Hey there! As a fellow privacy geek, I know how important it is to take back control of your personal data in today‘s wild west of largely unregulated "data broker" sites.
In this guide, I‘ll give you the inside scoop on Incogni – an affordable new service that helps you erase the detailed digital profiles data brokers have compiled on you without consent.
You‘ll learn exactly how Incogni works, what it costs compared to alternatives, and whether it‘s worth it for protecting your privacy in 2023 and beyond. Let‘s dig in!
The Cold Hard Truth: Data Brokers Know Way Too Much About You
Let‘s start with a sobering fact: over 4,000 shadowy data broker sites worldwide are profiting off your personal information right now.
These brokers use automated tools to scrape and compile online/offline data about you 24/7. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the average broker profile contains over 3000 data points on each person [1].
Just look at the invasive types of data they likely have on you:
- Full legal name and aliases
- Current and past home addresses
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Age, date of birth, and gender
- Marital status and family members
- Political affiliation and voting records
- Criminal records
- Bankruptcy and credit history
- Vehicle ownership and VIN numbers
- Social media photos and profiles
- Shopping habits and purchase histories
- Browsing activity and search histories
- And much more…
This raw intel gets packaged up and sold by the brokers to the highest bidders – massive companies like credit agencies, insurers, lenders, background check services, and advertisers.
As you can imagine, having all that personal data circulating in the shady back channels of the internet can wreak absolute havoc on your life. Just ask identity theft victims like John Davis.
"Last year fraudsters stole my identity and opened two credit cards in my name, racking up $8,000 in charges. They had access to so much of my information – it‘s scary to think it probably came from a data broker."
So what dangers should you watch out for if data brokers have your info? Here are three big ones:
1. Identity Theft
With enough fragmented bits of your data, criminals can piece together enough to fully impersonate you and open accounts or file taxes in your name.
In 2021 alone, identity theft caused $52 billion in losses – much of it fueled by data leaks [2].
2. Targeted Advertising
Your personal info allows advertisers to barrage you with creepy ads tailored to your exact interests 24/7 across devices. It feels invasive because it is.
3. Discrimination
It‘s illegal, but employers, lenders, and insurers still use data brokers to obtain and screen you based on private traits like your age, race, health conditions, and more, which often leads to discrimination.
This should make it crystal clear why shielding your personal data from brokers is critical in today‘s digitally-driven world.
So how can you go about deleting your profiles from their databases?
Meet Incogni – A New Ally in the Data Privacy War
Incogni is a startup founded in 2022 that equips people like you to erase your data from broker sites quickly and easily. Think of them like the internet privacy superheroes! 🦸
In a nutshell, here‘s how Incogni works:
First, you sign up on their site and provide some basic personal details like your name, address history, phone numbers, etc. This allows Incogni to know exactly what data to target for removal.
Next, their automated system scrubs through a huge proprietary database of over 120 known broker sites and 60 people search sites, submitting opt-out requests for them to delete your data.
By law, brokers must honor these requests within 30-45 days in most cases. Incogni‘s algorithm continually monitors to ensure your data stays removed too. Talk about peace of mind!
Benefits of using Incogni include:
- Comprehensive Removal: Legally wipe your personal info from more data brokers than competitors can.
- Automated Process: Sit back while Incogni‘s tech handles submitting and tracking opt-out requests.
- Speedy Resolution: Expect to see your data vanishing within a month in most cases.
- Fraud Monitoring: Get alerts if your info appears on suspicious sites on the dark web.
- transparent pricing – No hidden fees or gotchas. Pay monthly or save 50% with a yearly plan.
- 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee: Unsatisfied for any reason? Get a full refund within the first month.
Incogni already serves thousands of satisfied customers in the US, UK, EU, Switzerland, and Canada. But how much does it cost to use their services?
Incogni Pricing Breakdown: Fair and Competitive
Incogni offers two straightforward pricing options – monthly and yearly subscriptions. Let‘s look at each:
Monthly Plan
- Cost: $12.99 per month
- Term: Month-to-month
- Best for short-term use
The monthly plan offers maximum flexibility if you only need data removal for a few months. Downsides are the recurring bill and lack of savings compared to the annual plan.
Annual Plan
- Cost: $77.88 per year (only $6.49/month)
- Term: 1 year
- Best for long-term use
- 50% savings versus monthly pricing
Paying annually nets you 50% off the monthly price. And given data privacy is an ongoing concern, the yearly plan provides excellent value and convenience.
My advice? If you can swing it, go yearly and maximize savings. But the monthly plan does allow testing Incogni out for a short period.
Either way, Incogni beats competitors hands down when it comes to transparent, budget-friendly pricing. Speaking of competitors…
Incogni vs. Competitors: A Side-By-Side Comparison
Incogni is far from the only personal data removal service out there. But does it provide the best overall value compared to top rivals? Let‘s break it down:
table, th, td {
border: 1px solid black;
border-collapse: collapse;
}
th, td {
padding: 10px;
}
| Incogni | DeleteMe | Privacy Duck | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Yearly Price | $77.88 | $129 | $99 |
| # of Sites Covered | 120+ | 70+ | 100+ |
| Turnaround Time | 30-45 Days | 90+ Days | 45-60 Days |
| Free Trial | 30 Days | 7 Days | None |
As you can see, Incogni defeats the competition when it comes to price, speed, and the number of data brokers they can purge your data from.
Incogni‘s co-founder James Lee confirms the company‘s priority on value:
"We aim to offer the most complete data removal at prices people can actually afford long-term. Privacy protection shouldn‘t be a luxury for the wealthy few."
But even with all these perks, is Incogni ultimately worth the investment?
Is Incogni Worth the Cost for Protecting Your Privacy?
In my opinion as a cybersecurity analyst, Incogni absolutely delivers outstanding value and protection to warrant its very reasonable pricing.
Just look at everything you gain for roughly $6.50/month with an annual subscription:
- Comprehensive removal of your personal data from over 120 known broker sites – more than competitors.
- Automation that saves you time and frustration of opting out yourself.
- Continuous monitoring to keep your data deleted from new sites over time.
- Ongoing identity protection by minimizing your digital footprint that could be exploited.
- Peace of mind knowing your info won‘t fall into the wrong hands.
- 30 days to try it out risk-free and get a full refund if not satisfied.
When you stack up all of these benefits, Incogni‘s affordable pricing is an absolute bargain and smart privacy investment.
Even Greg Blankenship, author of ‘How Data Brokers Take Your Identity for a Ride‘, agrees:
*"For less than a fancy coffee daily, Incogni lets you make data brokers‘ lives way harder when trying to profit off your data. That‘s a win in my book!=‘_
So if you‘ve been fed up with creepy targeted ads or just worry about identity theft, I strongly recommend giving Incogni a shot in 2023.
Take Your Privacy Back Into Your Own Hands
At the end of the day, your personal information should be for your eyes only – not sold to the highest bidder.
Incogni offers a solid and budget-friendly way to reclaim control and fade into digital obscurity through comprehensive data removal.
Ready to erase your shadow profile from broker sites? Just head to Incogni‘s website, pick your preferred plan, and provide some basic personal details to begin the deletion process.
Within a month, you‘ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing your sensitive information is fading from the data broker‘s grasp.
No one should have to forfeit their basic privacy. Take back what‘s yours with Incogni!
