Deleting your personal information online is more difficult than it sounds. In the digital world, there is very little you can do to reclaim privacy to your data.
Ever wonder why social media does not charge you anything? Any digital medium which allows free access is trading their service to acquire your data.
No matter how cautious you think you are, social media always have a lot of information about you which is out there in the open. Let us see how you can claim back what is rightfully yours.
Facebook has been through various accusations that the company has been stealing data from its users. It has a unique well-developed data storage system.
This makes it extremely difficult for you to delete your personal information online. The company draws so much data from a person that needs separate folders to segregate and manage them better.
You can get a copy of this if you feel like it. Navigate to Settings and click “Your Facebook information”. You will find files with huge file sizes exceeding giga-bites.
Instagram’s algorithm is getting more and more accurate with every passing day. It suggests your posts and ads based on your watch history. By navigating to Settings > Security > Access Data > Ads you can see a list of things that Instagram thinks you like the most.
Some of them might look weird whereas some exactly match with your taste. In order to get a copy of this, you can try using the “Data Download” section.
Google is trying to customize your web-experience as no company has ever done before. For you to have a customized web page, Google needs a lot of your personal data.
You must also pay attention to the fact that Google owns a lot of other important apps as well. YouTube is one of them. Navigate to the MyActivity page of the respective Google account.
You can find a list that has information about each and every time you have accessed the web through a Google product.
Snapchat
Like all the sites mentioned above, you cannot download your Snapchat data with the click of a button. Instead, you have to file a request to the support group of Snapchat.
It takes them a while to compile all your data. They would send you a link which you can click and download the information. For trivial information like the device history, the process is simple.
You can save your entire device history just by logging into your account using your login credentials.
Apple
There is practically no logical reason for you to worry about Apple stealing your data. Apple focuses on its hardware and has millions of wealthy customers from all around the world.
It has absolutely no reason to steal your personal data and sell them to make a profit. In 2018, Apple made a huge scene about how they respect the privacy of its users.
You can find some of your saved data by navigating to the Data and privacy tab in your device. To be honest, you will find it boring.
Conclusion
Digital data is even more valuable than physical currency. There are various companies around the world who are trying to take advantage of this situation.
Your data might get stolen and laundered in the dark web without you having a single clue about it. It is illogical and impossible to stop the usage of social media.
Instead, you can keep an eye on what you share. Limit the amount of data you share on the internet because deleting your personal information online is close to impossible.
