The internet offers great utility yet has its drawbacks. “The internet doesn’t forget,” as they say. Anything you post on the internet might stay there forever. Even if you delete the post later, someone might have archived it. Many wonder if they can become completely invisible online, and we're here to answer.
You can’t become 100% invisible online unless you’ve never logged into a website before. However, you can get very close to removing your information from the internet. This article will discuss the steps to becoming anonymous on the web.
How to become anonymous online
Use stealth mode/incognito when browsing
Some of the best web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox collect considerable data about users. This data is often required for legitimate purposes, such as storing browser history, passwords, and payment information. However, it poses a risk to your online privacy.
Choosing stealth mode when surfing the web helps preserve your privacy. Google Chrome offers incognito mode, Firefox offers private browsing, and Safari offers a stealth mode. Under this mode, these browsers won't remember your visited pages, search history, or AutoFill information, reducing the chances of being profiled online.
Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) masks your IP address and shields your online identity. It routes your online traffic through an encrypted external server, letting you surf the web anonymously. For example, you could be in the U.S. and route your traffic through a Germany-based server. Every website you visit assumes your device is in Germany, while the actual location stays hidden.
A VPN prevents internet service providers (ISPs) and other third parties from tracking your online activity. It masks your location, browsing history, and downloads, reducing the risks of your information being leaked. NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN are some of the best VPNs you can use.
Delete unwanted accounts
Becoming invisible requires eliminating any opportunity for people to discover your personal information. Hence, you should delete unwanted accounts, starting from social media sites like Facebook, X (Twitter), Reddit, and Instagram. Any account you’ve signed up for should be deleted, including those random sites where you created an account and forgot about it shortly after.
Most popular apps have straightforward processes for deleting your account. For example, you can see our guide on deleting your Facebook account. If a website doesn’t have a standard account deletion process, your best bet is to email the admin directly and ask for an account deletion.
Use disposable/secondary email addresses
Sometimes, you have no choice but to sign up for an online account, e.g., registering for a school portal. In that case, you can use a disposable or secondary email account.
As the name suggests, disposable email addresses are temporary. They last anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours. You can use them to register on a website instead of your actual email address.
The other option is a secondary email address dedicated to online registrations. It’s separate from your main email address to avoid online profiling. Third parties won’t be able to trace your online account to a personal email address.
Disable geolocation
Your smartphone, laptop, tablet, and web browser have geolocation turned on by default. This data is required to offer personalized services, e.g., showing restaurants close to your vicinity when you search for “Good restaurants” on Google. However, it poses a privacy risk, as third parties can easily profile your browsing habits when they know your location.
You can turn off geolocation to increase your security profile. This action means losing access to personalized services that depend on location monitoring, but it’s a practical step in becoming invisible online.
Use encrypted messaging apps
The best encrypted messaging apps help boost your online privacy. Find messaging apps with end-to-end encryption, which uses public and private keys to encipher your messages. With this encryption technique, even the messaging platform’s admins can’t decrypt your messages.
WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram are examples of messaging apps with sophisticated end-to-end encryption. However, Telegram doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption by default; you’ll have to enable it manually for your messages.
Control your apps’ privacy settings
Most mobile apps want to collect data about users. For example, Google wants location data for personalized searches; Facebook wants to know your installed apps, phone brands, and clicks; and a mobile game wants your location and contact information.
Collecting data isn’t bad per se, but these apps can use the data to profile your browsing habits. You can control your apps’ privacy settings to mitigate this issue, preventing the apps from collecting personal data from your smartphone. This might mean losing access to some features, but it’s a necessary sacrifice to become invisible online.
Use a data discovery service
We’ve discussed how deleting unwanted accounts is a step towards becoming invisible online. However, you might have created some accounts you can’t remember. Consider when you started using the internet to date; you likely don’t remember all the websites you’ve signed up for. Fortunately, some specialized platforms help you find all accounts attached to your email address.
You can use the Mine app to discover your data seamlessly. First, you'll log into your email address and grant the app permission to scan your emails. It’ll then scour your email files for any details tied to an account. After a deep scan, you’ll see all the accounts associated with that specific email address. You can visit the respective platforms to delete your account.
DeleteMe is another platform that lets you discover and delete your data from the web. In this case, human experts will help you find and remove your personal information for a fee ranging from $99 to $1,199. The price depends on the type and volume of data you want to delete.
Remove your data from people-finder sites
People-finder websites aggregate personal information from public sources and let people search through them. Someone can search your name on such websites and find your contact information, known relatives, and location. Becoming invisible online requires deleting your data from people-finder sites like Truthfinder, BeenVerified, and Intelius.
Most people-finder sites offer a straightforward data deletion process. You’ll search for your record, request an opt-out, verify your identity, and wait 24 to 48 hours for deletion. For reference, you can read our guide on deleting your data from BeenVerified for reference. Many people-finder sites have a deletion process similar to that of BeenVerified.
