How to Remove Yourself from the Internet: A Guide to Going MIA Online Aric Suber-Jenkins - Tech.Mic
go to original November 21, 2016

How do I erase myself from the internet? With growing concerns over online privacy and government surveillance, what was once a seemingly unthinkable question is now becoming more common.

From social networks to professional portfolios to shopping accounts, society is firmly entrapped in a web — literally. The internet is an inescapable part of our lives, and every day we leave traces of ourselves that can linger endlessly. Can we remove ourselves from the web completely? Can we do it for free?

The answer, as you may have guessed, is not so simple. As the saying goes, the internet is forever, and smart, dedicated stalkers will always be able to track you down. But if you're committed — and patient — you can come awfully close to removing your digital footprint. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Delete your social, shopping and entertainment accounts

Social media is the first and most obvious place for internet sleuths to look. Not only can these sites reveal personal information (such as where you live), but they can provide insight into your interests, peer groups and scheduled events — all useful clues for tracking you down...

Step 2: Search for yourself and cut any remaining ties

By now you've removed the obvious accounts you frequent, but what about your MySpace from 2008 or that old cooking blog? To catch anything that's slipped between the cracks, do a search on your name and see what comes up. Just like the previous step, carefully go through and delete each and every account that still remains...

Step 3: Remove outdated search results

So you deleted your accounts and successfully removed any remaining content, but a search for your name still brings up results — even though your name isn't actually found on the page. Huh? This is because the search engine cached the old version of a website...

Step 4: Clear your information from data collection sites

Hopefully by this point searches for your name are striking out. Even though your identity may not appear in a typical Google search, a number of companies are still collecting your information...

Step 5: Contact your phone company, unsubscribe from mailing lists and delete your email accounts

This is it, the home stretch. You've painstakingly gone through all the steps to erase your online identity. Now you just need to do three minor things...

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