The Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool is an essential feature of PrivacyHawk’s Premium and Platinum protection plans. It helps users minimize their online exposure by allowing them to opt out of data-sharing with companies that hold or share their personal information. Here's a detailed guide on how it works and how you can use it to protect your privacy.
How the Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool Works
Every time you interact online—whether by creating accounts, purchasing products, or signing up for newsletters—you leave behind a digital trail. This trail, also known as your digital footprint, includes your personal data, such as your name, email address, phone number, and even browsing behavior. Many companies collect and store this information, sometimes selling it to third-party advertisers or data brokers without your consent.
The Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool empowers you to take control of this data by identifying companies that store or share your information and allowing you to opt out of data-sharing practices. Here’s how it works:
Digital Footprint Scan: The first step is running a scan of your email's inbox, which identifies companies that currently hold your personal information. The scan also highlights where your data may be exposed, giving you an overview of your online presence.
Opt-Out Requests: Once the scan identifies the companies with your data, you can choose between two types of opt-out requests:
Delete (Trashcan Icon): Request the company to completely delete your data from their database. This option is ideal for companies you no longer wish to interact with, and it’s the most secure way to protect your privacy.
Do Not Sell (Stop Icon): Request the company to stop selling your personal information to third parties. If you're still a customer of the company, this option prevents your data from being sold while maintaining your account.
By selecting the appropriate request, you ensure your personal information is either removed or protected from being sold.
Best Practices for Maximizing Opt-Outs
To fully leverage the power of the Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool, follow these best practices:
1. Run Scans Regularly
It’s a good idea to manually run scans regularly—especially if you’ve recently signed up for new services or made online purchases. If you’ve recently signed up for new services or made purchases online, it’s a good idea to re-scan your inbox.
To do this, click the two revolving arrows next to "Scanning Complete" in the Reduce My Digital Footprint dashboard. Ensure that you’ve selected the correct email address in the email bar at the top for the re-scan.
2. Opt Out of Data-Sharing Early
Whenever you create a new online account or sign up for a service, take time to review their privacy policy and opt out of any unnecessary data-sharing options. Many websites offer ways to limit how your information is shared with third parties.
3. Use the Unsubscribe Tool in Tandem
Combining the Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool with PrivacyHawk’s Unsubscribe Tool is a powerful strategy to minimize both data sharing and unwanted communication. By unsubscribing from email lists, you not only clean up your inbox but also reduce the amount of information available to companies and data brokers.
4. Track Your Progress
In the Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool, you can track the status of your opt-out requests using three tabs:
Actions Needed: Here, you’ll find communications where companies may request additional steps or verification to process your opt-out request. Some companies require internal verification protocols to ensure requests are legitimate.
Processing: This tab contains opt-out requests currently in progress.
Completed: Once an opt-out request is fully processed, it will appear here, showing which companies have successfully removed your data.
This gives you full visibility over the status of your opt-outs.
6. Submit Additional Requests as Needed
If you notice that new companies appear in your inbox scan results, submit opt-out requests immediately. PrivacyHawk makes it easy to take quick action when new exposures are found.
Why Reducing Your Digital Footprint is Important
Reducing your digital footprint is one of the most effective ways to protect your privacy in today’s online environment. By limiting how much of your data is available to companies and third parties, you:
Reduce the risk of identity theft: The more personal information that is out there, the more vulnerable you are to identity thieves. Reducing your footprint decreases the chance of your data being used maliciously.
Avoid unwanted marketing and targeted ads: Data-sharing often leads to personalized marketing, which can result in a flood of targeted ads. By opting out, you reduce the likelihood of your data being used for advertising purposes.
Minimize data broker exposure: Companies collect and sell your personal information, often without your knowledge. By using PrivacyHawk’s Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool, you can actively opt out of these databases, preventing your data from being sold or shared further.
Conclusion
PrivacyHawk’s Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool is an essential feature for anyone looking to take control of their personal data and reduce their online exposure. By following the best practices outlined above, you can maximize the effectiveness of this tool and ensure that your personal information is removed from as many databases as possible.
For ongoing privacy protection, regularly monitor your data, run scans, and submit opt-out requests as needed. If you have any questions or need further assistance using the Reduce My Digital Footprint Tool, feel free to reach out to our support team at [email protected]. We’re here to help you every step of the way as you protect your digital privacy.