Internet

Has Your Online Privacy Been Invaded? Here’s What You Can Do

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There’s a saying that nothing can be removed from the Internet. Unfortunately, it’s hard to extract information from the Internet. It becomes more difficult the longer your data has been online. Some people believe there is no such thing as Internet privacy. But a little savvy goes a long way if someone has released your personal information online.

Online Privacy

Removing Your Private Data

In the best-case scenario, your data is available in only one place. But this isn’t often the case. The longer your information is online, the more it can spread. Reaching out to the accounts or people who posted the information is your first step. If it was an accident, they might happily take it down. However, there is no guarantee that they’ll cooperate.

The next step is to contact the company that owns or hosts the site. Contacting the host for smaller areas such as blogs makes sense—contact support on larger sizes. For example, you can get help from Tinder directly if your issue is with Tinder privacy.

The more places your data shows up online, the more you’ll have to repeat these steps. Asking may not work. However, you can find examples of DMCA Takedown Notices online. You can fill out this form and send it to the user or host that posted your copyrighted material.

Sometimes, you have to call for help. For legal issues, call a lawyer. Hire a company that specializes in removing your information from the Internet. They have contacts, cybersecurity tools, and tricks that you don’t. Sometimes, companies offer tools if your information becomes public because of a data breach they failed to prevent.

What Is a Data Breach?

Data breaches occur when information is accessed and released to untrusted sources. They typically involve a lot of data that belongs to multiple people.

Do Damage Control

Scammers don’t always have release data. Sometimes they want to use it. You need to limit the damage. Immediately change passwords that are compromised. Check if you can end other login sessions to boot hackers from your account. Disconnect hacked devices from the Internet before removing malicious software.

Contact the credit bureaus, your bank, and credit card companies when privacy invasions involve financial information. They can freeze accounts or cards and watch for future suspicious activity.

protecting your identity online before becoming a victim. It’s harder to protect yourself once your information is out there. But
  • Sign up for Google Alerts to receive notifications when your information is published online.
  • Use a password manager to create, store, and periodically change strong, unique passwords for your accounts.
  • Set up a separate email account and phone number for account sign-ups. Could you not share them with anyone?

There’s no guarantee of privacy online, but these steps help.

Aly Jones
Twitter evangelist. Web fanatic. Lifelong travel nerd. Passionate zombie scholar. Extreme coffee fan. Amateur entrepreneur. Avid beer lover. Had moderate success lecturing about wieners in the UK. Won several awards for short selling clip-on ties in Hanford, CA. Uniquely-equipped for creating marketing channels for cod in Bethesda, MD. Spent a weekend buying and selling Easter candy in Phoenix, AZ. Was quite successful at analyzing tar in the government sector. Have a strong interest in getting to know barbie dolls for fun and profit.