How to Use Incogni for Online Privacy Protection

July 24, 2025

What Are Data Brokers and Why Should You Care?

Before diving into how to use Incogni, it’s important to understand the problem it solves. Data brokers are companies that collect, aggregate, and sell your personal information. This can include your name, address, phone number, email, and even sensitive details like your employment history or credit data. These brokers often operate without your knowledge, and their databases are used by marketers, scammers, and even cybercriminals.

For example, imagine receiving endless spam calls or emails from companies you’ve never heard of. Worse yet, your personal details could be used to craft convincing phishing scams or even stolen for identity theft. This is why removing your data from these brokers is crucial for protecting your online privacy.

What Is Incogni and How Does It Work?

Incogni is an online privacy tool designed to automate the process of removing your personal data from data brokers and people search sites. Instead of contacting each broker individually—a time-consuming and often frustrating task—Incogni handles everything for you. It sends data removal requests on your behalf and uses privacy laws like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) to ensure compliance.

Once you sign up, Incogni searches for your data across hundreds of brokers and requests its removal. It also monitors these sites to make sure your information doesn’t reappear. This ongoing protection is key because data brokers can quickly repopulate their databases if not checked regularly.

Simple Steps to Set Up Incogni for Online Privacy Protection

Setting up Incogni is straightforward and takes just a few minutes. Here’s how to get started:

Sign Up for an Account
Visit the Incogni website and choose a subscription plan. Incogni offers both monthly and annual plans, with the annual option providing better value. If you’re unsure, you can take advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free.
Provide Your Personal Information
To match your profile with records held by data brokers, Incogni needs some basic details like your name, email address, and home address. You can also add past addresses and phone numbers to broaden the search. Rest assured, this information is only used to find and remove your data from brokers’ databases.
Authorize Incogni to Act on Your Behalf
You’ll need to sign an online authorization form, giving Incogni the legal right to contact data brokers and request the removal of your personal information. This step is crucial because it allows Incogni to enforce your privacy rights under laws like the GDPR and CCPA.
Let Incogni Do the Work
Once authorized, Incogni gets to work. It sends removal requests to brokers that likely hold your data and tracks their responses. You can monitor the progress through your Incogni dashboard, which shows the status of each request—whether it’s pending, completed, or rejected.
Monitor and Maintain Your Privacy
Incogni doesn’t stop after the initial removal. It continues to scan for your data and sends new requests as needed, ensuring your information stays off these sites. This ongoing protection is essential for maintaining long-term privacy.

Personal Insights: Why I Trust Incogni for My Online Privacy

As someone who values privacy, I’ve tried various online privacy tools, but Incogni stands out for its simplicity and effectiveness. In my experience, manually contacting data brokers is a nightmare—it’s time-consuming, and many brokers make the process deliberately difficult. Incogni automates everything, saving me hundreds of hours and ensuring I don’t miss any brokers.

One thing I appreciate is the transparency. Through the dashboard, I can see exactly which brokers have my data and the status of each removal request. For instance, after signing up, I saw that several brokers had my name, address, and even my employment history. Within weeks, most of these records were removed, and I noticed a significant drop in spam emails and calls.

Another reason I trust Incogni is its use of privacy laws to enforce requests. Data brokers are legally obligated to comply with removal requests under regulations like the CCPA and GDPR, and Incogni leverages this to ensure your data is deleted.

The Benefits of Using Incogni

Time-Saving Automation: Manually opting out of data brokers can take hundreds of hours. Incogni automates the entire process, handling everything from requests to follow-ups.
Ongoing Protection: Incogni doesn’t just remove your data once—it continuously monitors and sends new requests to keep your information off the market.
Legal Enforcement: By using privacy laws like the GDPR and CCPA, Incogni ensures that brokers must comply with your removal requests.
Reduced Risk of Scams and Spam: With less of your data available, you’re less likely to be targeted by scammers, spammers, or identity thieves.
Peace of Mind: Knowing that your personal information is being actively protected gives you confidence in your online privacy.

How Incogni Compares to Other Online Privacy Tools

While there are other data removal services like DeleteMe and Privacy Bee, Incogni offers a unique combination of affordability and effectiveness. For example, DeleteMe provides more manual oversight but is significantly more expensive. Incogni, on the other hand, is fully automated and costs less, making it accessible to more people.

Additionally, Incogni is part of the Surfshark family, a well-known VPN provider, which adds to its credibility. If you’re already using Surfshark’s VPN for privacy, you can bundle Incogni with their One+ plan for even better value.

Common Misconceptions About Data Removal

Some people believe that removing their data from brokers is a one-time task, but that’s not the case. Data brokers constantly update their databases, so ongoing monitoring is essential. Incogni’s subscription model ensures that your data is continuously removed, not just once.

Another misconception is that data removal services can delete information from social media or government databases. Incogni focuses on data brokers and people search sites, not public records or social platforms. For those, you’ll need to manage privacy settings or contact the platforms directly.

Tips for Maximizing Your Online Privacy

While Incogni is a powerful tool, it’s just one part of a broader privacy strategy. Here are some additional steps you can take to lock down your online privacy: - Use a VPN: A VPN encrypts your internet connection, hiding your IP address and protecting your browsing activity from prying eyes. - Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring a second form of verification. - Limit Social Media Sharing: Be mindful of what you post online, as this information can be scraped by data brokers. - Regularly Check Privacy Settings: Review and update the privacy settings on your social media and online accounts to control who can see your information.

Summary

Protecting your online privacy doesn’t have to be complicated. With Incogni, you can automate the process of removing your personal data from data brokers, saving time and reducing your risk of spam, scams, and identity theft. By following the simple steps outlined in this article—signing up, providing your information, and authorizing Incogni to act on your behalf—you can take control of your digital footprint. For long-term privacy, combine Incogni with other tools like VPNs and strong account security practices.