Your Guide to Reducing Personal Information Online

Why Your Personal Information Matters Online

Every time you create an account, make a purchase, or fill out a form online, you leave behind digital traces of personal information. This data includes obvious details like your name and address, but also behavioral information like which websites you visit, what you search for, and how long you spend on certain pages. According to the Federal Trade Commission, data breaches exposed over 4.1 billion records in 2023 alone, affecting millions of people across the United States.

Your personal information has real value. Companies collect it to build profiles for targeted advertising, sell it to third parties, and use it to predict your behavior as a consumer. Criminals seek it to commit identity theft, which cost Americans over $20 billion in losses in recent years. When your information spreads across many platforms and companies, the risk increases that it could be misused.

The stakes extend beyond financial fraud. Your personal data can be used to create fake accounts in your name, harass you, discriminate against you in lending or hiring decisions, or manipulate you with targeted misinformation. The more information about you that exists online, the more pieces a bad actor has to work with.

Understanding what information you have online and where it lives is the first step toward controlling your digital footprint. This guide explores concrete steps you can take to reduce how much of your personal information circulates online.

Practical takeaway: Start by recognizing that you do not need to share your full personal information everywhere. Every piece of data you keep private is one fewer piece a company can sell or a criminal can steal.

Finding Out What Information Companies Have About You

Most large companies that collect your data are required by law to tell you what information they hold. The California Consumer Privacy Act, similar state laws, and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation all give people the right to request their data. This means you can send a request to companies and ask them to tell you what they know about you.

When you submit a data request, companies must provide information like your name as it appears in their records, email addresses and phone numbers they have linked to you, purchase or browsing history, and even inferences they have made about you (such as your estimated income or interests). Some companies must respond within 30 to 45 days, though response times vary by law and company.

To make a data request, look for a privacy policy link at the bottom of a website, or search for "[Company Name] data request" or "[Company Name] privacy rights." Most major retailers, social media platforms, and technology companies now have dedicated online forms where you can submit requests. You may need to verify your identity by providing a government ID or confirming details from your account.

Here are the types of companies where you should consider making data requests:

• Major retailers and e-commerce platforms where you have made purchases
• Social media and streaming platforms where you have active accounts
• Email providers and cloud storage services
• Banks, credit card companies, and insurance providers
• Health and wellness apps or online health platforms
• Internet service providers
• Advertising networks and data brokers (if you can locate them)

After you receive your data, review it carefully. Look for information you did not know they had, inaccurate details, or entries you do not recognize. This information becomes your baseline for understanding your digital footprint.

Practical takeaway: Make data requests to at least five major companies or platforms where you regularly spend time. Knowing what they know about you is the first step toward reducing it.

Deleting and Reducing Information at the Source

Once you understand what information exists, you can request that companies delete it. Most privacy laws now include a "right to deletion," which allows you to ask companies to erase personal information they hold about you. This is different from simply closing an account—deleting data means the company removes your information from their servers.

However, deletion rights have limits. Companies may keep information if they have a legal reason to retain it, such as tax requirements, fraud prevention, or fulfilling a purchase you made. They may also decline to delete information if it is aggregated with other data or if deletion would make it impossible for them to provide a service you are using.

To request deletion, follow the same privacy request process described earlier. Many privacy policy pages now have a "Delete My Data" or "Deletion Request" option. Be specific about what you want deleted—entire account information, browsing history, purchase records, or specific data categories.

Beyond formal deletion requests, you can reduce data collection going forward by:

• Clearing your browser cookies regularly (most browsers have a setting to do this automatically when you close the browser)
• Turning off location tracking in your phone settings for apps that do not need it
• Disabling targeted advertising settings on social media platforms and Google accounts
• Opting out of advertising networks through opt-out websites maintained by industry groups
• Unsubscribing from marketing emails to reduce how many companies track your engagement
• Avoiding connecting third-party apps to your main accounts (like letting a game access your Facebook profile)
• Using "private" or "incognito" browsing modes when you want less tracking

Your phone itself collects substantial data. Check your phone's privacy settings and review which apps have permissions to access your contacts, location, photos, and microphone. Remove permissions that apps do not need to function.

Practical takeaway: File deletion requests with two to three major companies this month, and disable at least five tracking or advertising features in your existing accounts.

Managing Your Social Media Presence

Social media platforms collect some of the most detailed personal information about users. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and similar platforms know where you are, who your friends are, what you search for, what you click, how long you view content, and what you post. This information is sold to advertisers and can be viewed by data brokers.

You have several options for managing your social media data. The most comprehensive is deleting your account entirely, though this removes all your posts and connections. If you want to keep your account, you can reduce your digital footprint significantly by:

• Making your profile private so only people you approve can see your posts and information
• Reviewing past posts and deleting or archiving ones that contain personal details like locations, dates of birth, phone numbers, or information about your family
• Limiting what information your profile displays (many platforms let you hide your email, phone number, or birthday from public view)
• Disabling location tagging so your posts do not reveal where you are
• Turning off facial recognition features if available
• Adjusting ad preferences to limit how much behavioral data is used for targeting
• Removing apps and websites that you have connected to your social accounts
• Declining to allow platforms to store data from your contacts, calendar, or call logs

Consider the posts you make going forward. Information that seems harmless now—a photo at your regular coffee shop, a post about your travel plans, a check-in at your workplace—can be combined to build a detailed picture of your habits, location, and routines. This information can be misused for stalking, burglary, or harassment.

If you maintain multiple social media accounts, audit them all. You may have accounts on platforms you no longer actively use but which still hold your data. Deleting inactive accounts reduces the number of places your information exists online.

Practical takeaway: Spend an hour reviewing one social media account, deleting posts that reveal personal details, and tightening privacy settings. You can repeat this process with other accounts over time.

Protecting Information in Your Search History and Online Activity

Your search history is one of the most revealing records of your personal information. Search engines know what you are curious about, what problems you are trying to solve, what products you are considering, and what concerns you have. Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day