The first time I read Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” to my daughter, the message felt whimsical, hopeful, wide open with possibility. What I didn’t realize was just how literal that promise would become — not in the magical way Seuss intended, but in the digital footprints that now follow us everywhere, whether we like it or not.
A few weeks ago, I signed up for Incogni, one of a growing number of services that promise to remove your personal information from the internet. I’m not on Facebook. I don’t tweet. I don’t even have an Instagram account. I figured they might find a handful of data brokers with an old address or a phone number. Instead, the tally came to nearly 400 sites.
The list was a parade of names I didn’t recognize: marketing databases, “people finder” sites, aggregators that scrape public records. Some had my phone numbers. Others linked addresses I’d lived at decades ago to relatives, named relatives, past jobs, and even legal filings. If you’ve ever bought a house, donated to a political campaign, or signed up for a store loyalty card, odds are you’ve left a breadcrumb trail that’s been vacuumed up by these outfits.
Most of these sites, to their credit, responded to removal requests quickly. Incogni’s dashboard showed dozens of updates within days. But not all were so cooperative. A stubborn minority either refused to delete my information or ignored requests altogether. For every polite “your data has been removed,” there were a handful of digital shrugs and digital middle fingers.
This isn’t just about privacy for the tinfoil-hat crowd. Seniors (Boomerz), in particular, are prime targets for scammers and identity thieves. The more information floating around — phone numbers, dates of birth, old addresses — the easier it is for someone to impersonate you or trick you into handing over money or sensitive details. It’s not just embarrassing; it can be financially devastating.
Many people assume that if they’re not active on social media, they’ve managed to stay under the radar. I certainly did. But the reality is that an entire shadow industry exists to collect, buy, and sell our personal details, often without our knowledge or consent. Some of these companies will remove your data if you ask, but they don’t make it easy to do so. It’s tedious, sometimes confusing, and, frankly, overwhelming for anyone who didn’t grow up with the internet glued to their palm.
That’s where these data removal services come in. For a modest fee, they’ll contact hundreds of brokers on your behalf, jump through the necessary hoops, and keep tabs on whether your information reappears. It’s not perfect. Some sites, especially those based outside the U.S., are stubbornly resistant. And no service can promise to scrub every trace — but they can make a dent.
If you’re a senior or anyone who hasn’t thought much about your online presence, now is the time to act. Take charge of your privacy—try one of these data removal services. Even if the findings are unsettling, knowledge is empowering. Check what’s out there. Take steps today to protect yourself and reclaim your digital footprint.
Dr. Seuss was right—you’ll go places. Just know who’s watching you travel.
