Incogni is a confidential data removal service. It operates as a proxy, sending removal requests to several data brokers and allowing you to see how the requests are progressing. We tried the service and discovered that it works effectively and covers a reasonable number of data brokers. However, while using Incogni type of service, you must be patient. Your information will not be deleted immediately after you sign up.
Everything takes place on Incogni’s website. It provides a dashboard where you can view requests that have been received, are being worked on, or have been completed. However, the service will not verify if the data broker truly removed your information. Still, it’s quite simple to utilize and will undoubtedly assist you more than doing the identical job by hand.
There is a lot of information about you on the Internet, whether you like it or not. Every time you accept a cookie, download an app, or just visit a website, data brokers obtain your name, address, and phone number. This information might be sold to anyone who is interested. Your personal information can then be used to send you spam emails, telemarketing calls, and more relevant advertisements. Incogni might also be used by someone attempting to deceive others or steal their identity. As a result, you may wish to delete this information entirely.
What Is Incogni?
Incogni is a service that automates requests for data removal from hundreds of data brokers. They will contact data brokers on your behalf and request that the companies delete your information from your website. While you may approach data brokers to get your data, this is a time-consuming process. I spent many hours contacting 10 (or more) data brokers. I never heard back from half of them. These companies might potentially just collect your data again and republish it later. Incogni would monitor these brokers to ensure they did not upload your data again.
Detailed View
Although Incogni appears to favor simplicity, there is a page on their website that provides a more complete overview of your data broker purging. It includes information such as the specific names of the data brokers with whom Incogni is in communication, as well as what your information is most likely being used for. It will track the status of Incogni’s takedown request broker by broker (“in progress” or “completed”). Each broker is also given a “data sensitivity” grade depending on the sensitivity of the data they gather. A broker who gathers social security numbers or medical information, for example, will have a higher data sensitivity rating.
Emails
You will get emails from data brokers when they approach you during Incogni’s automatic scrub of your digital data broker profile. Don’t be concerned! The vast majority of these interactions between Incogni’s automation and data brokers do not require any more input from you. Indeed, after the first shock of receiving the first email in my inbox, I grew to appreciate the openness that this provided to the process. It’s good to have real evidence that Incogni is doing what it says.
Data brokers often have a month or more to react to removal requests, and many will take advantage of as much of that legal window as possible. While checking in with the site is optional after it’s up and running, it was fascinating to watch the completed requests steadily mount up. By the third day of utilizing the service, 27 of the 108 requests put out on my behalf by Incogni had been designated as “completed.”
Data Brokers
When it comes to the data brokers that Incogni features and monitors, the current list is relatively modest, consisting of just over 200 companies. That’s not a particularly spectacular figure, given that hundreds of other companies gather data, not to mention disclosures from different data breaches. Nonetheless, it is superior to many other data cleanup services.
Limits
Incogni is currently only available to citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, and Canada; nevertheless, this still represents a sizable portion of the digital population and is more than the coverage of other data deletion services. Hundreds of data brokers operate throughout the world under a variety of regulations (or completely beyond the law). Neither Incogni nor any data deletion provider will ever be able to contact all of them and remove your data.
However, Incogni is always adding new ones, so the longer you stay enrolled, the more coverage you will receive. Depending on your location, Incogni will also send out more or fewer automatic takedown requests on your behalf. Incogni will not contact a data broker if they are not legally required to erase your data due to where you live.
Refund Policy
Whichever of the two Incogni plans you pick, you can be confident that your consumer rights will be safeguarded. Incogni offers a money-back guarantee to any consumer who is dissatisfied with the service provided. You must contact customer service at support@incogni.com within 30 days of your purchase to get a refund. Before refunding your purchase, the support team will attempt to fix any difficulties you may have had with the service. A refund is available after the 30-day period in certain situations, such as if the service encountered difficulties and you attempted to contact customer support to remedy the issue.
Plans & Pricing
Incogni’s pricing model is transparent and reasonable. There are no various levels or complicated plans to pick from, so you may pay monthly or annually. Everyone receives all of the features and complete service, regardless of how they choose to pay for this tool. Incogni’s monthly subscription fee is $11.49. Naturally, paying once a year has advantages.
Most importantly, you pay substantially less: $69.48 per year versus $137 if you choose the monthly Incogni membership and stay with the organization for a year. That’s roughly a 50% savings. Unfortunately, there is no free trial or other method to evaluate the service before making a purchase. Surfshark does run promotions on occasion, particularly on Black Friday and other sale days, so there is at least the possibility to test out this product without investing too much money.
Bottom Line
Overall, Incogni is a simple service. You only need to create an account and wait for Incogni to contact all data brokers that may have your personal information. The only thing you need to keep track of is whether or not the emails you get from these companies have been cc’d to Incogni. It’s also comforting to know that the service is provided by a well-known cybersecurity firm, implying that your data is in excellent hands. Still, one shortcoming is that there aren’t many options for contacting customer service. Having said that, with a monthly fee of $6.49 and a 30-day money-back guarantee, it’s a wonderful solution for reclaiming custody of your data from data brokers all over the world.
FAQ’s
Is Incogni Really Effective?
Yes, and without you having to do anything other than affirm that particular data is yours. It also does not currently include every broker on its list, although it is constantly updated with new data brokers.
Can I Put My Faith in Incogni?
Incogni’s privacy policy discloses a lot of your personal information to third parties, but unlike a VPN, very little of that data is sensitive in and of itself. Incogni is secure unless you have a compelling reason to conceal your home address.
What Does Incogni Cost?
Incogni costs $12.99 a month for a single month or $6.49 per month for a year ($77.88 total).
What Is Incogni Data Removal?
Incogni exists to contact data brokers on your behalf and commence the data removal procedure. It employs an algorithm to detect data broker companies that may have access to your personal information.
Is Incogni available in Canada?
If you live in Canada, you may sign up for and utilize Incogni. As we stated in our Incogni review, the service is available to residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, and Canada.