It’s no secret that someone spies on us and collects our data the moment we get online. After gathering information, many data brokers analyze and sell it to advertisers for profit.
That happens on a massive scale, and few people even begin to assume how much various marketing companies and, possibly, cybercriminals know about them.
Still, there’s a way to make data brokers stop selling your personal information, and that's where Incogni steps in.
420+ data brokers
Fortunly Rating
Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
- Affordable subscription
- A discount promo code
- Follows up to ensure information is not added again
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No free trial
- Live phone support is limited to higher-tier plans
Incogni Overview
Developed by Surfshark, Incogni is a service that removes personal information from data brokers’ databases on behalf of its clients.
It regularly sweeps the brokers’ databases after deleting info to ensure clients’ personal information hasn’t been added again.
When you retain the company’s services, you can expect your online privacy to be protected and no bad actors to access your private information without your consent. The company will stop private data circulation between brokers and companies using your data for advertising purposes (or worse).
Incogni sends official data removal requests to marketing, risk mitigation, financial information, and recruitment data brokers, to name a few.
At present, you can use this service to remove your personal information from the databases of 420+ automated data broker sites, while Unlimited plans add custom removals from 2,000+ additional sites.
How Incogni Works
When was the last time you received a call from a company you had nothing to do with or an email from an unknown sender? Are Facebook ads starting to hit a little too close to home?
If this happens far too often, your personal info is all over the web, and you may be one of 33% of Americans that have fallen victim to identity theft.
Incogni can help you stop receiving those calls and messages by removing your personal data from data brokers’ databases. To get started, you must subscribe and choose a plan.
The Sign-Up Process
The Incogni subscription process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes to complete. You’ll be required to provide the usual - email, a password, and personal information, including your name and address - as well as sign a power of attorney or online authorization form for Incogni to represent you when dealing with data brokers.
The private information you fill in is crucial since Incogni will use it to send data removal requests to data brokers. Once the internal algorithm finds a match, it will contact the data broker to have your personal data removed.
Pricing Plans
Incogni has Standard, Unlimited, Family, and Family Unlimited plans. The Standard subscription starts at $7.99 per month when billed annually ($95.88 upfront), while the Unlimited plan costs $14.99 per month when billed annually ($179.88 upfront).
Family plans are also available, with Family starting at $15.99 per month billed annually and Family Unlimited at $22.99 per month billed annually, both for up to five members. Monthly billing is available as well.
No free trial is available, but you can take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the service. Lastly, you can unsubscribe at any time later on.
The company also notes that VAT or sales tax may apply, depending on your location.
The Data Removal Process
Once you sign the limited power of attorney, you give Incogni consent to scour the web in search of your private information. The algorithm compares the data you entered during the subscription process with those in data broker databases.
Once it finds a match, Incogni contacts the data broker companies to submit the data removal request based on the General Data Protection Regulation, CCPA, and other applicable privacy laws, depending on the region.
Here’s the timeline of the data removal process:
Day One - Official Data Removal Requests Sent to Data Brokers
Incogni starts searching for your personal info the moment you subscribe. If and when it finds it in any database, the company contacts the data brokers and sends official removal requests.
Week One - Data Brokers Start Responding
Some data brokers may respond within a day, while others can take considerably longer depending on their policies and internal systems.
Because some brokers fail to act within legally required timeframes, Incogni follows up, which can extend the overall removal process.
The First Month - Most Requests Are Processed
The company reviews data removal requests at all times and sends you updates about the progress.
It also follows up on requests that data brokers didn’t process and keeps researching databases to ensure your private information is not added again.
User Interface
Incogni has a minimalist, user-friendly interface showing progress on data removal requests.
The dashboard shows the total number of data removal requests and those completed, in progress, and rejected. You can also see the data presented in the form of a pie chart.
You can click ‘Detailed View’ to see details of each individual case, including:
- The data sensitivity level on a scale from 1 to 10
- The data broker category (marketing, financial information, etc.)
- The request status (In progress, etc.)
- The data broker’s industry
- Average resolution time and broker compliance information
Incogni also offers a mobile app for customers in the United States on iOS and Android, letting users track removals and access scam-protection features from a mobile device.
Customer Service
Incogni’s customer support is more robust than this review originally suggested. The company offers support through a contact form/email channel, live chat for subscribers, and phone support for Unlimited and Family Unlimited customers.
The Help Center remains the main starting point for support questions, but support is no longer limited to an online form alone.
How Incogni Compares to Other Data Removal Services
$7.99
Over 420
30 to 45 days
$10.75
50+
Unspecified
$8.33
192
Unspecified
Final Verdict
So, if you have to deal with spam emails, calls from pushy advertisers, and other aggressive forms of marketing over and over again, Incogni can help you eliminate them.
You can benefit from its efficient service for a fraction of the price its competitors charge, and rest assured that no personal data of yours will remain in data brokers’ databases for long.
The sign-up process is quick, and the service will cost you only a few bucks a month, while potentially saving you hours and hours of work it would take to do it all manually.