Introducing Personal Data Cleanup

We’re excited to announce the release of McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup, a new feature that finds and removes your personal info from data brokers and people search sites. Now, you can feel more confident by removing personal info from data broker sites and keeping it from being collected, sold, and used to: advertise products to you, fill your email box with spam, and can even give criminals the info they need to steal your identity. Let’s look at why we’re offering Personal Data Cleanup, how it protects your privacy, and why it’s a great addition to the online protection we already offer. 

Does the cost of a connected life have to be your privacy?

There’s so much to enjoy when you live a connected life – free email, online stores that remember what you like, social media that connects you to friends and influencers. It’s a world of convenience, opportunity, and incredible content. It’s also a world where your data is constantly collected.  

“Wait. Did you say my data?” 

That’s right, companies are collecting your personal data. They’re called data brokers and they make money by selling information that specifically identifies you, like an email address. They sell this information to marketers looking to target you with ads. Criminals can also use it to build profiles in service of stealing your identity and accessing your accounts. This activity takes place behind the scenes and often without consumers’ knowledge.  There are also data brokers known as people search sites that compile and sell info like home addresses, emails, phones, court records, employment info, and more. These websites give identity thieves, hackers, stalkers, and other malicious actors easy access to your info. Regardless of how your data is being used, it’s clear that these days a more connected life often comes at the cost of your privacy.  

Consumers are clamoring for more privacy online 

In a recent survey of McAfee customers, we found that 59% have become more protective of their personal data over the past six months. And it’s no wonder. Over the past two years, trends like telehealth, remote working, and increased usage of online shopping and financial services have meant that more of your time is being spent online. Unsurprisingly, more personal data is being made available in the process. This leads us to the most alarming finding of our survey – 95% of consumers whose personal information ends up on data broker sites had it collected without their consent.  

Free to enjoy privacy online with McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup 

We created Personal Data Cleanup to make it easy for you to take back your privacy online. McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup regularly scans the riskiest data broker sites for info like your home address, date of birth, and names of relatives. After showing where we found your data, you can either remove it yourself or we will work on your behalf to remove it. Here’s how it works: 

• Set up – Input your name, date of birth, and home address. 

• Scan  – We scan this against some of the riskiest data broker sites. 

• Review – Within minutes, we’ll show you where we found your personal info, and what info the sites have. 

• Remove – You can manually go to each site and request that your data be removed OR upgrade to have McAfee manage the removal process on your behalf. 

• Ongoing – Your info can reappear as data brokers continually collect data. To ensure ongoing protection, Personal Data Cleanup enables regular scanning so it can be removed. 

Start using McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup right now 

Ready to take back your personal info online? Personal Data Cleanup is available immediately with most of our online protection plans. If you have an eligible subscription, you can start using this new feature through McAfee Protection Center