If your real name and much of your personal information are on the web, then make no mistake that someone could be searching for you. Social media is probably the best place for those behind the scenes to make a serious search online to collect data on you, so how can we solve this problem?
How to remove Personal Information from Internet
We live in a world where our personal information can be used to track our movements, and even locate our physical location. Now, in most cases, most persons who search for your name via search engines will likely have no plan to deliver harm, but we shouldn’t take any chances.
In this article, we are going to talk about the five tools people on the web use to find whomever they want, and that might include yourself.
These tools are easily attainable since they are all free, and not to mention, they have data on billions of people combined.
- LinkedIn, the business social network
- Death notices and tributes
- Take a look at Google Alerts
- Ancestory.com and others like it
- Check if anyone is mentioning your name on social media
Let us talk about this in a more detailed fashion.
1] LinkedIn, the business social network
When it comes down to having a LinkedIn, the idea is to one day land a job or to find the best employees for your business. However, it can also be used by others to collect information on persons who have an account there.
If you have a LinkedIn account, just know that it is possible to tell if how many people might be searching for you. When you sign-in to the service, it will display the number of people who viewed your profile. With a premium account then, you should be able to view full details on those who looked at your profile.
Let’s be clear about something here. If someone is looking at your profile, then chances are they are either interested in hiring, or just want to connect. Still, it is within reason a person could have other motives.
Read: What are Digital Footprints and how to stay safe?
2] Death notices and tributes
OK, so this might sound strange, but it is possible for someone to track you down on the web via death notices or tributes. In a scenario where a person you know very well has passed on from this world, then chances are anyone could get an idea where you are.
You see, whenever a death notice or an obituary is posted online, they tend to have the names of those who are connected with the person who has passed on. If your name is there, then folks could have an idea where you are located, physically.
Take into consideration that marriages and births can pinpoint your location if this information is released to the public. Not everyone needs to know your business, just those in your clique.
3] Take a look at Google Alerts
Have you ever wondered if someone is Googling your name? Many of us wonder about this on a regular basis, and that’s fine. Now, it is not easy to tell who exactly is searching for your name through Google Search, but we can find out if your name is being mentioned on the web.
Visit google.com/alerts, and from there, be sure to type your name into the search box, then hit the blue button that says Create Alert. Before doing so, you can select Show Options to determine how often an alert is sent to your email, how many alerts, and more.
After this is done, Google will send alerts whenever it picks up your name on websites or wherever else online.
4] Ancestry.com and others like it
There are several websites out there that may have information on you if you’ve willingly given it to them. For example, www.ancestry.com is one of the many websites out there that collect data on individuals under the disguise of helping family members locate each other.
Another similar website is no other but www.adopteeconnect.com. This option is for those who have been adopted. It might contain information on you or your siblings.
Services like Deseat.me can help you in deleting your Internet presence, footprint & history.
While we do believe these tools are excellent for finding those close to you, they can be misused, even by family members. Therefore, we would recommend taking heed before stepping down the rabbit hole.
Read: How to remove your name and information from Search Engines?
5] Check if anyone is mentioning your name on social media
Google Alerts is great, but the same can be said for www.mention.com. This service focuses more on social media networks than anything else, so in that regard, it is more powerful than Google Alerts.
By using this tool, the user can find out how many times their names have been mentioned on various social media sites. But not only that, it is possible to see who the culprit is.
The standard service is free, but if you want more, then as expected, get ready to pay up your hard cash.
