Worried about your personal data being bought and sold online without your consent? You’re not alone. Data brokers are the literal scum of the web and they make big bucks off of your personal data.
But you can do something to counter them, and it’s actually really bloody easy too.
The fastest, most efficient way to stop data brokers from collecting and reselling your personal info is to use Incogni, a powerful automated data removal service that handles everything for you.
Here’s a complete step-by-step guide on how to use Incogni to protect your digital privacy, what it actually does behind the scenes, and why it’s the easiest method available in 2025.
How to Use Incogni: Step-by-Step
1. Create Your Account
Head to Incogni’s website and create an account. You’ll enter:
- Your full name
- Email addresses (past and present)
- Current and former home addresses
This info helps Incogni identify what data brokers are holding about you.
2. Sign the Authorization Form
You’ll be asked to sign a digital authorization form. This gives Incogni legal permission to act on your behalf when contacting brokers and submitting removal requests. It’s required by law and enables them to use tools like the GDPR and CCPA.
3. Incogni Gets to Work
Once you’re signed up:
- Incogni scans and identifies the brokers most likely to have your data
- It automatically sends removal requests to each broker
- It uses legal backing (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) to force compliance
4. Track Removal Progress
Your Incogni dashboard gives you real-time updates:
- See which brokers were contacted
- View removal status (e.g., “In Progress”, “Removed”, or “Rejected”)
- Understand what kinds of personal data were found and removed
Some brokers will also email you confirmations directly, though Incogni handles all the communication.
5. Ongoing Monitoring and Suppression
Incogni doesn’t just send one-off requests. It keeps working behind the scenes:
- Re-checks for your data regularly
- Resends opt-out requests when needed
- Helps prevent your info from resurfacing on other sites
Think of it like a long-term “do not call” list for your personal data
Why Incogni Is the Best Solution
Incogni automates the entire data removal process. Instead of spending weeks chasing down brokers, you just sign up and let it do the heavy lifting.
Here’s why it works so well:
- Covers 270+ brokers and people search sites
- Fully automated and backed by global privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
- Tracks progress in a user-friendly dashboard
- Monitors and re-requests removal to keep your data suppressed long term
What Are Data Brokers and Why Should You Care?
Data brokers are companies that collect your personal information—things like your name, address, shopping habits, employment history, search activity, and even your location, and then package and sell it to advertisers, insurance companies, or sometimes sketchier third parties.
You usually don’t know it’s happening, and opting out manually is a nightmare.
The more places your data lives online, the higher your risk for identity theft, phishing, robocalls, spam, and targeted fraud.
Why Removing Your Data Manually Doesn’t Work
Trying to scrub your personal info off the internet yourself is incredibly hard:
- There are hundreds of data brokers, each with different opt-out rules.
- Many sites require forms, ID verification, or legal requests.
- Even if you remove your data once, it can reappear later from new sources.
- It can take hundreds of hours to handle manually—and you’d have to repeat it regularly.
Why It’s Worth Using Incogni
✅ Saves You Time
Most users save 200+ hours by not doing this manually.
✅ Beginner-Friendly
No tech or legal expertise needed. The setup takes 5–10 minutes.
✅ Broad Coverage
Targets 270+ brokers, including both well-known people search sites and obscure data aggregators.
✅ Ongoing Protection
Regular rechecks mean your data stays off the market.
✅ Strong Legal Backing
Incogni leans on laws like the GDPR and CCPA to enforce removals. You don’t need to know the law—they handle it for you.
✅ Reduces Risk
Removing your data helps lower the chances of:
- Identity theft
- Phishing and spam
- Robocalls and telemarketing
- Online scams
What Incogni Doesn’t Cover
- It can’t stop data collection from companies you still use (like your bank or utility provider).
- Not every broker removes your data immediately—it may take a few weeks.
- Some smaller or niche brokers may not yet be included, although coverage is constantly expanding.
- It can’t guarantee 100% deletion, but it does provide the most complete protection available with minimal effort.
Final Thoughts: Is Incogni Worth It?
If you value your privacy and don’t want to spend hours chasing down data brokers. Incogni is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reclaim your personal data and keep it from being resold.
Whether you’ve already been affected by online scams or just want to stay ahead of them, Incogni is a must-have tool in 2025 for managing your online footprint.
