Last night I stumbled across an article in the Wall Street Journal called “Go Delete Yourself from the Internet. Seriously. Here’s How.” Naturally, I clicked. And wow. It introduced me to a tool from Google I’d never heard of before:

👉 myactivity.google.com

Here’s what I learned (and what happened when I used it):

• You plug in your details (yep, including your home address — bit ironic, I know)
• It scans the internet for mentions of your personal info
• A few hours later, you get a report
• Mine showed 31 results (mostly just my public email — nothing scary!)
• From there, you can review and request removals

Why should you care? Because your personal data can be used for:

• Identity theft
• Impersonation scams
• Doxxing
• Or just getting bombarded with junk

Even if you’re comfortable sharing online (like I am), it’s worth knowing what’s floating out there.

🛑 BONUS: I also share other services like DeleteMe and OptOut that offer paid removal if things get overwhelming.

This isn’t about hiding. It’s about knowing. And having a sense of control in a world where our data is constantly up for grabs.

Links mentioned:

• myactivity.google.com
• Nicole Nguyen’s WSJ article (may be behind a paywall)

Questions for reflection:

1. When was the last time you Googled yourself with intention?
2. Would you be comfortable if a stranger had your home address and birthday?
3. How do you currently protect your digital identity — or are you winging it?

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