How I'm deleting myself from the internet without lifting a finger

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As a journalist and media professional, there are a few inevitabilities about the job I just can't get around.

I have to maintain a LinkedIn profile, keep an online portfolio to house my favorite work (and ensure I can always access it), and be comfortable with third-party sites like Muckrack and Cision collecting information about me, such as bylines, work emails, and more.

But that's my public-facing persona.

While those online pieces of me have a necessitated need to live on the internet, there's plenty of personal identifiable information (PII) I don't want floating around online -- my current and former addresses, my phone number, my personal emails, and more.

Also: How to delete or hide yourself from the internet - 11 effective ways (and most are free)
But that type of information is much harder to control.

Unlike flipping my social media accounts to private, there's no easy way to personally handle making sure my most vulnerable info doesn't linger around the web.

Or that's what I thought -- until I found Optery .

Back in December, I was checking out data removal services that my colleague, internet and privacy reporter Charlie Osborne, recommends, and came across the company.

I had been considering a service for a while when I noticed Optery was running a 20% off sale.

So, I gave it a shot.

Lucky for you, this 20% offer is still valid right now thanks to a new sale.

Just apply the code SPRING2026 at checkout.

I've been using Optery's service for almost four months now, and I highly recommend it.

Optery is a data removal service that helps you remove and maintain the removal of your information from the internet.

The company says its mission is to put consumers in control of their personal data.

Optery scans and searches for your information online, helps you identify where it's been exposed, and then offers a way to contact data brokers to have these profiles removed.

It's also a tool for getting a pretty complete picture of the profile data you're exposed to in people-search directories.

Before I enrolled in a plan, Optery ran an exposure report for free, which revealed nearly 30 pages of personal information apparently scattered across the web.

Some of it was incorrect or outright wrong, but I was terrified to learn that some of it was accurate.

That's why I opted for Optery's Extended Plan, which costs $149 yearly.

With 20% off, I paid about $120 for a year of protection and assistance.

The Extended plan offers automated removal from 546+ sites, unlimited name variations, unlimited past cities and states, and removal reports with before-and-after screenshots every 90 days, so you can actually see your money working for you.

There's a basic free plan, a $39 per year Core plan, and an elevated Ultimate plan that costs $249 per year.

There are some differences between them, but the main difference is the number of removals Optery will provide.

If you're wondering if a service like this actually works, the proof is in the pudding.

I can see progress in my 3-month reports, and I've noticed a decrease in the number of scammy or nefarious people-search websites that pop up when I Google myself.

Before, it wouldn't be uncommon to see a few on the first page results, while now, the only information that comes up is everything I'd expect to -- my online portfolio, my LinkedIn, my author page at ZDNET, etc.

Also: Will AI make cybersecurity obsolete or is Silicon Valley confabulating again?

If you're asking me if it's worth it -- take it from someone who has to maintain an online persona and paper trail -- yes.

If I were someone without a media job, I imagine Optery could make me almost invisible online.

Internet safety is so important, and with data leaks and exposures happening all of the time, I highly recommend everyone try a data removal service like Optery.

I give this 20% off deal a 5/5 rating.

I highly recommend considering a data removal service to maintain your PII online, and these savings give you a chance to score a pretty well-rounded plan (the Extended plan) for less than $150 a year.

I'm not sure when this 20% offer will sunset, but I like the deal I was able to score, it will likely hang around at least through the end of the month.

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If you missed out on this deal, don't worry -- we're always sourcing new savings opportunities at ZDNET.com .

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