A thorough review of your digital footprint covering browser settings, app permissions, social media exposure, data broker removal, and ongoing privacy habits.
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Browser and Search Privacy
Switch to a privacy-focused search engine
Set your default search engine to one that doesn't track your searches. Major search engines store your search history indefinitely and build a profile from it. A privacy-focused alternative returns similar results without logging your queries.
Install a tracker-blocking browser extension
A good tracker blocker stops 30-50% of network requests on the average website — those are all tracking scripts loading in the background. Pages also load 20-40% faster with trackers blocked because your browser downloads less data.
Clear cookies and set auto-delete rules
Go to browser settings and clear all cookies, then set cookies to auto-delete when you close the browser. Keep exceptions only for sites where staying logged in matters — typically 5-10 sites. Third-party cookies alone can track you across 50-100+ websites.
Disable third-party cookies entirely
In browser privacy settings, block all third-party cookies. These are placed by advertisers, not the site you're visiting, and exist solely to track you. First-party cookies (from the site you're on) still work normally and keep you logged in.
Review and remove unnecessary browser extensions
Open your browser's extension manager and review every installed extension. Each extension can read and modify the pages you visit. Remove any you don't actively use. Browser extensions are a common attack vector — malicious ones affect roughly 280 million users per year.
Social Media Privacy
Audit privacy settings on every social platform
Go to Settings > Privacy on each social media account. Set your profile to private or friends-only if you don't need public visibility. Limit who can see your posts, friends list, and contact info. The default settings on most platforms expose everything to the public.
Remove personal details from public profiles
Remove your phone number, email address, home town, employer, and birthday year from public profiles. This information is scraped by data brokers and used for identity theft. Your full birthdate plus your hometown is enough for someone to guess most security questions.
Review and revoke third-party app connections
Go to Settings > Connected Apps or Authorized Applications on each platform. Remove any app or game you no longer use. The average social media account has 5-15 connected apps, and abandoned apps retain access to your data indefinitely unless you revoke them.
Disable facial recognition and tagging features
In photo settings, turn off automatic face recognition and set photo tags to require your approval. Facial recognition data is among the most sensitive biometric information and is being collected by platforms across billions of photos.
Phone and App Permissions
Audit location permissions for all apps
Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and review every app. Set most to 'While Using' or 'Never.' The average phone has 20-30 apps requesting location, but only 3-5 genuinely need it. A single app tracking your location logs 50-100 data points per day.
Review camera and microphone permissions
Check which apps have camera and microphone access in Settings > Privacy. Remove access from apps that don't need it — a calculator or weather app has no reason to use your camera. Both iOS and Android show indicator dots when these are actively being used.
Delete apps you haven't used in 3 months
Sort your apps by last used date in Settings > Storage. Apps you haven't opened in 90+ days are collecting data passively while providing zero value. The average phone has 80+ installed apps but regularly uses only 9-10 of them.
Disable advertising identifiers
On your phone, go to Settings > Privacy > Advertising and reset or turn off your advertising ID. This unique identifier links your activity across every app you use. Disabling it breaks the tracking chain between apps, reducing targeted ad profiling significantly.
Data Broker and Account Cleanup
Search for yourself on people-search sites
Search your full name, phone number, and email address on 3-5 major people-search sites. Most people find their home address, age, phone number, and family members' names listed publicly. Each site has an opt-out process that takes 5-15 minutes.
Submit opt-out requests to data brokers
Each data broker has a removal process, usually under a privacy or opt-out page. Submit requests to the top 10-15 brokers that show your information. Removal takes 2-4 weeks per site. Some sites re-list you after 6-12 months, so check annually.
Delete old accounts you no longer use
List every online account you can remember and delete the ones you no longer use. The average person has 70-100 online accounts but actively uses fewer than 20. Old accounts with reused passwords are easy targets. Check your email for 'Welcome' messages to find forgotten accounts.
Request data deletion from major platforms
Most platforms allow you to request a copy of your data and then delete it. Downloading your data first lets you see exactly what was collected — most people are surprised by the volume. Deletion requests must be processed within 30-45 days in most jurisdictions.
Email and Communication Privacy
Unsubscribe from marketing emails and newsletters
Go through your inbox and unsubscribe from everything you don't read. The average person receives 40-60 marketing emails per week. Each one contains tracking pixels that report when, where, and on what device you opened the email.
Use email aliases for online signups
Create email aliases or use your email provider's '+' trick (like name+shopping@email.com) for different services. If one gets compromised or sold, you know exactly which service leaked it and can disable just that alias without changing your main address.
Enable email privacy protection
Turn on features that block tracking pixels in emails. These invisible 1x1 pixel images tell senders your IP address, location, device type, and exact open time. Email privacy features pre-load images through a proxy, blocking this surveillance entirely.
Ongoing Privacy Habits
Set a quarterly privacy review reminder
Schedule a 30-minute review every 3 months to re-check app permissions, connected apps, and data broker listings. New apps accumulate permissions, and data brokers re-list removed profiles. Quarterly reviews keep your privacy posture from degrading over time.
Use a VPN on public WiFi networks
Public WiFi at cafes, airports, and hotels is unencrypted — anyone on the same network can potentially intercept your traffic. A VPN encrypts everything between your device and the internet. Even on modern HTTPS sites, a VPN hides which sites you're visiting from the network operator.
Review app permissions after every OS update
Operating system updates sometimes reset or add new permission categories. After major updates, spend 5 minutes reviewing permissions to make sure nothing was changed. New features like 'Nearby Devices' or 'Bluetooth' permissions may default to allow for all apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a full digital privacy audit take?
A thorough first-time audit takes 4-6 hours spread across 2-3 sessions. Social media privacy settings alone take 30-45 minutes per platform because menus are intentionally buried. Data broker opt-outs require 2-3 hours across 10-15 sites with a 2-4 week processing period. After the initial cleanup, quarterly maintenance audits take about 1 hour each.
What data do companies actually collect about me?
The average person has data held by 350+ companies. Google alone stores search history, location timeline (accurate to 3 meters), voice recordings from Assistant, YouTube watch history, and email content for ad targeting. Facebook tracks your browsing across 8.4 million websites using its tracking pixel. Data brokers aggregate public records, purchase history, and social media into profiles that sell for $0.005 to $0.50 per person.
Which browser is best for privacy?
Firefox with the uBlock Origin extension blocks 95%+ of trackers while keeping normal browsing functional. Brave blocks trackers by default and includes a built-in ad blocker but has a smaller extension library. Safari offers strong anti-tracking on Apple devices with Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Chrome, despite its market share, is built by an advertising company and provides the least privacy protection by default.
Are VPNs worth paying for?
VPNs are worthwhile for specific situations: public WiFi protection, bypassing geographic content restrictions, and preventing your ISP from logging your browsing history. They cost $3-12/month for reputable services like Mullvad, Proton VPN, or IVPN. Free VPNs are almost always worse than no VPN because they monetize by selling your browsing data. A VPN does not make you anonymous — it shifts trust from your ISP to the VPN provider.
How do I remove my information from data broker sites?
Search for your name on Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, and PeopleFinder to see what is public. Each site has an opt-out page (usually buried in the footer or privacy policy) where you submit removal requests. Expect to spend 10-15 minutes per site across 10-20 brokers. Services like DeleteMe ($129/year) or Privacy Duck automate this process and handle re-listing, which occurs every 3-6 months when brokers re-scrape public records.