Is it even possible to disappear from the internet? Wirecutter writer Max Eddy explains how he tried to do it, why it’s so hard, and what steps you can take to take control of the information that’s out there. Plus, some of the surprising sentimental hurdles he had to overcome during this project.

Things we recommend:

Find websites that have exposed your email in a data breach: Have I Been Pwned
Find google results with your personal information in them: Google’s Results About You tool
The best password manager: 1Password
The best data removal service: DeleteMe
Create masked emails using Apple’s tool or Google’s tool
Automatically delete X posts using Cyd
On Facebook, retroactively limit who can see your posts, prevent search engine and image search of your content or pull up a log of your interactions on the platform, which lets you delete comments that have become problematic with age.

Additional reading:

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Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter Show Podcast

Can You Really Disappear Online?

The Wirecutter Show