According to a joint survey by NordVPN, a cybersecurity company that develops best-of-breed VPN services, and Incogni, a personal data deletion company, millions of people want to remove themselves from the Internet. 152 million Americans want their personal data from the Internet, an increase from Nord's 2022 survey. Globally, 35% of people want to be deleted, up from 30%.

For Americans, almost half (48%) cite companies collecting, selling, or simply using their data for the benefit of third parties as a reason to be deleted, and almost half feel their devices will eventually be hacked. Additionally, 40% feel that their name has no reason to exist on the Internet, 41% express a lack of trust in the Internet, and one-fifth fear manipulation by third parties.

“The change in people's attitudes and the growing need to remove their presence from the Internet highlights a trend,” says Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN. People no longer passively accept the idea that their data should exist on the Internet forever. There is a growing demand for control, empowerment, and the right to be forgotten.”

According to the data, the majority of Americans (64%) prioritize deleting financial information, while 31% seek to delete old relationships, social media profiles, and embarrassing uploads. However, 44% say they do not know how.

Briedis believes that the next generation of users will encourage technology providers and policymakers to rethink how they handle personal data online. While currently impossible, one-third of Americans would be willing to pay up to $100 to use the Internet anonymously at all times. Shockingly, 5% would pay up to $1,000.

There are several ways to protect your data online, and using a VPN is an important tool to do so. All of the top VPNs offer a high level of privacy and security by masking IP addresses and encrypting data. All of the VPNs we recommend are highly rated and come in a variety of price ranges, so there is a VPN for everyone.

However, VPNs are not a panacea: while they protect privacy, they do not grant complete anonymity, and performance can be affected as connections travel farther. Even the best free VPNs have certain limitations, and it is essential to sign up with a trusted VPN provider.

Data brokers collect your personal information and use it to create your profile, which they then sell to third parties. Information such as your name, social media accounts, shopping history, and IP address are valuable to advertisers who want to target you; using a data removal service like Incogni, you can remove this information from data brokers. Incogni scans your data from websites and data brokers, submits deletion requests, and performs regular monitoring to protect your personal information.

Ultimately, you need to be mindful of what you share online and protect your account. Consider adjusting the privacy settings of those who can view your profile and ask yourself, “Can I keep this on the Internet forever?” Ask yourself. Using strong, unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication will add an extra layer of security to your account.