Delete myself from the internet.....

bl0at3r

bl0at3r

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Alan
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Yes
...is it even possible?

Got a couple of emails recently from a website for a long forgotten hobby - I'm sure there are loads more corners of the web that have my details from other hobbies, interests and services that I have signed up to over the years but no longer use.

Is it possible to go back and delete all this unused stuff or is it permanently stored?
Is there even such a thing as privacy anymore if you use the internet?
Where I may have consented to t&cs when I wanted to use the service - what happens if I wish to revoke my consent.

Or is it a case of being stuck now knowing that my footprint is all around the web and there is no way of removing it?
 
You could always set up a new email address :) I've had the same email address since 1999 and I get all sorts of random emails from websites I've used in the past, it doesn't really bother me, but occasionally if its really one I don't want to get I'll click unsubscribe and if I cannot of that I'll simple block the sender
 
There was an article on a Radio 4 programme recently that covered this topic - more specifically it related to the families of people who have passed away trying to remove their profiles from Facebook, Twitter, etc. Turns out to be practically impossible - it's hard enough to do it yourself (obviously before you pass away ;) )

They then went on to talk about the trail we all leave across the web. Unless you wrote down every site you ever "signed in" to and can track back and unsubscribe, you have no chance. And even then I would guess there's a trail that you were a "member" but no longer are.

I'm currently trying to unsubscribe from the Canon CPN newsletter and that's proving really hard, the idea of doing that for my entire "history" doesn't bear thinking about....

I'm afraid we're all stuck with it!
 
Once on the internet, always on the internet. Although the old stuff does fade into insignificance if you don't use it or the site drops in popularity. There are things even I can't find anymore that I know I was still a member on.

I have got a Flickr site somewhere that has some old stuff on it, but it's locked in place permanently as the yahoo account it belonged to was erm, possibly banned... So I can't log in or anything. Thankfully there's bugger all on there except a few old urbex photos and a selfie or two!
 
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This may help: http://justdelete.me/

I'm just back from a 40 day break from all forms of social networking, and feel quite tempted to attempt to remove my presence from a significant number of sites through which I otherwise retain contact with various people.
 
1)
Turn off the internet in yer house and on yer phone.. this has the effect your looking for..

2)
Dont tell the people of facebook who seem to think the following is true.. theres no internet when yer dead...


So you will be rid of it one day :)
 
I already committed facebook suicide but my profile is still there. I generally use a generic hotmail address for most things apart from maybe Amazon, ebay and some e-shops I use.
 
I receive very little email on my personal address and have successfully avoided twatterbook.
 
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The best way is to go and change all your details on forums etc that you no longer use.
Log into facebook and change your name and delete pictures etc. Eventually search engines will replace your real details with the new ones as they use the same url. After a while google searches will fail to find anything
 
mattyg said:
The best way is to go and change all your details on forums etc that you no longer use.
Log into facebook and change your name and delete pictures etc. Eventually search engines will replace your real details with the new ones as they use the same url. After a while google searches will fail to find anything
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that 100% does NOT work.. I can see stuff I posted 20 years ago on atari forums i left yonks ago.. and on other peoples atari websites with info about me.... thankfully it doesnt bother me one bit.. its my footprints leave them there... :)
 
KIPAX said:
that 100% does NOT work.. I can see stuff I posted 20 years ago on atari forums i left yonks ago.. and on other peoples atari websites with info about me.... thankfully it doesnt bother me one bit.. its my footprints leave them there... :)
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Did you fail to read what I wrote.;)

I have done this fairly recently

You left the atari forums or just stopped using them.
Log back in an change your username and details.
 
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Readying the popcorn. ......
 
mattyg said:
Did you fail to read what I wrote.;)

I have done this fairly recently

You left the atari forums or just stopped using them.
Log back in an change your username and details.
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I think what kipax was saying was that changing your details does not remove the content.

Mind you there's a reason why mods here won't delete content when someone "leaves", it messes up tonnes of content/context.
 
neil_g said:
I think what kipax was saying was that changing your details does not remove the content.

Mind you there's a reason why mods here won't delete content when someone "leaves", it messes up tonnes of content/context.
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Maybe but I never mentioned anything about content. Kipax said "this 100% doesn't work" I've removed myself from a number of forums in the past by changing my username and changing my email to one set up purely for this reason.

If you can't edit the content of your posts after a certain amount of time, Then yes the content will stay. But after changing your username it'll not point to you any longer.

If kipax changes his username on the old forums to "paxik" then within a few weeks poss month or so google will no longer find Kipax's posts whilst searching that forum
 
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I don't know of many forums that willingly let you change your username, and if they do, "I wanna remove myself off the 'net, innit" generally isn't a valid reason...
 
mattyg said:
Maybe but I never mentioned anything about content. Kipax said "this 100% doesn't work" I've removed myself from a number of forums in the past by changing my username and changing my email to one set up purely for this reason.

If you can't edit the content of your posts after a certain amount of time, Then yes the content will stay. But after changing your username it'll not point to you any longer.

If kipax changes his username on the old forums to "paxik" then within a few weeks poss month or so google will no longer find Kipax's posts whilst searching that forum
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If some knows my name and it is mentioned in a thread, then changing my username solves nothing. It doesn't take long to twig which is my username.
 
Dale_tem said:
If some knows my name and it is mentioned in a thread, then changing my username solves nothing. It doesn't take long to twig which is my username.
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I know your name it's dale. However doing a search for dale shows quite a number of you. Which ones are you?
A quick google shows your username on a number of forums etc
Pocket gems
Rex support
eXophase
Xda etc etc

Now if you change your username to Peugeot or nissan or ford or even britney spears. Then searching for dale or Dale_tem won't yield any results. (obviously not straight away)
You can't delete everything you've ever put on the net but you can disassociate yourself from what you've written. Then its no longer you its now sombody else

There is more than one way to disappear/disassociate yourself from a forum.

If you change your username and the registered email address and your photographs etc. Then whats in previous posts will no longer be associated with you.

I used to use my business name as my username on a number of forums. They no longer show in google searches any more as I've change my username. Now if someone googles my company name, My posts don't show in 13 pages of google. (Google only lists 13 pages in total for the name"

What you have written in the posts etc will stay thats pretty much a given but you can disassociate yourself from your old posts.
 
So you don't have a surname? If you search for my full name, I appear a lot in lots of different places.
 
Dale_tem said:
So you don't have a surname? If you search for my full name, I appear a lot in lots of different places.
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Yes I have a surname and as a business owner my name is on several Gov websites.

However in the context of the thread the OP was regarding social networks and forums.

Do a search for Go2Group and see what comes up. That was my username on 3-4 different forums and facebook
 
It is still the same, if someone knows you and uses your full name, it will leave a trail.

With just my first name and a couple of other words I find a website linked to me personally and the rest is easy to piece together.
 
Dale_tem said:
It is still the same, if someone knows you and uses your full name, it will leave a trail.

With just my first name and a couple of other words I find a website linked to me personally and the rest is easy to piece together.
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But you haven't even attempted to hide yourself. So its bound to be searchable.
 
You will have to go a long long way to remove yourself. It would take a lot of effort.

Easier to change your name. lol
 
mattyg said:
Ah but the op asked if it was possible...Not, was it easy....:woot:
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It is not possible

You may delete yourself, but snap shots of websites are stored in web archives. You will also leave a trail on a server even if you do change your user ID, your old will still be there. Visitors may not see it, but the admin team can.
 
as per the above post, the plain and simple issue is that your data has been captured, stored and is available on demand by multiple sources which you have no way of getting too.

Bizarrely, creating a new identity would be far easier and with a lot more success.
 
gazedd said:
as per the above post, the plain and simple issue is that your data has been captured, stored and is available on demand by multiple sources which you have no way of getting too.

Bizarrely, creating a new identity would be far easier and with a lot more success.
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Right to be forgotten/ Right to erasure


The data protection reform will strengthen citizens' rights and thereby help restore trust. Better data protection rules mean you can be more confident about how your personal data is treated, particularly online. The new rules will put citizens back in control of their data, notably through:

  1. A right to be forgotten: When you no longer want your data to be processed and there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it, the data will be deleted. This is about empowering individuals, not about erasing past events or restricting freedom of the press.

  2. Easier access to your own data: A right to data portability will make it easier for you to transfer your personal data between service providers.

  3. Putting you in control: When your consent is required to process your data, you must be asked to give it explicitly. It cannot be assumed. Saying nothing is not the same thing as saying yes. Businesses and organisations will also need to inform you without undue delay about data breaches that could adversely affect you.

  4. Data protection first, not an afterthought: ‘Privacy by design’ and ‘privacy by default’ will also become essential principles in EU data protection rules – this means that data protection safeguards should be built into products and services from the earliest stage of development, and that privacy-friendly default settings should be the norm – for example on social networks.
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Source:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-186_en.htm

Not sure when its going to be implemented if it hasn't already
 
mattyg said:
Right to be forgotten/ Right to erasure

Source:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-186_en.htm

Not sure when its going to be implemented if it hasn't already
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The relevant part for something like a forum:

A right to be forgotten: When you no longer want your data to be processed and there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it, the data will be deleted.
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Remove a user with a few thousand posts and entire threads on the forum could suddenly become quite senseless.
 
There's an argument right there about "Legitimate" though. Do you think brussels would really be interested in an old thread on a forum (thats NOT about spanking)not reading linear anymore. Could you even argue that old threads wont make any sense if you delete the odd post.

Actually wasn't there a poster on another forum who threatened legal action if all his posts weren't removed.
 
Content on a website is owned by the website, that law probably required removal of personal info and nothing more.
 
Dale_tem said:
Content on a website is owned by the website, that law probably required removal of personal info and nothing more.
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Well that would accomplish exactly what the OP wanted then.

I think there will be many law changes in the near future regarding Data protection etc and the internet. if things don't change no-one will be employable in the future because of something they wrote on an imaginary wall
 
Sorry, my post was referring to your data being held in places you simply never knew about and therefor how would you know who to request the removal from.


It's a lot like the data businesses hold about us, for example: your bank knows more about you than your family do.
 
gazedd said:
Sorry, my post was referring to your data being held in places you simply never knew about and therefor how would you know who to request the removal from.


It's a lot like the data businesses hold about us, for example: your bank knows more about you than your family do.
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But this has always happened to some extent its just stored digitally now.
 
mattyg said:
Well that would accomplish exactly what the OP wanted then
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They would be required to remove the personal details within the profile, that would be all by my guessing.
 
mattyg said:
I think there will be many law changes in the near future regarding Data protection etc and the internet. if things don't change no-one will be employable in the future because of something they wrote on an imaginary wall
Click to expand...

Consequences of your actions. Think before you act :)
 
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