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

## Summary
Close Home Tech Services & Software How I'm deleting myself from the internet without lifting a finger Optery deletes my personal information from the internet for me, and it's 20% off right now. PT Optery/ZDNET Get Optery data removal for 20% off With code SPRING2026 5/5 Editor's deal rating View at Optery As a journalist and media professional, there are a few inevitabilities about the job I just can't get around. Optery is a data removal service that helps you remove and maintain the removal of your information from the internet. This portable soundbar worked wonders for my audio I tested a tiny plug-in that promises to stop electrical fires These $50 earbuds have no business sounding this good for the price Editorial standards Show Comments Log In to Comment Community Guidelines Related I'm a tech professional, and an AI job scam almost fooled me - here's how I caught on How to delete or hide yourself from the internet - 11 effective ways (and most are free) The best data removal services of 2026: Delete yourself from the internet

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How I'm deleting myself from the internet without lifting a finger
Optery deletes my personal information from the internet for me, and it's 20% off right now.
Written by
Kayla Solino,
Editor
Editor
March 23, 2026 at 8:59 a.m. PT
Optery/ZDNET
Get Optery data removal for 20% off
With code SPRING2026
5/5 Editor's deal rating
View at Optery
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.
With code SPRING2026
Get Optery data removal for 20% off
View at Optery
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.
Also:
Your home Wi-Fi isn't nearly as private as it should be - 6 free ways to lock it down
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.
My Optery app dashboard.
Kayla Solino/ZDNET
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 dif

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- 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.
- I keep the Optery app on my phone, and I can check in on its progress whenever I want.
- The app keeps track of in-progress, pending, and completed data removals.
- You can also view your dashboard, which provides an easy visual of how exposed you are and your progress toward protection.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
- When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions.
- This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay.
- If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers optery, zdnet, data topics. Notable strengths include discussion of optery. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1529.