In an age where digital footprints can be tracked and personal information is traded like currency, protecting your personal data has become more important than ever. Enter Incogni, a data deletion service owned by the same company that developed Surfshark VPN. This data removal tool is designed to help you regain control of your online privacy by erasing your personal information from various data broker databases.
But how does Incogni compare to other data removal services, and is it worth the investment in 2024? In this article, I’m going to share my personal experience using Incogni, share its various features, effectiveness, and the overall pros and cons that that will hopefully make this Incogni review helpful as you work to protect your own digital privacy.
Key Takeaways
- Incogni is a data removal tool that serves residents of the US, UK, EU, Switzerland or Canada.
- Incogni uses an automated system for personal data removal (as opposed to manual) in order to maintain a low price point.
- Incogni limits your personal profile to only one address, one phone number and one email address.
- Despite its limitations, they do offer the best low-cost option for monthly and annual plans.
Do you already know that you want to start using Incogni? If so, click the link below to get 50% off an annual plan. If not, scroll down to continue reading the review!
Getting to Know Incogni
Launched in early 2022, Incogni is a privacy product of Surfshark, a VPN provider based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Unlike a VPN, which is meant to encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address, Incogni is a data removal tool designed to protect your personal information by erasing it from various data broker companies.
It’s a subscription service that helps users take back control of their digital privacy by making data removal requests on their behalf, thus minimizing your digital footprint.
Most people are blissfully unaware that a data broker even has their personal data, much less hundreds of them. This sensitive information includes things such as:
- Your full name
- Your date of birth
- Your home address
- Your mobile phone number
- Your court records
- …and other sensitive data.
In order to test their effectiveness for this Incogni review, I created an account for my wife to understand the setup process and gain insights into the different features they offer. Here’s what I learned.
Navigating the Incogni Setup Process
Setting up Incogni is a simple and straightforward process. To begin, you’ll need to provide your email address and a password to create an account. They recommend that you use your primary email address to register since this is what they will use to match with a data broker info.
After confirming your new account, there are two important steps you’ll take:
- Complete Your Personal Profile: In this step, you provide Incogni with your full name, address, phone number and date of birth. This is the information they search the internet to erase, so it’s important to be accurate here.
- Execute an Authorization Form: This form provides a limited power of attorney and grants Incogni the authority to act on your behalf in making requests from data brokers.
Incogni offers both monthly and annual subscription plans that can be cancelled at any time; the former costs $12.99 per month while the annual plan is $6.49 per month. Payment can be made through PayPal or a credit/debit card, allowing you to access official data removal requests. With a 50% discount on the annual Incogni subscription, it’s an affordable data removal service compared to similar services in the market.
The power of attorney form is a digitally signed document that verifies that Incogni has your consent to request data removed from a data broker on your behalf. This ensures that every data broker receives legitimate data removal requests and not malicious attempts at vandalizing personal data.
Upon completion of the authorization form and subscription payment, there’s not much left to do except wait for Incogni to start implementing their data removal service.
Incogni User Interface and Features
The Incogni dashboard has evolved over the past year, but it remains a pretty user-friendly interface designed to give you a clear overview of your data removal progress. The details displayed include:
- Graph overview showing requests sent, those in progress and those completed;
- Hours saved (if you were to make these requests on your own);
- Activity log showing the most recent
From the Incogni dashboard menu, you can choose to see a detailed view of the data removal process underway.
As you can see in the screenshot below, this detailed view tracks the company, requests sent, compliance and status.
These kind of data removal services tend to very “set it and forget it,” so I honestly only log into my online dashboard once a month, if that. Icogni offers email support via [email protected] for any questions or concerns you may have during the data removal process. While it may not have the most extensive range of features compared to some competitors, Incogni prioritizes simplicity and ease of use, making it an accessible tool for users of all levels.
Incogni’s Data Removal Capabilities (Pros & Cons)
Incogni uses a list of over 180 data brokers to remove your personal information from their databases, ensuring a comprehensive approach to safeguarding your digital privacy. In reality, the number of data brokers isn’t nearly as important as how they handle your personal details and the process they use to search online.
Most of this process seems to be automated, using an internal algorithm to identify potential data repositories and initiate the opt-out process with the relevant companies. This kind of automated process can be both good and bad.
Automation keeps costs down, which is why Incogni is one of the lower cost options on the market, but an example of the bad came in the form of an email I received at one point.
This email provides a little insight into how Incogni’s process works. Instead of searching for your data and then request data removal, Incogni contacts data brokers and casts a wide net by proactively sharing your information and asking them to remove the data if they have it.
In many cases these people search tools and new data brokers do have your information, but as in the case of the email above, they did not.
Even though Incogni’s data removal capabilities are commendable, I have to admit that this automated method is a bit concerning to me as pertains to my data sensitivity.
Evaluating Incogni’s Effectiveness
Over the past year that I’ve been using Incogni, I can confidently say that they have been effective in erasing personal data from different data brokers, albeit the dynamic realm of data brokers and privacy regulations might influence its overall success rate. My experience with Incogni showed that it delivers on its promise of offering a user-friendly and affordable solution compared to many alternatives.
On average, it seems that data brokers respond to Incogni’s data removal requests of customer data within 30-45 days. While there is no way to verify exact details of the data found or removed, you can visit specific data brokers and search for your information to validate if it has, in fact, been removed. It’s worth mentioning that Incogni will still process any existing requests after your subscription has ended, but they will not submit any new requests to brokers.
Important Note: Incogni only allows users to submit one address, one phone number and one email address per registered account. The problem here is that of us have multiple email addresses, phone numbers and even addresses. Hopefully this will be something they address in the future.
Privacy and Security Measures in Incogni
Incogni communicates directly with search sites to request the removal of your information, utilizing the following regulations to enforce official removal requests:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States
- Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – Canada’s personal information protection
Utilizing these legal frameworks, Incogni holds data brokers accountable for their data handling practices and advocates for a more transparent and secure online environment for users.
Incogni prioritizes user privacy by:
- Employing robust encryption;
- Minimizing data collection;
- Adhering to strict privacy regulations;
- Maintaining a transparent privacy policy;
By limiting data collection and ensuring the secure handling of personal data, Incogni allows users to trust that their data is being addressed with the utmost care and removed from the internet.
The Cons of Using Incogni
Although I’ve already mentioned each of these in the review above, I’ll summarize the two things I wish Incogni would improve with its service:
- Option for Manual Search: Instead of the fully automated process which I’m not comfortable with, I wish there was a higher-cost option that used a more manual approach to make removal requests with data broker systems.
- Limited Private Data: Incogni doesn’t take into account the fact that users have multiple phone numbers, addresses and email addresses that need to be removed. This is in contrast to others that do allow this, which is why it’s important to compare services like Incogni vs OneRep.
For reference, you can check out how Incogni compares to other data removal services on the market.
Is Incogni Worth It in 2024?
Considering the effectiveness and budget-friendly nature of Incogni, I certainly see this as a valuable tool for managing your digital presence and protecting your personal information. Incogni offers a comprehensive solution to help you regain control over your personal data and maintain your online privacy.
Personally, I prefer using DeleteMe and have done a comparison of Incogni vs DeleteMe here. It’s a more expensive option, however, so if you’re looking for the best annual plan deal, Incogni is your best bet.
Summary
In summary, Incogni is an effective and user-friendly privacy tool designed to protect you by erasing unauthorized data from various data brokers’ databases. It offers an affordable subscription plan and a commitment to privacy and security, making it a valuable solution for managing your digital presence and maintaining your online privacy.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, Incogni’s focus on user privacy make it an essential tool for navigating the digital world in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Incogni is an effective data removal service that offers a cost-effective subscription compared to competitors. If you’re looking for a data privacy tool that can remove your data and digital footprint, Incogni does this well.
Although there are many competitors to Incogni, DeleteMe is considered to be the best data removal company on the market but also carries premium pricing.
Incogni works with over 180 data brokers and people search sites to protect your digital privacy by removing your name, address, phone number and other data from their databases.
In order for Incogni to be able to effectively work, you will need to provide them with your primary email address, home address, date of birth and phone number.
Incogni utilizes the GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA to enforce removal requests.
