I Tried Incogni To Remove My Personal Information Online. Here's What Happened

Like most people, I'm connected to apps, websites and services that collect bits and pieces of my personal information. I get my share of unwanted sales calls, spam emails and texts. And when I Google my name, I'm sometimes surprised by how much information is available for anyone to find.

From old addresses and phone numbers to personal details that aren't always accurate, data brokers collect and share information I'd rather keep private. The frustrating part? Even when you find that information online, getting it removed isn't always easy.

That's what prompted me to try Incogni, a service that helps remove personal information from data brokers and people-search sites. I wanted to see whether it could help me better protect my privacy without spending hours tracking down websites and submitting removal requests myself. According to my Incogni dashboard, the service sent 154 removal requests on my behalf, with 139 completed and 15 still in progress. Incogni also estimates that it saved me 104 hours and 15 minutes of work.

Of course, those are Incogni's calculations, and completed removal requests don't mean every trace of my information has disappeared from the internet. But the experience raised an interesting question: Is paying for a personal data removal service worth it, especially when you can submit many of these requests yourself for free? Here's what I learned about how Incogni works, what it can and can't remove and whether it's worth the cost.

What Incogni actually does

Data brokers collect personal details from public records, online activity, social media and other sources. They combine that information into profiles that can be shared or sold to other companies.

While you can request that these companies remove your information, tracking down every data broker and completing individual opt-out forms can be time consuming. And even after your information is removed, it can reappear as brokers collect new data.

Instead of contacting each company yourself, you authorize Incogni to submit removal requests on your behalf. The service contacts data brokers, follows up on requests and continues working to remove your information over time.

Incogni's automated removal service covers more than 420 data broker sites. The service also tracks requests through an online dashboard, allowing you to see which removals have been completed and which are still in progress.

For me, the biggest appeal was convenience. I've tried removing my personal information from websites before, even keeping a spreadsheet to track requests and follow up with companies. But the process was time-consuming and didn't seem to make much of a difference. I wanted a better way to reduce how widely my personal information was circulating online without spending hours managing removal requests myself.

Incogni doesn't promise to erase your entire digital footprint, but it does take on much of the repetitive work involved in managing your personal information.

What happens after you sign up for Incogni?

Getting started with Incogni is relatively straightforward. After choosing a subscription, you'll need to provide some personal information, including your name, email address and home address. This helps Incogni identify records that may belong to you and submit removal requests to data brokers.

You'll also need to authorize Incogni to act on your behalf. This allows the service to contact data brokers and request that they delete your personal information without requiring you to handle each request individually.

Once you're set up, Incogni begins sending removal requests automatically. You can follow its progress through an online dashboard, which shows how many requests have been submitted, how many have been completed and which are still in progress.

In my experience, the dashboard is one of the most useful features. Between September and November, Incogni sent 154 removal requests on my behalf. Of those, 139 were marked completed, while another 15 were still in progress.

The dashboard also estimated that Incogni had saved me 104 hours and 15 minutes of work. That's the company's estimate rather than time I independently measured, but it helped put the convenience of the service into perspective.

Another feature I appreciated was the ability to see which data brokers were responding to requests. My dashboard showed 126 brokers classified as compliant, 27 as inconsistent and one as resistant. I could also view notifications identifying companies that had completed removal requests.

What Incogni can't remove

While Incogni can help reduce the amount of personal information available online, it can't make you disappear from the internet entirely. There are limits to what the service can remove, particularly when information is part of the public record.

For example, certain government records, court documents and property records will remain publicly accessible. Incogni also can't remove information you've posted yourself on social media, blogs or online forums.

Not every data broker is required to honor a removal request, either. Privacy laws vary by state and country, and some companies may have legal reasons to retain certain information. Others may be slow to respond or require additional verification before processing a request.

Incogni classified 27 of the 154 brokers it contacted on my behalf as inconsistent and one as resistant to removal requests. That doesn't mean my information couldn't be removed, but it illustrates why the process isn't always straightforward.

It's also important to understand that removing information from data brokers doesn't undo previous data breaches or guarantee protection against identity theft. Incogni is one tool for reducing your online exposure, not a replacement for monitoring your financial accounts, using strong passwords and taking other steps to protect your identity.

Will your information stay gone?

One thing to remember about data removal is that it's not a one-time process. Even after a data broker removes your information, it may collect those details again from public records, marketing databases or other sources.

That's why Incogni continues working on your behalf after the initial removal requests are completed. The service monitors the status of requests, follows up with data brokers and sends recurring removal requests to help keep your personal information out of their databases.

This ongoing work is also part of the reason Incogni operates as a subscription service rather than charging a one-time fee. You're not just paying for an initial cleanup. You're paying for continued efforts to remove your information as it becomes available again.

How much does Incogni cost?

Incogni offers several subscription plans, with pricing depending on how much protection you want and whether you're signing up for yourself or your family. You can pay monthly or annually, although choosing an annual plan generally offers better savings.

Standard is the most affordable plan, offering automated and recurring removals from more than 420 data broker sites. Unlimited adds custom removal requests, an Exposure Scanner and additional privacy tools. Family plans cover up to five people, while the U.S.-only Protect plan includes identity theft protection and credit monitoring.

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you time to decide whether the convenience is worth the subscription cost.

Who could benefit from Incogni?

Incogni may be worth considering if your personal information is easily found online, you're dealing with unwanted calls or spam, or you're concerned about identity theft and fraud. It can also be useful if your information has been exposed in a data breach or you simply don't have the time to track down data brokers and request removals yourself.

For me, the decision came down to convenience and peace of mind. I chose the annual Standard membership because I already use several other services to protect my personal and financial information. I wanted Incogni to focus on removing my information from data brokers.

Before signing up, a Google search of my name turned up profiles containing personal information, some accurate and some incorrect. After using Incogni, I noticed a difference. A recent search returned far fewer results with specific addresses and phone numbers associated with my name. While I can't attribute every change to Incogni, it was encouraging to see less of my personal information readily available.

No service can guarantee your information stays off the internet, but having Incogni handle ongoing removal requests is one less thing I have to manage.

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