How to Hide Your Personal Information on the Internet

September 4, 2024
·
5 min
deleteme

Protect yourself from future breaches

In what should be a shock to absolutely nobody: We spend a lot of time online. A study by OpenVault found that the average monthly consumption of broadband data is up to 641 GB per user. Add to that an endless list of apps, subscriptions, and social media platforms–and you’ve got a lot of personal information floating in the ether at any given time. 

In this context, knowing how to hide personal information on the Internet is essential to avoiding nasty surprises like stolen identity, phishing scams, and credit card fraud. So much activity is simply irresistible to cybercriminals who know that most users are pretty lax when it comes to online security. 

Data brokers love nothing more than harvesting your data and selling it without your permission. A hidden data economy exists where data brokers will buy even the most innocuous snippets of data to target their campaigns at you. This all results in personalized ads and spam emails at one end of the scale and wiping your bank account at the other. 

Let’s be honest, between understanding the threats ahead of you and putting countermeasures in place, it’s much easier to cross your fingers and hope for the best. But if you’re on this page, you’re probably looking for a better way.

In this article, we’ll show you how to hide your personal information on the Internet—and remove it once it’s out there. 

How to hide personal information on the Internet

At Cloaked, we’re experts in protecting your personal information from public, private, and shady organizations. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to protect your data online.

1. Cloaked identities: Online personas that safeguard your personal data

If you’re considering how to hide personal information on the Internet, there’s no better place to start than with creating a Cloaked identity. Instead of using your own details, which can be scraped, stolen, and used against you, Cloaked generates real working phone numbers, emails, passwords, and more to mask your genuine data.

 

Even the biggest brands can fall victim to data breaches, so whenever you’re asked for your personal details, generate a Cloaked identity in seconds and use it to create an account or make a payment. 

Unlike simply providing fake information, these phone numbers and email addresses work like any other so you can pass any authenticity tests with no problems. However, Cloaked keeps your inbox and phone free from spam by collecting and storing all calls, texts, and emails in one place. 

Learn more about Cloaked 

2. Virtual credit cards: Hiding your financial details from the World Wide Web

Knowing how to keep your personal information doesn’t stop with email masking or making second phone numbers. With the Cloaked app, you can also create a virtual card (currently in beta) to use for online payments while keeping your real card number away from the online sphere. 

These virtual numbers are tied to your actual account, so payment will come out of your account as normal. However, no data stored on the seller's site is from your genuine account. The disposable nature of these cards means that even if hackers get their hands on the virtual, single-use data, they won’t be able to make any purchases. 

Spending limits on each virtual card ensure it’s only used for the intended purposes. For example, you can create a virtual card for a streaming service and add only the amount needed to cover your subscription. If anybody accesses the card, the spending cap means cybercriminals can’t go on a spending spree with your money.

3. Password manager: Create, save, manage, and share passwords securely

In May 2024, nearly ten billion passwords were shared on a hacker forum, leaving users exposed to data breaches, financial fraud, and identity theft. These attacks are hazardous to individuals who tend to use the same passwords across multiple platforms. 

There’s no mystery as to why otherwise smart web users reuse passwords: It’s hard to remember a wide range of random configurations with everything else going on in our busy lives. And that’s where password managers come in. 

To stop bad actors from brute-forcing their way into your accounts, Cloaked generates random combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols for each of your access portals. To save you the effort of remembering them, the Cloaked extension will autofill sign-in forms across all of your devices. You only need to know the master credentials for your Cloaked account to access and edit passwords for all of your accounts. 

Learn more about password managers

4. One-time passwords

In the incredibly unlikely event that hackers guess your hyper-secure passwords, you can add yet another layer of protection to secure your personal information online. 

One-time passcodes mean it’s not enough for cybercriminals to have your login details—they’ll need physical access to your devices too. Cloaked browser extension makes signing in and checking out a breeze– just click the Cloaked icon and the extension will take care of the rest. You get all OTPs right within your browser window, so you don’t need to take your phone out every time you check out.

Therefore, if a hacking farm halfway around the world correctly guesses your username and password, they’ll be stopped in their tracks after clicking the login button. 

Get a one-time passcode

How to remove your personal information from the Internet 

All the previous tips on how to hide personal information on the Internet are savvy preventative strategies—but what happens if your data is already out there? 

Luckily, to counteract the shady groups dealing in data, there are ways to actively remove your personal information from the Internet and stop it from being used for identity theft, scams, and phishing attempts.

1. Use Cloaked’s data scan and removal service

Cloaked provides a free risk assessment scan to see who has your number and determine your level of risk. We know who the data brokers are and will quickly get to work removing our users’ data from over 120 data brokers to keep their personal information safe.

To reduce the risk of suffering future data breaches, we’ll then cloak all your data associated with online services so your true identity can’t be exposed again. 

Cloaked even provides up to $1 million worth of comprehensive Identity Theft Protection. Therefore, on top of knowing how to hide personal information on the Internet, you can cover costs associated with data loss for you and your family. 

Set up your account in a one-on-one consultation with our security experts and defend yourself against the most preventable identity theft. If the worst does occur, our 24/7 service will be on hand to help you file a complaint and get back up and running as soon as possible.

2. Submit data removal requests from data broker sites

You could remove personal data from broker databases on your own by submitting data removal requests. But, most broker sites have complex, tedious data deletion processes that require you to share your personal information with them. 

This makes manually removing your info extremely impractical–especially if hundreds of data broker sites have your personal data.

3. Remove public records

Public records can contain a wealth of personal information, including your address, phone number, and even financial data—and as a recent data breach shows, they’re not immune to compromise. These records are often accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, making them a significant privacy risk. 

Unfortunately, removing your data from public records is a time-consuming effort, but it’s still worth gradually removing your sensitive details. Get an appointment with your local county clerk’s office and the DMV, and request that any expunged convictions be cleared or sealed by the court records.

Fortunately, you can use Cloaked to cover your digital footprint, efficiently removing your data from public records while safeguarding your privacy.

4. Delete old accounts and apps

Old online accounts and unused apps are a treasure trove of sensitive data that can be exploited if the platform experiences a data breach. We would highly recommend identifying and deleting these accounts to keep your personal information from lingering in places where it could be accessed by unauthorized parties. 

The more control you have over your digital footprint, the better your chances of keeping your personal data safe.

5. Optimize your online privacy settings

Start taking an interest in the options that apps give to keep your data secure. For example, more and more services offer an option to enable multi-factor authentication to verify your login details and keep your apps up to date for the latest security features. 

Social media sites and browsers now offer the option to opt out of ad personalization across their platforms. This stops less of your browsing habits and interests from being passed on to marketers.

6. Learn how to spot and resist phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are by far the most common and simplest scams out there and give scammers access to a great deal of your personal information. These scams often come in the form of a password reset email, auto-renewal announcement, or an unexpected download link. 

Always think very carefully before handing over any personal details or downloading files until you’re 100% sure that the source is trustworthy. 

Want help? Use Cloaked. Cloaked keeps you updated on the latest data breaches so you can learn how scammers work and what you need to look out for.

How to protect your identity online

Protecting your identity online requires a multi-faceted approach that combines vigilance with the right tools. It’s not good enough simply to hide your data, you need to remove information that is already out there and insure yourself against any fallout. Here are several options to consider:

  • Use strong, unique passwords: Always create strong passwords for your accounts and avoid using the same password across multiple sites. Consider using a password manager to keep track of them securely.
  • Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security by enabling 2FA wherever possible. This step ensures that even if your password is compromised, unauthorized access is still prevented.
  • Monitor your accounts regularly: Regularly check your bank accounts, credit reports, and online profiles for any unusual activity. Early detection is key to mitigating the effects of identity theft.
  • Utilize secure connections: Always use HTTPS websites and secure Wi-Fi connections, especially when accessing sensitive information. Public Wi-Fi can expose you to data breaches and hacking attempts.
  • Use Cloaked’s identity protection tools: Cloaked offers a suite of features specifically designed to protect your identity online. From masking your email and credit card details to removing personal data from the web and insuring against losses, it empowers you to control your digital footprint and keep your information safe from prying eyes.

Get started with Cloaked.

FAQs on hiding your personal information online

Need a few quick-fire answers about how to hide your personal information online? Here are a few handy FAQs. 

What is the best company to remove personal information from the Internet?

Cloaked is the best company to remove personal information from the Internet. Cloaked’s data removal services perform an extensive scan across the web to find information associated with you. After the scan, you get an overview of the type of information exposed and the level of threat that exposure poses to your privacy and security.

Then, Cloaked will remove your personal info from 120+ data brokers and other sites. 

To prevent your info from getting out there in the first place, Cloaked offers: 

  • Unlimited Cloaked identities that mask phone numbers, email addresses, usernames, passwords, and more.
  • Autofill one-time passcodes to make multi-factor authentication easy and seamless.
  • Password management to securely store strong, unique passwords for all of your apps.
  • Up to $1 million in Identity Theft Protection to cover the costs of data theft

How do I remove personal information from public records?

To hide personal information from public records, you can use services like Cloaked that submit data removal requests to relevant entities. Additionally, contacting local government offices directly to request the removal of sensitive details is a key step in protecting your privacy. 

How do I hide my name from Internet searches?

Hiding your name from internet searches involves removing personal information from social media, online directories, and data broker sites. As you create new accounts, use data protection services like Cloaked to mask your personal details to ensure your name is less visible in search engine results and protect your privacy online.

Remove and hide your personal data online

In a time when our personal data has never been more vulnerable, removing and hiding it has never been more important to reduce the risk of identity theft, unwanted marketing, and privacy invasions. 

Cloaked’s all-in-one solution helps you effectively manage your digital footprint. With tools to retroactively mask your account details, remove yourself from data broker lists, manage strong passwords and two-factor authentication, and generate disposable credit card details, Cloaked keeps you safe in the digital space. 

Take the next step in safeguarding your personal information—try Cloaked today.

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