you have upgraded your phone, tablet, or another device recently and you no longer use your old one, you should make sure you sign out. Your account may become compromised if that device ends up in the wrong hands and is not properly protected.

There are services available where you can pay to keep your information away from data brokers.

One example is DeleteMe, a paid subscription service that maintains tabs on data collectors and removes data such as names, current and past addresses, dates of birth, and aliases on your behalf.

This monitoring can keep your private information out of search results and away from platforms such as open people search databases.

Also: The best services for deleting yourself from the internet

We’ve compiled a list of the best services that can help you remove public search results, records, and force organizations to comply with data protection laws and delete your information. Alongside DeleteMe, we also recommend services including Incogni and Kanary CoPilot.

Your social media accounts, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, are gold mines full of sensitive data. If you are serious about deleting yourself from the Internet, you need to either lock them down or delete them. Here’s how.

Facebook 

In the Settings tab, you can download all of Facebook’s information on you.

In the Privacy tab, you should restrict your posts to “friends only” and limit your past posts, and you can decide to disallow lookups by your provided email address or phone number.

You also have the option to remove your Facebook profile from search engine results outside of the social networking platform. Under the Location tab, consider turning off location data collection by Facebook, too.

If you look at Apps and Websites, you can see what is connected to your Facebook account. If you choose to delete these, Facebook can also automatically remove posts, videos, and events the connected service posted on your behalf. 

X

In my opinion, Twitter, now known as X following Elon Musk’s acquisition, has lost many of its useful security and privacy features. Nonetheless, if you’re still on Twitter, head to the Settings tab to download an archive of your data, restrict your posts, or delete your account. 

Pay careful attention to the Data Sharing and Personalization section. There, you can manage ad preferences, data sharing, and whether or not you will allow X to use an “Inferred Identity” to personalize your experience — in other words, an identity created through activity on devices you have not logged into X with.

Bluesky

If you’ve moved from Twitter to Bluesky, go to Privacy and Security to lock down your account. 

Also: 7 Bluesky settings tweaks that make the popular X alternative even better

A feature you might find particularly useful is the “Logged out Visibility” option. If you enable this setting, Bluesky will not show your profile and posts to logged-out users. 

Instagram

Facebook-owned Instagram has a number of privacy settings you can also change to maintain an acceptable level of privacy.

By default, anyone can view your photos and videos on your Instagram account unless you are a minor, in which case your account should be private by default. However, by going to your profile, clicking Settings, Account Privacy, and switching “Private account” on, you can make sure your content is only viewed by approved users.

TikTok

Under More > Manage Account, you can choose to make your TikTok account private or delete it entirely. You are also able to download an archive of your information.

If you go to the Ads tab, you can manage how ads are personalized, disable personalized ads entirely, and also request that TikTok clear any information that advertisers have shared about you. This process can take up to 30 days.

Remove everything: A more extreme option is to delete all of your primary social media accounts.

On Facebook, you can go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings, select Your Facebook Information, and click on Deactivation & Deletion to deactivate it. This gives you the option to return at a later time and does not delete your data. Your settings, photos, and other content are saved, but your Facebook presence will not appear beyond unclickable text.

You can also permanently delete your account. If you have trouble finding this setting, you can type “delete Facebook” in the Help Center tab.

Also: How to delete your X/Twitter account for good (and protect your data)

You are given a grace period to change your mind and log back in. It can take up to 90 days before the deletion of content on your Facebook wall and in your account will begin.

To deactivate Twitter/X, you need to click on Your Account and then click deactivate your account. Your account will be deactivated for 30 days, and if you do not log in during this period, it will be permanently deleted. 

On Bluesky, head to Account, where you can either deactivate or delete your account.

To delete your Instagram account, log in and go to the request deletion page. Once you have submitted an answer as to why you are deleting your account, you will be prompted to re-enter your password, and then a delete account option will appear.

Over at TikTok, visit Privacy and Settings, Account Control, and click Delete Account.

Is it necessary to preserve what you had for breakfast one morning in 2017 or your review of a now-closed store near you? No.

Time and effort are required to comb through old posts, but the result is worth it, and this may also train you to be more selective about the information you share in the future. Unless the account is one you use frequently, consider deleting it permanently.

It can be a pain to find, remember credentials, and recover passwords associated with old accounts, but this is an essential step in locking down your data.

Also: The best password managers

To find your old accounts, visit Have I Been Pwned, check the lists of connected apps in your Facebook and Google accounts, and, if you have a password manager, check it for the credentials of accounts you have used since signing up.

You may have to manually log in to each account you want to remove and, depending on the service, delete your info from there or contact the service provider with the request.

Justdeleteme.com is a helpful directory containing guides to removing accounts from countless online services and a rating on how hard each type of account is to remove, ranging from “easy” to “impossible.”

If you cannot delete online accounts outright and can only deactivate them, before you do, delete as much content from them as possible. If the account is no longer relevant to you, consider changing the name and personal details connected to it, as well as removing or changing photos to generic alternatives.

When it comes to active accounts such as on Facebook or Twitter, anonymity or aliases can help keep your digital and physical presence separate.

It is against most terms of service to not use your full, correct name, but it is still common practice for many to change their surname at the least to prevent work and personal accounts — and lives — from colliding. You can also delete personal photos and change them to something that doesn’t identify you.