I don’t remember creating a Walgreens or Costco account for grocery deliveries. But I do remember my old VSCO login from when I consistently used the app’s filter presets.
These are just a few of the forgotten accounts I’ve stumbled on recently. They’re floating around the internet with pieces of my identity attached to them.
The more I dug, the more I realized how fragile that identity is. It only takes the right, or very wrong, hacker to throw a stone at it and crack my weak points.
A failed hack attempt on my precious gaming accounts snapped me out of my ignorance. I had let too many personal details pile up on the internet, and a clean-up was overdue.
These tools help me scout for my cold trails.
7 simple cybersecurity habits I practice to keep my data mine
Hackers don’t stand a chance if you do this
Hide search results about you with Google
It’s the camouflage tool you need for your identity
Google’s Results about you feature is built directly into the Google app. It gives you a private dashboard that monitors the internet for personal information.
You’ll inject the system with information you want it to watch for. That includes three variations of your name, email and home addresses, and phone number.
For example, you could add your full legal name, common nickname, or birth name.
Each data expands the search result range and makes the system more accurate.
The app runs continuous background checks for any website that displays them. You may receive notifications if you’ve enabled them.
Review results as they appear and either ignore them or ask Google to remove them from Search.
Open the Google app, tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner, then select Results about you to get started.
Search offers something similar. When you see a result relating to you, tap the three-dot icon beside the link and select Remove result. Then choose why you want it gone.
However, these actions only mean that your information stops appearing on the results pages when someone tries to find you.
It remains on the original website, unless you contact the owner and ask them to wipe it.
This limitation is why I only use the feature for certain platforms I don’t control, yet also don’t consider them dangerous enough to chase down.
For example, job board listings. I use a more aggressive tool for deep account removals.
My private hawk scouts for account crumbs
It’s revealed all my weak spots
PrivacyHawk has interesting features, although exploring most of them hasn’t been much fun.
It demands a $75 yearly, upfront subscription to the app, and there’s no trial version. So for now, I’m sticking to the free plan.
The free version gives you a full digital footprint and privacy scan with 10 monthly opt-outs. These are requests you send to companies asking to remove your data or stop selling it to data brokers.
Each option you choose increases your security score and counts as one request. You’ll receive official messages letting you know your data has been erased or your removal request is processed.
Services like FeedBlitz, an email marketing software I’d once used, confirmed that my details had been completely wiped from their systems.
PrivacyHawk’s opt-out limitations have forced me to be patient and frugal. After using up my requests, I’d take the companies it flagged and visit them to delete the accounts individually.
Most times, I can’t remember the passwords I used years ago. So I relied on the Forgot password option and had a reset link sent to my email.
That part is easier because the app already showed me which of my Google accounts were tied to which services.
The app requests a concerning amount of access to your email account. I was skeptical that it worked at first, and suspected that it could be a data thief itself.
But the app developers have been responsive on the Reddit threads, which is partly reassuring.
Their privacy policy also emphasizes that they don’t sell your data and practice sharing for targeted ads.
I had way more data at stake, so I took the risk. My inbox alone was a map of everywhere I’d ever dropped my email address. It would’ve been tricky to find half of it on my own.
Plus, I could delete all connections with the service and others from Google’s Third-party apps and services menu when I was done.
I reset my Google Account privacy settings for 2026 — here’s what I switched off
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The internet never truly forgets what you upload to it. Every account you’ve ever made becomes part of your online shadow.
While no tool may erase your presence completely, take steps to be more conscious of your digital footprint.
Start by using guest or separate accounts across different platforms. It makes it harder for companies to build a unified profile of you, and protects your main account from exposure.
It also helps hide your real location and network identity with a VPN. The bottom line is that you have to fight for your privacy every day. Otherwise, the web will do it for you.
