Scrubbing personal information from the internet

Is the New Year a time to do a digital cleanse? How to scrub the personal information floating around online.

If you’ve never Googled yourself, try it. You might be surprised to find out just how much personal information pops up.

It’s legal for companies to collect your info from public records, though it’s often creepy and potentially dangerous. So how can you remove it? Consumer Reports has some advice on how to regain control of your identity.

Sites like BeenVerified, FastPeopleSearch, and PeopleFinders are part of the vast data broker industry that collects information about people and companies and then sells it for advertising and other purposes.

Some companies don’t tell you they’re putting up your information. And that has the potential to be risky, giving employers, online stalkers, and identity thieves access to your personal information without you ever knowing it, things like your current and former addresses, phone number and email, the names of your relatives, and even arrest records.

So how can you regain control of your information? First, you can start by checking out some well-known data broker sites for your personal information.

Some sites may require a copy of your license or other ID to delete your data. But before you send it, cross out any excess information, like your license number and Social Insurance number.

If you’d rather let someone else do the work, CR says sites like DeleteMe, Kanary, and OneRep charge around $100 a year to remove your information from a number of sites. Just make sure to check what services they offer in Canada.

For example, CTV News reached out to DeleteMe, which stated that it is "currently in beta in Canada"; meaning it's being tested. The company also stated, "there are fewer data brokers in Canada than the U.S. but personal information protection remains a growing international concern."

If you choose to do the work yourself, Consumer Reports suggests making a list of the sites you’ve opted out of. That’s because you’ll need to check back periodically to make sure your info hasn’t reappeared.

Consumer Reports has prepared lists of the major data broker sites you might want to check out.

File from Consumer Reports