Does yours?

In this post, we’ve highlighted the most actionable (yet simple) tips you can use to take your Twitter bio to the next level.

You see, your bio can accelerate your growth on social media.

Or cripple it.

The good news is creating an awesome Twitter bio isn’t that hard. You just have to know the right moves to make.

When you’re done reading this you’ll have a bunch of great ideas you can use right away.

Let’s get started.

1. Make The Most Of Your 160

Your Twitter bio is capped at 160 characters. That’s not much, but it’s enough to get your message across.

You’d be surprised how many people stop before they even hit 100 characters.

Don’t make that mistake.

The best Twitter bios use every bit of that character real estate. You might feel like you’ve said all you can after 120 characters, but stick with it until it’s maxed out.

You could include another call to action, awards you’ve won, anything. It’s really not that hard to fill that space.

Trust me, you’ll be happy you did.

2. Include Your Core Mission

The whole point of your Twitter bio is to deliver a concise description of who you are.

This means you need to mention your personal mission statement in some capacity.

You obviously won’t have the necessary space to include the whole thing, so you’ll need to trim it down (significantly).

Think of this as an elevator pitch within an elevator pitch.

Take your main goal or mission and turn it into one sentence (a short one).

This might seem tricky, but it’s actually a great exercise to go through regardless of where you use it.

3. Include A Link To Your Company Socials

Dropping a link to your company Twitter account within your own bio looks clean, and provides some credibility to your profile.

It also does a great job of breaking up the text and making your Twitter bio a lot more readable.

Anyone who comes across your Twitter will not only be able to learn about you but quickly check out any companies you’re associated with.

This will help you fast track the relationship-building process with potential followers. Social media is a noisy place, so taking advantage of interest when you have it is essential.

If your company doesn’t have a Twitter you can always create an account for a side project (if it has the potential to build an audience) or just stick to the rest of the tips on this list.

4. Ignore The Herd

You’ve probably seen a lot of the same phrases and self-anointed titles mentioned in various Twitter bios.

Don’t fall into this trap.

The reason people use these is they are trying to set themselves apart from the pack with a little individuality.

The reality is it does the exact opposite.

If you want to give yourself a funky little title, go for it. Just make sure it’s not being used regularly.

To make sure it’s unique, use the Twitter search bar and see if anything comes up.

If the results are flooded with similar nicknames it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

5. Use Keywords

Including keywords in your Twitter bio is absolutely necessary. This makes it easy for people to find you and provides clarity on what you do.

The thing is most Twitter bios either ignore this completely or go way too far.

Work backward from your core values (step 2) to find keywords ideas to include in your bio.

From there, prioritize the one or two that best describes what you do. The best choices should jump out at you right away.

If you want to go a little further, do some basic keyword research. This will help you get new ideas and sort them by popularity.

6. Include Any Accomplishments

If there are any accomplishments you can claim you should include them in your bio. This can be through work or something on the side.

Even without anything formal or fancy (“3x New York Times Best Seller”) you can still take advantage of this.

For example, if you started a blog you can do this. If it’s doing well you could add in something to spice it up (fastest-growing law blog).

Interesting accomplishments and projects are left out of Twitter bios way too often.

If you’ve done something neat, let everyone know about it!

7. Speak To Your Target Audience

Going too broad is a common mistake people make with their Twitter bios.

They want to gain as many new followers as possible and expand their reach on the network, so they talk to everybody.

All this does is water down your message.

We always recommend that our clients niche things down and get specific on Twitter (even with their bios).

You’re better off with 10,000 targeted, engaged, and like-minded followers than 1,000,000 who are the opposite.

To do this well, write the bio like you’re talking to your ideal customers, clients, or followers.

Someone who’s into what you do.

Do this and you’ll start off on the right foot with your followers.

8. Write Normally

In an effort to “optimize” their bio you’ll see a lot of people stuff them with hashtags and weird separators.

You might even see a lot of the “best” Twitter bio examples do this.

Don’t. Instead, keep things clean.

You don’t have a ton of space in your bio, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write in coherent English.

If you don’t do this you’ll come across like one of those over the top social media people (and maybe even seem a little desperate).

You know who we’re talking about, the ones who take LinkedIn SERIOUSLY.

Note: For the record, we do think LinkedIn is very important, but we also think you should have a life away from it

9. Don’t Neglect The Image

It’s a well-known fact that your profile picture carries most of the weight when it comes to leaving an impression on social media.

This means even if you have the best Twitter bio of all time, a bad profile picture will cancel it out.

Trust us, it’s that important.

This doesn’t mean you have to run out and get professional headshots taken. Make sure your picture:

• Is clear and crisp
• Shows your face (many don’t)
• Is well-lit
• Could be seen by a potential customer or employer

That’s a simplified version, but it will help you avoid the most common mistakes people make with their profile pictures.

10. Take Your Bio Further With A Pinned Post

Pinned posts are a fantastic way to expand on the key points or values you included in your bio.

What does this mean?

Inside your Twitter bio, you should be including the essentials about who you are and what you stand for.

But 160 characters doesn’t give you a lot of space to elaborate.

This is where you can use your pinned post to expand a bit.

Now pay attention to this:

We’re not saying you should create a pinned tweet that’s essentially a long description about yourself. That would be kind of weird.

What we ARE saying is that you should choose your pinned tweets carefully (and always use one).

Don’t just pin any old tweet. Pin one that ties back in with the core values you included in your bio.

This could be an accomplishment or news you’re proud of or an update on something important to you.

This will help potential followers learn more about you quickly.

11. Don’t Get Caught Up Trying To Be Funny

If you’re funny, be funny.

But don’t force it.

Of course, when you have something witty to throw in go for it. It can actually help you stand out from the crowd.

If nothing is coming to mind, however, there’s no shame in settling on a simple, professional Twitter bio.

Trying too hard to be funny and failing is a great way to leave a bad impression (or an awkward one).

And plenty of people do it.

Stick to the fundamentals and you’ll be just fine.

12. Include A Call To Action

Not including a call to action is one of the most common mistakes we see people make with their Twitter bios.

You should be using your bio to help promote things you’ve created, done, or are passionate about.

The whole point of social media isn’t to jabber at each other all day. It’s to make things happen.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a long-term follower or someone who just found you on Twitter, everyone will be looking at your bio.

Take advantage of this.

It doesn’t have to be over the top or in your face. Just a quick mention of, “sign up for a free trial here” will do the trick (for example).

13. Drop-In Another Link (If It Makes Sense)

Everyone knows about including a link in the “website” section of your profile.

But did you know that you can include links in your Twitter bio directly?

Tons of people don’t (or just don’t take advantage of it).

This is a very powerful trick because it can tie in with the call to action tip above. You can link to your main website in your profile, and link to a specific page within your bio.

If there’s a landing page you want to drive traffic to or a link to something neat you’ve done recently, this is a great place to put it.

This mean you can link out here and also use a pinned tweet to get as many eyes on your high-priority stuff as possible.

14. Include A Location

This is more of an aesthetic tip than anything else, but appearances matter online.

If you’re not using the location area of your Twitter bio you might be shooting yourself in the foot.

If you look at a lot of the best Twitter bio examples out there, almost all of them are using the location area in some capacity.

Leaving this blank makes things look a little less professional or even spammy. Since we know how many fake accounts are out there, users subconsciously put up warning flags when they see parts of a profile not filled out.

You’ve gotta put something in there.

If you don’t feel comfortable sharing the city you live in online (totally understandable) you can put something else in this area.

For example, if you look at Buffer’s Twitter account they put “We’re Global” as their location. You can do something similar.

15. Keep Your Photos & Videos In Mind

This is another aesthetic tip that can go a long way.

The collection of images and videos that show underneath your Twitter bio play a big part in the overall appearance of your profile.

If you have unimpressive thumbnails and images in this section, it could be harming the effectiveness of the Twitter bio you spent so much time writing.

The Twitter thumbnail feature is a little subpar so it’s not always going to look amazing, but you CAN control the quality of what you share.

What we recommend doing is going back and pruning some of your recent images and videos (whatever is showing below your bio). Find ones that don’t look great and if there’s no need to keep them anymore, click delete.

Simple.

5 Twitter Bio Examples We Love

Here are a few Twitter bio examples that do a great job of utilizing their 160 characters.

Use them to get some ideas and inspiration for your own.

1. Buffer

Buffer does a lot right when it comes to social media and their Twitter bio is no exception. They do a fantastic job of describing their business concisely and include some calls to action as well.

We also like how they included an emoji to draw in the eye.

2. HubSpot

HubSpot makes the list because they effectively include a summary of what they do as well as their motto/slogan.

This might seem simple but cleanly pulling it off can be tricky when space is limited.

3. Richard Branson

This Twitter bio is fantastic because it delivers Richard’s mission statement with punch without droning on forever.

Also, the Dr. Yes bit is fun and different.

4. Tim Ferriss

Tim does a great job of hammering home the awards and accomplishments tip that we recommend above.

This Twitter bio example lives by that principle and instantly delivers credibility by the truckload.

5. Chamath Palihapitiya

This is a good example of a Twitter bio that has some attitude and uniqueness without being over the top.

You get a good idea about what Chamath is like right off the bat and it’s definitely something that fits with his brand.

It’s Time To Get To Work

Now you have everything you need to make some big improvements to your Twitter bio.

The beauty is, none of this stuff takes longer to implement.

You can probably knock off most of it in twenty minutes.

Get to it!

P.S. If you want to give your personal brand on social media a bit of a nudge, create a free BrandYourself account. The tool will help you optimize and grow your online presence!

The post 15 Twitter Bio Tips You Need To Use (With Examples) | 2022 appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Sites our Protect Private Info tool removes from: 

The post BrandYourself Broker List appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Opting yourself out of Yellowpages.com is one of many important steps you can take to better safeguard your private information online.

Before we get into how to do that, let’s take a closer look at what purpose the website serves.

You’re probably familiar with the printed yellow pages that have been arriving on door steps for years. Yellowpages.com is the digital version.

The site is an easy way to look up information on both businesses and people.

• Business Listings – search any type of small business including restaurants, dentists, auto repair shops, veterinarians, and more. Businesses can list a profile that includes operation info, hours, contact info, photos, and even customer reviews.
• People Search – allows you to look up people by name, address, or phone number.

YellowPages is owned and operated by Thryv, a company that provides technology solutions to small businesses. No surprise there, especially considering the site’s emphasis on small businesses. If you’re a small business, then you likely want your business information to populate on the site, however, the average person probably prefers their personal information (addresses, phone number, email, age, etc.) to stay off the web.

For the purpose of this guide, we’ll focus on the people search functionality.

How did Yellow Pages get my information?

The YellowPages people search engine is actually powered by another data broker company, Intelius. This practice is pretty commonplace amongst data brokers.

Much of the same types of information can be found on different data broker and people search sites because they are all pulling from similar sources, including government and public records, social media sites, third party databases, and even other brokers.

What type of information do they have?

You can look up information on someone a few different ways: by name, by address, or through reverse phone number lookup.

A basic search on yellowpages.com produces a person’s full name, mailing address, and phone number. You can then click through to be brought to a more detailed report. This report includes a person’s age, additional known phone numbers, location history, work history, education, and known relatives. All of this information is available for free. 

From here, you can purchase a more advanced report that includes: 

• Full contact info (phone, email)
• Additional Aliases 
• Social Networks
• Neighbors / additional relatives
• Property records
• Criminal records 
• Bankruptcies
• Liens
• Judgements / lawsuits 
• Marriage / divorce records 

Having this type of information on the web puts you at a greater risk for identity theft, scammers, telemarketers, robo callers, and more.

Is this legal?

Because the information is a matter of public record, it is legal for sites like yellowpages.com to post your personal details. The law has simply not completely caught up with the prolific nature of the Internet. The good news, is that these sites will remove your information at upon request (more on that below)

Additionally, legislation has been slowly rolling out that serves to further protect consumer privacy on the web. Three particularly significant pieces of legislation include Europe’s GDPR, Vermont’s Protection of Private Info law, and the newest California Privacy Protection Act. Protection under GDPR only extends to EU citizens and it is a relatively complex law, but at its core, it requires companies that operate in the EU to not only completely erase any information they have on someone at their request, but it also allows individuals to request a copy of the information that the company had on them. 

Vermont’s law was significant in the US because it required any company participating in the buying and selling of consumer information to register with the state of Vermont. This provided the first visibility into data brokers and just how large the industry is. 

The newest registration, California’s law provides its residents the right to have their information removed from a company’s databases as well as request what information was originally collected and how. Although it only extends to California’s residents, it’s forced many people search sites to implement further private info removal processes.

Opt your information out of Yellowpages.com manually

Since Yellow pages is powered by Intelius, it’s best to opt yourself out of Intelius directly. This not only removes your information from Intelius, but from any other data broker site that it powers with its search engine (yellowpages.com for one).

It takes some time, but here is how to manually remove your information.

1. Navigate to  Intelius’ Opt-Out page.
2. Search for your name within their database
3. Select the record that contains your information 
4. Put your email in to submit the opt out request
5. Check your email for the verification email – this part is important, as your opt out request will not be processed unless you click the link in the confirmation email
6. It will take a few days for the opt out request to be processed and for the information to be removed

Keep in mind:

1. Check back to confirm the information has been removed – You won’t receive a confirmation that the information has been removed, so you will need to check yellowpages.com in a few days to make sure the info has been taken down.
2. It’s common for information to be reposted – since these sites gather their information by scraping other sources, it’s common for information to be reposted in some capacity even once it was removed. That’s why it’s important to continuously monitor Yellowpages, and other data brokers, to ensure that your information hasn’t been reposted. If it has, then you will need to go through the opt out process again.
3. Your name and info is on other sites similar to YellowPages – You will need to go through the opt out process with other data brokers as well. Each site has its own process. If you’re looking to do this on your own, Google your name to get a sense of which data brokers have your info.

Remove your info quickly with BrandYourself

The process of removing your info from sites like YellowPages can be time-consuming, especially when you consider just how many sites are out there that have your information. Each one usually has its own opt-process that requires different steps for each.

That’s why we developed our Protect Private Info tool — it finds and removes your exposed personal information on 50 of the most common data broker websites. Since it’s common for these sites to repost information, the tool also includes ongoing monitoring and removal to ensure your privacy is always protected.

Here’s how to get started: 

1. Get your free privacy scan

If you don’t already have a BrandYourself account, create one for free here. You’ll notice that we offer a few different features that speak to different aspects of managing your online presence, including tools to clean up social media, improve personal Google results, and protect online privacy. Navigate to the “Protect Private Info” tab

Put in your name and age to kick off your free privacy scan- we’ll also ask you to verify your location.

2. Upgrade to begin removing your information automatically

Once the scan is complete, we’ll show you what type of information we found and on which websites. For us to remove the information, simply upgrade to our premium Protect Private Info feature.

3. Breathe easy – we’ll take things from here!

There’s nothing else for you to do. We’ll send you regular email updates on our progress and you can check in any time on the status of your removals within your BrandYourself account. We’re constantly scanning the sites on your behalf and if we identify it has been reposted, we’ll remove it. 

Continue to be diligent about your online privacy

As we’ve mentioned, Yellow pages is just one of many sites that are posting your information online. Being aware of and opting out of sites that are publicly sharing your personally identifiable information (name, address, age, phone, email, relatives, etc.) is one critical step to safeguarding your privacy on the web.

Two other steps you should take:

• Stay up to date on company data breaches and exposure on the Dark Web – it seems every few weeks, you hear about a company who experienced a data breach resulting in the personal information of its customers/users being leaked to the Dark Web. These types of breaches elevates your risk of people using your info maliciously. While you can’t remove something once it’s on the dark web, there are steps you can take to mitigate some of the risks. We developed a Dark Web Scan that will notify you if your information has been involved in over 350 (and counting) known data breaches.
• Delete old accounts you no longer use – Over the years, you’ve probably signed up for dozens of accounts, newsletters, mailing lists, etc. You’re likely not even using many of the sites anymore (or remember signing up for them in the first place). It’s best practice to close out any accounts you don’t use to minimize the number of places with your information.  We released a free tool that helps you to identify old accounts you’ve created and helps you to clean them up – just access it in your BrandYourself account.

The post Yellow Pages: Opt Out & Personal Info Removal (2022 Guide) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Some of this trace may be obvious. For example, your social media posts were a deliberate decision to post something to the Internet. However, a lot of your digital footprint may not be as obvious (like browsing information collected by a website for future ad targeting).

Your digital footprint is essentially where your online reputation and online privacy collide — and it can have a huge impact on your livelihood. Here’s why it’s so important:

From a reputation standpoint:

• You will be looked up online. Plain and simple. At 77%, an overwhelming majority of employers research potential candidates online. And this practice goes beyond employment. Clients, business partners, colleagues, dates, (anyone really) are researching you for any number of reasons. What they find has a big impact:
  • Red flags on social media or in search results can leave a poor impression. At an extreme, they can have devastating consequences.  54% of employers have even eliminated a candidate based on what was found on social media.
  • Having a positive digital footprint, or a positive online personal brand can lead to more career and business opportunities. A great first impression can set you apart from others that are being researched.
• Since anyone can post anything about anyone online, some of your digital footprint may not be of your own making. We see this all the time with people dealing with negative search results like a press article, legal/court proceedings, unwanted photos/images, or even unfair negative reviews. An unwanted search result can occur at any time so it’s crucial to be vigilant about maintaining a positive online presence.

From a privacy standpoint:

• All of your Internet activity is stored somewhere. This leaves your information vulnerable to a data breach with any number of companies. There were 1,001 data breaches in 2020 alone, exposing the information of an estimated 155.8 million individuals. Once breached, your info can find its way into the wrong hands.
• The rise of data brokers and people search sites make personal information more accessible (and vulnerable) than ever. Anyone can go to these sites and access mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives, court/legal records, etc. They are a treasure trove for identity thieves, hackers, spammers, robocallers, and more.

Manage Your Digital Footprint in 7 Easy Steps

It may seem like a tall order to oversee your entire digital footprint. We broke it down into actionable steps that you can take right now.

1. Know What’s Out There About You

The first step to executing a plan regarding your digital footprint is to know exactly what you’re dealing with. This requires a full digital audit. As a first pass, Google yourself to get a sense of what is out there for the average person to see who is looking you up. Take stock of the results. Are they positive? Negative? Neutral? If you’ve never done this before, what you find might be quite surprising.

Googling yourself will provide an initial picture but a full audit requires you to go much deeper. This includes an audit of things that may not show up in a standard search engine (like if your info has been exposed on the Dark Web in a data breach).

Our tool provides a free scan of your digital footprint, including risky Google results, risky social media posts, exposed personal information, and potential Dark Web exposures. Get your free scan to see in seconds where your digital footprint stands.

2. Clean Up Any Risky Content You Control

Remove anything that could be putting your reputation at risk. For most people, this involves deleting social media posts and images. Some potentially risky social media posts include:

• Profanity, swears, and unprofessional language
• Derogatory, bullying, or aggressive language
• Overt mentions of alcohol or drugs
• Sexually explicit language
• References to criminal or illegal behavior
• Discussions of polarizing topics

If you don’t have control of the content but are dealing with negative search results (like a press article or legal document), your best option is to suppress it by building a positive digital presence.

Related Reading: How to Bury An Push Down Negative Search Results

3. Delete Accounts You No Longer Use

Over time, you have likely signed up for a number of accounts that you no longer use. This can include social media profiles, newsletters, mailing lists, or any number of accounts created in order to use a website’s services. Leaving so many accounts within your digital footprint increases your chances of one (or more) experiencing a data breach. This can expose your personal information to potential hackers & identity thieves.

To be safe, delete any accounts you no longer use or can live without. Going through every account can seem like an impossible task. That’s why we built a free account deletion tool that helps you find and delete old accounts you signed up for with a given email address. Give it a go here.

4. Monitor Dark Web Breaches for your information

The dark web is a portion of the Internet that can’t be accessed by a standard web browser, like Google. Although not all activity on the dark web is sketchy, a lot of nefarious things occur here. One of the more common is leaking information from a data breach. Let’s say a company’s databases are hacked. Hackers will post the hacked information (which can range from email addresses to passwords, to even social security information) to the dark web.

Although the dark web can’t be accessed by the average person, it is possible to see if your email address has been exposed on the dark web. Once exposed, it can’t be removed. However, you can take precautionary measures like changing your passwords, checking in your important accounts, and removing your info from other places on the Internet (see below).

5. Remove Your Info from Online Data Brokers

Most people aren’t aware of the world of data brokers, and if you are, it can be shocking to discover that your personal information is so widely accessible online. Essentially, data brokers are websites that scrape public records and other publicly available sources of information about individuals and make the info easily searchable by anyone. They are also referred to as people search websites.

The amount of information on these sites is staggering. DOBs, Mailing addresses, phone numbers, emails, court/criminal records, relatives, property records, marriage records, social media information, and much more.

Hackers, scammers, identity thieves, robocallers, and more regularly use these data brokers for their own purposes. It’s incredibly important that you actively work to remove your info or “opt out” of the website.

Each data broker has its own process for removing your information from its website. If you don’t use an automated tool like BrandYourself, this requires you to research and opt out of each data broker individually.

6. Build a Positive Digital Footprint

Whether you’re mitigating a negative search result or looking to benefit from a personal brand, a positive digital footprint is easier to create than you think. This involves creating and maintaining professional profiles and websites so that they show up when someone searches your name. The process of building a personal brand can take some time but will pay off in the long run. Not only can it lead to more career opportunities, taking control of your online presence safeguards your reputation in the future.

This process is broken down into 3 steps:

• Create a number of profiles and websites that you control. LinkedIn and Twitter are two examples of professional profiles that can contribute to a solid personal brand. We also recommend a personal website that serves as a cornerstone of information about you. Tools like Squarespace & Wix make it easy for anyone to have their own website.
• Optimize your profiles/websites to show up when someone Googles your name. This process is referred to as search engine optimization (SEO).
• Update your sites and profiles regularly with content. Post to social media, create a blog, engage with others online, etc. Keep in mind, this is all contributing to your digital footprint so make sure whatever you post is in line with the personal brand you wish to build.

7. Follow Privacy Best Practices

In addition to some of the things outlined above regarding your digital footprint, follow the below best practices for your day-to-day Internet activites.

• Use unique passwords across all accounts and enable 2-Factor authentication when possible. This provides an extra layer of security. Also, never share your password with someone else. If you have difficulty keeping track of all passwords, use a secure password management tool like 1password. Many of these tools also come with a feature to generate a secure password.
• Be wary of phishing scams and don’t click on a link in an email from a recipient you don’t know. If you’re not sure of an email, research the company and check that the domain matches. For example, Facebook.com will send emails from the domain “facebook.com” If you’re receiving an email from “facebooklogin.com”, it could be someone’s attempt to get your login credentials. When in doubt, contact the company directly.
• Consider using a VPN when browsing the Internet to encrypt your connection. This a particularly good idea when using an unsecure or public WIFI network. You can visit https://att-bundles.com/wireless/ and check out AT&T unlimited wireless plans. On that note, make sure your home WIFI is password-protected.
• Manage your cookies and which companies are tracking your activity within the settings of your browser. While many cookies are harmless and help improve the experience of the websites you are visiting, it’s a best practice to opt out of any you don’t need.

The Wrap Up

Your digital footprint is something you should be aware of and actively managing. Take the steps outlined above to understand exactly what type of web presence you have and how to safeguard yourself online. You should also implement application integration software for an easier control among all digital platforms; check here for more information.

Get your free scan today to see what factors are contributing to your digital footprint.

The post What is a digital footprint? (And how it’s affecting you in 2022) appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Truecaller is an app that provides Caller ID and spam blocking services. It’s a bit different from the data broker websites we typically cover. The Truecaller app intentions are to provide better visibility around inbound personal calls for its users while limiting scam risks.

Regardless, you may still want your phone number to be removed from Truecaller’s system, especially if you do not plan to use the service.

We put together this guide to detail how to opt out of Truecaller’s system as well as additional information on its platform.

How to remove your Number from Truecaller

The Truecaller unlist process is straight forward and to the point. We’ve outlined the steps below. Note: this is the unlisting process if you do not have an account with Truecaller.

1. Go directly to Truecaller’s Unlist page on its website.

2. Enter your phone number, solve the reCAPTCHA, and click “Unlist Phone Number.”

3. Confirm you wish to remove the number from Truecaller’s database.

This will remove your phone number and any related information from Truecaller. If you have an existing Truecaller account, you must deactivate the account prior to removing your phone number (instructions below).

Deactivate Truecaller Account

If you have an existing Truecaller account follow the steps below to deactivate it and remove your data from its database.

1. Go to Truecaller’s website and log in to your account.

2. Select “Account & Privacy” from the lefthand navigation menu.

3. Click “Deactivate Your Account.” You can also request to download a copy of the data Truecaller holds on you.

4. Confirm you wish to deactivate your Truecaller account. This deletes your account and data from its system.

Keep in mind, deactivating your account removes your information history with the app. If you wish to sign up again, Truecaller will not have the data associated with your previous account.

If you have any questions about this process or the Truecaller app, reach out to their team here.

Remove your info from other places on the web

Your phone number and other personal info are likely widely exposed online, if you’re not actively removing them from data brokers. Each website has its own removal process and procedure. To simplify this process, we developed software that identifies and removes your personal information from over 50 data broker websites. Get a free scan to see which sites are posting your personal details online.

The post Truecaller Unlist: Remove Your Phone Number appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Deleting your Facebook account is a wise decision if you no longer use it or get value from it. Facebook has been involved in multiple data-related incidents in the past, including a major data breach and the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. Many of us have been on Facebook since the early days of its inception. That means over a decade of information they’ve gathered on you — posts, images, account activity, contact information, user behavior, you name it.

There are many levels to removing your information from Facebook — and the process differs based on your goals. It can be a bit confusing to navigate so we put together this guide to understand your options for removing your data from Facebook.

Let’s jump in.

How to Permanently Delete Facebook Account

This process will delete your account from Facebook’s platform and remove your information entirely from its database.

1. Go to Facebook.com and log in to your account.

2. Click the dropdown menu in the upper-righthand corner and click “Settings & Privacy.”

3. Click “Settings.”

4. Select “Your Facebook Information” from the left-hand navigation.

5. Scroll to the bottom of the options & click “Deactivation & Deletion”

6. Ensure “Permanently Delete Account” is selected. Then click “Continue to Account Deletion.”

7. If you wish to continue to use Facebook Messenger, stop here & deactivate your account instead (see below).

8. Download your information to retain a copy of your photos, posts, etc.

9. Edit Page admin settings (if applicable to you).

10. Enter your password.

11. Confirm permanent Facebook account deletion.

That completes the account deletion process. A few things to note about deletion:

• Facebook will retain your account for 30 days, after which it will be permanently deleted from their database. You can cancel the deletion process within the 30 day window by logging into your account and reversing the deletion process. After 30 days, your account and information will be irretrievable.
• If you are the sole admin for a Facebook Page that you wish to keep active, then you must provide admin access to another user. Otherwise, the Page will be deleted.
• As we mentioned earlier, deleting your Facebook Account will delete Facebook Messenger, your contacts, and all of your messages. If you wish to keep using Messenger, then go with an account deactivation instead (outlined below).

Deactivate Facebook Account Quickly

If you don’t want to permanently delete your Facebook account, you can temporarily deactivate it. This may make sense if you want to take a break from social media or don’t want your profile viewable anymore to other users.

What does deactivating a Facebook account mean? It disables the profile and removes it from view on the platform. Your name and photos will also be removed from most things that you’ve shared. You will be able to continue to use Facebook Messenger.

1. Log in to your account on Facebook.com.

2. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu in the upper right corner.

3. Go to “Settings.”

4. Click “Your Facebook Information” from the menu.

5. Select “Deactivation & Deletion” from the list of options.

6. Confirm “Deactivate Account” is selected. Then click “Continue to Account Deactivation.”

8. Enter your Facebook password to continue.

9. Complete the supplied form, including the deactivation reason, email opt out, and Messenger preferences.

10. Confirm you wish to have your account deactivated.

You can reactivate your account at any time by logging in. A few things to note:

• If you are the sole admin of a Facebook Page, you must add another admin or the Page will no longer be published. You must add another admin to keep the Page active.
• You can designate on the confirmation form how long you wish to have the Facebook account deactivated for. This is useful if you are taking participating in a brief “social media detox” or have a timeframe in mind of when you want to use the account again.

Access & Manage Facebook Data

Facebook provides an easy way to access all of your data. It serves as a running history of everything you’ve done on the platform — you may not be aware just how much data has accumulated over the years. Here’s how to access it.

1. Click on “Access Your Information” in Your Account Settings

You must be logged into your account. This section is specifically located in the “Your Facebook Information” section of Settings as displayed in this screenshot:

2. Navigate the Type of Information Facebook Retains

Click into each data type to get a full picture of what Facebook has.

There are two main groups of data:

Information you’ve shared & uploaded on Facebook

• Your contact information, information in your profile’s ‘About’ section, life events, hobbies, and music
• Posts you’ve shared and been tagged in
• Comments you’ve posted on your own posts and other posts
• Photos or videos you’ve shared or been tagged in
• Friends you are connected with
• Facebook Messenger messages
• Posts, comments, and pages you’ve liked or reacted to
• People, organizations, or businesses you follow
• Groups you belong to
• Your activity on Facebook Marketplace
• Payment History
• Apps and websites you log into using Facebook
• Items you’ve moved to Archive & Trash

Information Associated with Your Facebook Account

• Interactions and existing relationships you have with advertisers and your interactions with businesses and organizations you visit off of Facebook.
• A history of the words, phrases, and names you’ve searched for
• Information related to your location
• Your login history, session length, and other security-related information
• Face Recognition Settings
• Address Book and contact information
• Videos you’ve watched on Facebook
• A history of your voice recording and transcription on Facebook

Get more insight into how Facebook collects, shares, and protects user data in its Privacy Policy.

Download Facebook Data

At any time, you can download a copy of your Facebook information. Many people opt to do this prior to deleting their Facebook account. It may be particularly useful for saving nostalgic items that only exist on Facebook, like photos, videos, and posts between friends.

We’ve already gone through what type of information Facebook has, now let’s jump into how to download copies of it.

1. Select  “Download Your Information” in your Account settings.

2. Select which groups of information you wish to download. Click “Create File.”

You can download a complete copy or select specific types of information. You can also select a date range, file format, and media quality for the assets.

3. Wait for your copy of information to be created.

Depending on the size, it may be in multiple files. Facebook will notify you when the file is ready for you to download. You can download it directly from Facebook to your computer.

This is a password-protected process that only you have access to. Once your copy has been created, it will be available for download for only a few days.

How to Delete a Facebook Page

If you no longer have use for a Facebook Page that you manage and it does not make sense to provide admin access to another person, then deletion is your best option. We’ve outlined the steps below.

1. Log into your Facebook account.

2. Click on “Pages” from the navigation on the left side of the screen

3. Select the Page you wish to delete from the list of “Pages You Manage.”

4. In the “Manage Page” menu, select “Settings.”

5. Scroll down and click on “Remove Page.”

6. Confirm Facebook Page deletion.

This will immediately delete your Facebook Page. Unlike with personal accounts that enter a time period where the deletion can be reversed, your Facebook Page cannot be restored.

How to Delete Other Old Accounts

Facebook is likely one of many accounts you’ve signed up for over the years. Deleting these accounts is a critical measure towards lowering your risk of potential data breaches and other hacks. A good rule of thumb: if you don’t use it, delete it. This can be a time-consuming process.  We created an easy-to-use tool that quickly identifies accounts you’ve signed up for with a given email address and helps you to delete them.

The post How to Delete Facebook Account Permanently & Remove Your Data appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

Ready to delete your Pinterest account? That’s a smart idea if you are no longer using it. Like many social media platforms, Pinterest retains a lot of data on its users. This data falling into the wrong hands could lead to a lot of problems in the future.

Some of the information Pinterest retains includes name, age, location, pins, boards, follower information, uploaded photos, and more. It also keeps user-behavior data, browsing information, and other demographic data.

We outlined the steps below to delete Pinterest account(s) you’ve signed up for.

Delete Pinterest Account: Step-by-Step

These are the steps to permanently delete your Pinterest account and data. If you’re interested in less permanent solutions for limiting the visibility of your account, scroll down to the next section of this guide.

1. Go to Pinterest.com.

2. Log in to your Pinterest account.

2. In the upper-right corner, select “Settings” in the drop-down menu.

3. Select “Account Settings” in the navigation.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the page & select “Close Account.”

5. Click “Continue” to proceed with the account deletion.

6. Complete the survey about why you wish to close the account. Then click “Send email.”

6. Check your email for a confirmation email. Click “Yes, close account” to permanently delete the account.

Pinterest holds onto your data for 14 days. If you change your mind within that timeframe, you can log back in to reactivate and recover your account. After 14 days all of your data will be deleted.

Understanding Pinterest’s Privacy Settings

Deleting your Pinterest completely may be too extreme for you — maybe you plan to use the account in the future. Pinterest provides different options for managing your profile’s visibility as well as how your data is managed. We’ve outlined these below.

1. Hide Pinterest Profile

When you create a Pinterest profile, by default, it can be indexed by search engines like Google. This means when someone Googles your name or a name associated with your profile, there’s a strong chance it will show up in the first few pages of results. In fact, if you’re looking to build a positive personal brand, Pinterest is an excellent high-ranking profile.

However, you may not want your info to be so easily found and prevent your Pinterest profile from showing up in search engines. Go to: Settings >> Privacy>>Select “Hide your profile from search engines.” It can take some for search engines to recognize this change and remove the profile from the results.

2. Deactivate Pinterest Account

If you want to take a break but don’t want to permanently delete your Pinterest account, then deactivation may be for you. This will prevent anyone from seeing your pins or profile. You will no longer show up in a search on the platform and any connections made to Youtube, Etsy, or Instagram will be removed. You can reactivate your profile at any time. Go to: Settings >>Account Settings>>Select “Deactivate Account.”

Keep in mind, this is not a permanent solution for deleting a Pinterest account. Your profile, pins, personal info, and user data still exist in Pinterest’s database.

3. Close Pinterest Account

This is a permanent account deletion and are the steps we outlined above. You won’t be able to recover your pins or boards and all account data will be removed from Pinterest’s database. As we mentioned above, Pinterest doesn’t remove the account for 14 days so if you change your mind, you can reactivate within that 14-day window.

Learn about how Pinterest manages your data in its privacy policy.

Next Steps: Delete Other Unwanted Accounts

Cleaning up old accounts you no longer use is a best practice for safeguarding your privacy on the web. The more websites with your personal information, the higher the risk that the information is involved in a breach down the line. A good rule of thumb is removing any accounts you no longer use.

It can be a tedious exercise to find accounts linked to your email address. Just think about how many accounts, profiles, newsletters, etc. that you’ve signed up for over the years. That’s why we developed a handy feature that handles this process for you – it finds accounts you’ve signed up for with a given email address and helps you to quickly delete them. It’s free and easy to use — give it a try.

The post How to Delete a Pinterest Account Fast & Remove Your Info appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

When you sign up for a dating website, like Plenty of Fish (POF), you provide the site with a lot of personal information. This includes where you live, age, ethnicity, religion, occupation, education, dating preferences, family history, lifestyle behaviors, income, personality traits, and more. They also retain a lot of biometric data about you including height, body type, eye color, and hair color — on top of the collection of images you likely uploaded to. But honestly, there’s no need to include that overly personal information.

It makes sense that a site like POF would require so much info — it’s how they help you to make the most of your account and give you the best chance of making a real connection with someone. Whether you no longer require the service because you’ve made a connection or simply no longer wish to have the account, you may decide to delete the account and have your data removed from POF’s database. This is a smart move towards better protecting your privacy online.

If you only wish to delete your POF profile or hide it from searches within the platform, you can do so within the settings of your POF account. This will only hide the profile from other POF users and does not remove your info from their database. You should only go this route if you plan to use the profile again. If you run into any issues or have any questions, email POF’s support team here.

Delete POF Account: Step-by-Step Directions

Follow the steps we outlined below to quickly delete your POF account.

Keep in mind, these are instructions for deleting a POF account on a standard web browser (like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox). We listed further instructions for how to delete a POF account on an app below.

1. Go to pof.com

2. Log in to your POF account

3. Go directly to the POF account deletion page here: https://ca.pof.com/deleteaccount.

4. Answer the required questions and click “Delete Account”.

5. Confirm you wish to delete the account.

6. You’re all set!

This completes the deletion process. If, for whatever reason, you notice that your account is still active then follow up with their support team by filling out the contact form here.

Information removed from POF

Deleting your account is a permanent action. When you delete your POF account, the following info is removed from their database:

• Your profile and the information you supplied in order to create the profile
• Account preferences
• Any photos you uploaded
• All matches
• All conversations with said matches

Any active subscriptions will also be canceled. Per their Terms of Service, Plenty of Fish does not issue refunds.

It’s possible that information is retained but is anonymized so it is no longer personally identifiable information that can be directly traced to your identity. An example of this includes general demographic and/or user behavior data.

Learn more about what information POF collects, what they retain upon account deletion, and how the information is protected in their Privacy Policy.

How to delete POF account on iPhone

If you typically use the POF iPhone app to access your account, the above steps to delete the account are still applicable. However, if you have a subscription through iTunes/the App Store, you must follow the below steps to cancel it. POF does not handle these third party subscriptions and cannot cancel them for you.

1. Go to “Settings > iTunes & App Store” on your iPhone or iPad.
2. If you are not already signed into your Apple account, select your Apple ID at the top of the screen to sign in.
3. Select “Subscriptions.”
4. Select your POF subscription from the list.
5. Update the settings to cancel.

How to delete POF account on Android

As with the POF iPhone app, if your POF subscription is managed through the Google Play Store, you will need to follow the instructions below to cancel the subscription.1.

1. Go to the Google Play Store on your phone or tablet.
2. Sign in to your Google Account, if you aren’t already.
3. From the menu, select “Subscriptions.”
4. Find your POF subscription among the list.
5. Select “Cancel Subscription.”

Delete Other Outdated Accounts that Put Your Privacy at Risk

POF is likely just one of many online accounts you’ve collected over the years. Just think about how frequently you sign up for something online — whenever you make an online purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, create a social media profile, give your email address to access a piece of content, etc. Leaving these unused accounts out in the wild puts you at risk. You never know if one of these accounts could be involved in a data breach. That puts your info in reach of identity thieves, hackers, and other unsavory characters. That’s why it’s best practice to close out accounts and delete your info from any institution that you no longer lose.

Most sites will have their own account deletion process or will honor a deletion request if you reach out to them. However, it’s hard to keep track of just how many accounts you’ve created over the years. That’s why we developed a free account deleter tool that identifies accounts you’ve signed up for with a given email and helps you clean them up.

The post Delete Your POF Account (Plenty of Fish) & Remove Your Personal Info Fast appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

In this quick guide, we cover how to protect your PII online, including how to remove your personal info from Google. Before we jump into that, let’s cover exactly what’s considered PII and common risks you should be aware of.

PII includes (but is not limited to):

• Full Name
• Social Security Number
• Driver’s Licence Number
• Passport Number
• Taxpayer Identification Number
• Credit Card or Bank Account Number
• Biometric data
• IP Address
• Email Address
• Personal Mailing Address
• Personal Phone Numbers
• Etc.

PII doesn’t necessarily have to be information directly linked to a specific individual. It can also refer to data that when combined with other types of information, it can point to the identity of an individual. For example, a date of birth becomes identifiable info when combined with one of the PII data points above.

Some other supporting data points include:

• Date of birth
• Race
• Religion
• Place of birth
• Online behavior
• Employment information
• Etc.

This type of information is commonly referred to as “non-sensitive PII”. An example of “sensitive personally identifiable information” is your social security number. There is only one social security number per individual and therefore poses a huge risk if someone other than you comes into possession of it.

PII & Online Privacy Risks

As you can imagine, your information getting into the wrong hands can result in devastating consequences. The most common risk is falling victim to identity theft or a hack.

According to a 2019 study, over 14.4 million people per year are a victim of identity fraud.  Identity thieves typically use a combination of data from different sources to get the information needed to open credit cards, take out loans, make erroneous purchases in your name, and more.

Other risks include an increase in telemarketers, robocalls, spam. Although less devastating than identity theft, these other risks are an annoyance nonetheless. The more readily available your info is on the web, the more likely companies and organizations will use it for their own gain.

What puts your PII at risk in the first place?

There are 3 compounding factors that leave your PII, and identity, vulnerable online.

1. The sheer volume of companies with your info

Think of the number of places that could have your information (there are probably way more than you even realize). Every account you’ve created, website you’ve visited, survey/form you’ve submitted, newsletter or mailing listing you signed up for, etc. contributes to a digital breadcrumb of organizations with your PII.

The type of information ranges greatly (for example, few places would have access to your full social security details).

2. The proliferation of data breaches

The more companies that have your info, the more susceptible you are to having that info involved in a data breach. A data breach occurs when a hacker or cyber-criminal breaks into a source of data and steals sensitive information. This information is then commonly leaked to the dark web and exposed to any number of unsavory characters. To date, there have been over 494 major data breaches on the dark web.

The type of info found in these breaches vary greatly and don’t always include the necessary PII for criminals to do anything meaningful with. Identity thieves and hackers then turn to search engines to fill in the “gaps” of data they need.

3. The availability of PII on Data brokers

The prime resource for your info finding its way into search engines are data brokers. These are websites that aggregate personally identifiable information for individuals and make it easy for anyone to access it – equivalent to that of a phone book or directory online. There are dozens of these types of sites —  Whitepages, TruePeopleSearch, Intelius, and Spokeo to name a few.

Info available on these sites include addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, age, relatives, marriage/divorce records, property records, criminal records, legal documents, and more.

A common example of an identity thief “filling in the gaps” with a data broker is finding answers to common security questions, like your mother’s maiden or the mascot of your high school.

How to safeguard your PII on the web

The good news is there’s a number of steps you can take to better protect your PII data online.

Remove personally identifiable information from data brokers

One of the most important things you can do is remove your information from public data brokers and people search sites. Fortunately, these sites do offer a way to opt out and remove your info from their databases. Each website has its own procedure for removing PII and it’s important that you monitor these sites to ensure your info doesn’t crop up again in the future. We developed a tool that identifies and removes your data from 50 of the most popular brokers exposing it online — get a free scan to see where your info is exposed.

Know when your info has been involved in a breach

As they say, knowledge is power. Although a data breach can’t be undone, knowing your info has been removed helps you to remain vigilant. If you are involved in a breach, steps like changing your password to the breached account and keeping an eye on your financial institutions can help to mitigate any risk. Check out our dark web scan in our DIY tool, it notifies you if your email is involved in a known breach.

Delete any vulnerable unwanted accounts

Do a little spring cleaning and delete any old or unnecessary accounts. This helps get ahead of any problems down the line. There may be a lot of accounts from our over the years — our free Account Deletion tool helps you find and delete any accounts you may no longer be using.

Staying on top of what personally identifiable information can exist about you on the web and following the best practices is crucial to better protect your identity on the web.

The post What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII) & How to Protect It appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.

No longer need your Groupon account? Perhaps you haven’t used it in a long time or are just conducting some housekeeping and closing out old accounts. Regardless of the reason, if you no longer have a use for the account, it’s best to delete it.

We put together this comprehensive guide that covers how to delete a Groupon account, how to cancel your subscription, and how to manage your information on the platform.

How to Delete Groupon Account

Although Groupon’s deletion process is relatively easy, it is a bit buried within its platform. We put together the steps below so you can delete your account and remove your personal data.

1. Go to Groupon.com.

2. Log in to your account.

3. Click on the “Help” link in the upper right-hand corner.

4. Select any one of the four help topics towards the bottom of the page.

5. In the help search bar, type “Delete Account” and conduct a search.

6. Click “Contact Us” from the “Deactivating Your Groupon Account.” dropdown menu.

7. Select your preferred method to contact support.

8. If you select “Live Chat”, a chat window will appear in the lower right hand of your browser. Start the chat and follow the agent’s instructions for removal.

9. If you select “Send us an Email,” a form will pop up. Fill out the required info and hit “Send”. Groupon will follow up with additional feedback.

It’s important to note that deleting the account via live chat is a much faster process. You can connect with a customer support agent right away and the process only takes a few minutes. If you go the email route, it can take Groupon up to 3 days to process and respond. They may require additional info in order to delete your account. If you haven’t received a response after 3 days, be sure to follow up.

How to Cancel Groupon Select

Groupon offers a premium subscription known as Groupon Select. It offers numerous benefits on the platform including 25% more off local deals, 10% more off tickets and events as well as 10% more off travel deals.

If you no longer have use for your Groupon Select subscription, you can cancel it using the steps below.

1. Log in to your account on Groupon.com.

2. Click the “My Stuff” button in the top right. Select “Account” from the drop-down menu.

3. Click the “Groupon Select” tab on the far right.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the Groupon Select section and click “Cancel Membership.”

5. Confirm you wish to downgrade the account by clicking “Cancel Membership.”

6. Once successful, the account status will switch to “Cancelled.”

A few notes on your Groupon subscription:

• Groupon Select is a recurring subscription. You must cancel Groupon Select at least 3 business days before your next billing date or you will continue to be charged.
• Your Groupon Select subscription will remain active through the date you paid through. You can view this info in the Groupon Select tab of your account settings.

Ways to Manage Your Data on Groupon

Aside from completely deleting your account, Groupon provides ways to manage what information is stored about you.

Unsubscribe from Groupon

If you prefer to keep your Groupon account but want to limit or modify the number of emails you receive, you can do so in your Subscription Settings. This includes:

• Deals near you
• Deal Categories (Getaways and travel, goods, special offers & promotions, GrouponLive, coupons, & Groupon+)
• Surveys

As with the deletion process, this section is a bit buried in the platform — you just need to know where to look. We outlined those steps below:

1. Go to Groupon.com and log in to your account.

2. Select “Help” from the upper right-hand corner.

3. Select “Managing Your Account.”

4. Click “Edit Subscriptions” from the left-hand navigation.

5. Modify your email preferences by selecting / de-selecting which email lists you are subscribed to. Click “Save” when you’re done.

6. To no longer receive emails of any kind from Groupon, click “Unsubscribe from all Groupon emails” to the far right.

Opt out from the sale of your information

Per Groupon’s Privacy Policy, Groupon doesn’t disclose info in exchange for monetary consideration. However, they may disclose info in exchange for what they consider “valuable consideration”. This includes ways to enhance product offerings or display advertisements/promotions.

Groupon provides the option to opt out of these types of disclosures.

1. Go to Groupon.com and log in to your account.

2. Scroll to the footer and click “Do not sell my personal information.”

3. Click the radio button to opt out.

Additional rights regarding your information

In addition to opting out of the sale of information, there are a number of other rights regarding your information and Groupon. This includes:

• The right to request the information Groupon collected on you (includes sources of where information was collected, the reason for collecting such information, and the types of third parties that the information is shared with).
• The right to request a portable copy of the information retained by Groupon.
• The right to update the information that Groupon has in its database.
• The right to have your information deleted from its database.

Groupon manages all of the above processes through its Privacy Portal. Use the form within the portal to open a support ticket. Groupon will follow up if they require any additional information.

Delete other old and risky accounts

If you no longer use an online account, it’s best to delete it. We give up a lot of personal information when we create an online account (name, email, location, age, and credit card information just to name a few). The more accounts, the greater the risk one falls victim to a data breach or hack. This can put your private information at risk.

A good rule of thumb is to delete your account and data from any account that you no longer use. We built an online tool that quickly identifies accounts you signed up for with a given email, then helps you to quickly delete them. Give it a whirl.

The post Delete Groupon Account & Remove Your Personal Data appeared first on BrandYourself Blog | ORM and Personal Branding.