How to erase yourself from the internet with Claude#

Step 1: find everything that is exposed#

Before you delete anything, you need to know what is actually out there. This part takes about 15 minutes, and it usually surprises people.

Search each of these on Google, one at a time:

• Your full name in quotes ("First Last")
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your home address
• Your name plus the city you live in

Take a screenshot of every result that matters. Data broker listings, old social profiles, forum accounts, articles that mention you. Save them in a folder so you have a record.

Then drop the screenshots or the copied results into Claude with this prompt:

"Look at these search results. Categorize them as data brokers, social media, old accounts, or articles. Arrange them in deletion priority order starting with the ones that expose the most personal information."

You will get a prioritized hit list. Start at the top, where the most sensitive information is exposed.

Next, go to haveibeenpwned.com and check every email address you have ever used. It shows which breaches your address turned up in. Copy the full list and give it to Claude:

"Here is a list of data breaches my email was found in: [paste list]. For each one, tell me the priority action: password change, enable two-factor authentication, or full account deletion. Rank them by current risk level with the most dangerous breaches first."

Most people skip this breach check. Twenty minutes here saves you a lot of trouble later.

---

Step 2: remove yourself from data brokers#

Data brokers are the easiest wins. Sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, WhitePages, MyLife, Radaris, TruePeopleSearch, and FastPeopleSearch scrape your information and publish it. Under CCPA, GDPR, and similar laws they have to remove it when you ask.

For each broker on your hit list, give Claude a prompt like this:

"Write a CCPA data deletion and opt-out request to [data broker name]. My information: Name: [your full name]. Email: [your email]. Address: [your address]. Include legal references to the California Consumer Privacy Act. Professional tone. Request confirmation of deletion within 45 days."

Claude drafts the email in seconds. Copy it, find the broker's opt-out page or privacy contact (usually in the footer or privacy policy), and send it.

Direct opt-out pages for the biggest data brokers#

Data Broker	Opt-Out URL
Spokeo	spokeo.com/optout
BeenVerified	beenverified.com/app/optout/search
WhitePages	whitepages.com/suppression-requests
MyLife	mylife.com/ccpa/index.pubview
Radaris	radaris.com/control/privacy
TruePeopleSearch	truepeoplesearch.com/removal
FastPeopleSearch	fastpeoplesearch.com/removal

Search your name on the site first to confirm you are listed, then submit the request. Most removals go through in 24 to 72 hours. A few take up to 30 days.

If a broker hides the opt-out or makes it hard to find, use a firmer version:

"Write a formal CCPA opt-out request for [data broker name] that I can send to their registered privacy contact. Include a reference to my right to deletion under CCPA Section 1798.105, a request for confirmation of deletion, and a note that failure to comply within 45 days may result in a complaint to the California Attorney General. My information: [name, email, address]."

You will find that legal language gets a faster reply. The risk of non-compliance is real, so companies tend to act.

---

Step 3: delete old accounts#

Every old forum, app, or tool you tried once and forgot still holds your data. Deleting the app from your phone does not delete what is on their servers.

Go to justdeleteme.xyz. It ranks hundreds of services by how hard they are to delete. Start with the ones marked "easy" and work your way up.

For each account, give Claude this prompt:

"I want to permanently delete my account on [service name]. Walk me through the full deletion process, not just deactivation. I want to make sure the data is completely erased from their servers. Include any links I need to visit and any emails I need to send."

You will get the exact steps for that service. Some need an email to support, some have a hidden deletion page, some make you wait 30 days. Claude pulls the actual process so you do not have to hunt through help docs.

If a service only offers deactivation, push for full deletion:

"Write a GDPR Article 17 right to erasure request for [service name]. I want full deletion of all personal data associated with my account: [email address]. Include a requirement for written confirmation that all data has been permanently deleted and not just deactivated."

In the US, use CCPA instead of GDPR. In Canada, use PIPEDA. Claude can switch the legal basis for you:

"Write a data deletion request for [service name] using the privacy law that applies in [your country or state]. My email: [email]. I want full deletion, not deactivation."

---

Step 4: bury what you cannot delete#

Some things will not come down. An old article, a news mention, a court record, a forum post from 2014 on a site that never answers email. When you cannot delete, you bury.

The goal is simple. Push the unwanted result off the first page of Google. Almost no one clicks to page two. If it sits on page two or deeper, for most purposes it is gone.

Give Claude this prompt:

"I have a negative or unwanted search result at this URL: [paste URL]. Using my name [your name] and profession [your profession], come up with 5 content angles I can publish that target the same keywords as this URL. The goal is to create new content that Google will rank higher than the existing result. Optimize each angle for the exact keywords in the unwanted result. Suggest where to publish each piece (LinkedIn, Medium, personal website, industry directories)."

You will get five ideas tuned to outrank the bad result. Publish them on sites that Google already trusts, like LinkedIn, Medium, or your own domain. New pages are indexed quickly, and over two to three months they tend to push the old result down.

It also helps to create or update profiles on high-authority sites:

• LinkedIn (filled out fully with your name and profession)
• Medium (one article with your name in the title)
• About.me (free personal page)
• Crunchbase (if applicable)
• Your own domain (a simple one-page site with your name)

Each one is a result you control. The more you own, the less space there is for results you do not.

---

Step 5: lock down your privacy going forward#

Cleaning up once does not help if you leave the same doors open. These five habits take about ten minutes and keep things clean.

1. Google yourself once a month. Put it on your calendar. Search your name, email, and phone number. If something new appears, deal with it right away while it is still fresh.

2. Set a Google Alert for your full name. Go to google.com/alerts and create an alert for "Your Full Name" in quotes. Google will email you when your name shows up on a new page. It is free and takes 30 seconds.

3. Use a masked email for new signups. Services like SimpleLogin or AnonAddy give you disposable addresses that forward to your real inbox. Your real address never touches a new service again.

4. Use a secondary phone number. Google Voice is free and works for most signups that ask for a phone number. Your real number stays private.

5. Review app permissions every quarter. Open your phone settings and revoke access for apps you no longer use. Old apps with permissions are a quiet leak.

Give Claude this prompt for a plan that fits what you just cleaned up:

"Based on everything we cleaned up today, give me a monthly privacy maintenance checklist I can follow in under 15 minutes. Include what to search, what to check, and what to update. Keep it simple enough that I will actually do it every month."

You will get a checklist tailored to your situation. Save it somewhere you will actually see it, not buried in a downloads folder.