Incogni Data Removal: Complete Walkthrough Guide 2025
The Complete Guide to Using Incogni for Data Removal in 2024 The Data Broker Industry: A $200 Billion Privacy Nightmare The data broker industry has exploded into a $200+ billion behemoth, with over 4,000 companies trafficking in personal information...
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The Complete Guide to Using Incogni for Data Removal in 2024
The Data Broker Industry: A $200 Billion Privacy Nightmare
The data broker industry has exploded into a $200+ billion behemoth, with over 4,000 companies trafficking in personal information. Major players like Acxiom, Oracle Data Cloud, and Epsilon maintain detailed profiles on virtually every adult consumer, collecting up to 3,000 data points per individual.
These brokers aggregate data from public records, online behavior tracking, purchase histories, and countless other sources. They then package and sell this information to marketers, employers, insurance companies, and other entities - often without consumer knowledge or consent.
Recent breaches highlight the dangers: In 2023, People Data Labs exposed 3 billion personal records. Exactis leaked 340 million consumer profiles. The Equifax breach compromised 147 million Americans' most sensitive data.
Personal Data at Risk: What's Being Collected and Sold
Data brokers maintain extensive digital dossiers containing:
- Full name, date of birth, and photos
- Current and past addresses
- Phone numbers and email addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Vehicle registration and property records
- Criminal and court records
- Employment history and education
- Income level and credit data
- Political affiliations
- Health conditions and prescriptions
- Online browsing and purchase history
- Social media activity and connections
- Family member information
This data enables identity theft, financial fraud, stalking, discrimination, and manipulation. Criminals can build complete profiles for targeted attacks. Employers may make hiring decisions using inaccurate information. Insurance companies can deny coverage based on health data.
Why Manual Opt-Out Requests Don't Work
Attempting to remove your data manually from hundreds of brokers is virtually impossible:
- 95% of brokers ignore or delay individual removal requests
- Each broker has different opt-out procedures requiring separate submissions
- New data is constantly being added from other sources
- The process takes hundreds of hours of sustained effort
- Many brokers use legal loopholes to keep selling data
- Verification requirements create endless loops
- No way to track compliance across companies
One consumer documented spending 500+ hours over six months trying to remove data from just 100 major brokers. Only 12% actually complied with removal requests.
What is Incogni? A Automated Privacy Solution
Incogni is an automated data removal service launched in 2021 by privacy company Surfshark. It maintains relationships with 180+ data brokers and handles the entire opt-out process on behalf of subscribers.
Key features include:
- Continuous monitoring of broker databases
- Automated submission of legally-binding removal requests
- Follow-up verification and compliance tracking
- Regular scans for new data appearances
- Dashboard to monitor removal status
- Quarterly effectiveness reports
How Incogni Works Behind the Scenes
Incogni maintains a constantly-updated database of data brokers, their opt-out procedures, and legal requirements. When you sign up, their system:
1. Generates properly-formatted removal requests for each broker
2. Includes required legal language and privacy law citations
3. Submits requests through approved channels (API, email, web forms)
4. Tracks confirmation receipts and response deadlines
5. Follows up on non-compliant brokers
6. Verifies actual data removal
7. Documents all communication for legal purposes
8. Monitors for data reappearance
The platform leverages both automated systems and human privacy experts to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Step-by-Step Setup Process
1. Account Creation
- Visit Incogni.com
- Click "Get Started"
- Enter email and create password
- Verify email address
2. Personal Information
- Provide full legal name
- Enter current address
- Add previous addresses (last 10 years)
- Include phone numbers
- List email addresses
- Add aliases/maiden names
3. Identity Verification
- Upload government ID
- Complete identity confirmation questions
- Grant legal authorization for removal requests
4. Payment Options
- Monthly: $12.99
- Annual: $77.88 ($6.49/month)
- Family Plan: $27.99/month for 4 members
- Payment via credit card or PayPal
The Removal Process Timeline
Week 1
- Initial scan identifies broker matches
- First wave of removal requests sent
- Early adopter brokers begin processing
- Dashboard shows requests in progress
Month 1
- 30-40% of brokers complete removal
- Follow-up requests sent to non-compliant
- New scan identifies additional matches
- Progress report generated
Month 3
- 70-80% of identified data removed
- Legal escalation for resistant brokers
- Verification of removal effectiveness
- Quarterly summary report
Ongoing Monitoring
- Weekly scans for new data appearances
- Immediate removal requests for matches
- Compliance tracking and follow-up
- Regular effectiveness reporting
Dashboard Deep Dive
The Incogni dashboard provides detailed visibility:
Request Status
- Total requests sent
- Pending requests
- Successful removals
- Declined requests
- Required follow-up
Broker Details
- Company names
- Data categories held
- Request dates
- Response timeline
- Compliance status
Progress Metrics
- Removal success rate
- Average processing time
- Problem brokers identified
- New matches found
- Historical trending
Incogni vs DeleteMe Comparison
Feature Comparison
Incogni:
- 180+ broker relationships
- Automated processing
- Continuous monitoring
- $6.49-12.99/month
- Family plan available
DeleteMe:
- 100+ broker relationships
- Semi-automated process
- Quarterly monitoring
- $10.75-29/month
- No family plan
Incogni cannot remove:
- Social media profiles/content
- Government records
- Court documents
- News articles
- Business listings
- International broker data
The service focuses specifically on commercial data brokers operating in the US market.
Complementary Privacy Steps
For comprehensive protection:
1. Google yourself monthly
2. Lock down social media privacy
3. Freeze credit reports
4. Use identity monitoring
5. Enable 2FA everywhere
6. Use a password manager
7. Install privacy browser extensions
8. Consider a VPN service
Building a Long-term Privacy Strategy
Incogni is one important component of ongoing privacy protection. Combine with:
- Regular privacy audits
- Data minimization practices
- Strong security habits
- Privacy-focused services
- Legal privacy rights
- Identity theft insurance
- Security awareness
The service provides automated data broker removal while you maintain broader privacy hygiene.
Conclusion: Incogni offers an effective, automated solution for dealing with data brokers. While not perfect, it saves hundreds of hours of manual effort and achieves significantly better results than individual removal attempts. The service provides good value for privacy-conscious consumers seeking to reduce their digital footprint and protect personal information from exploitation.
