Data brokers are increasingly selling personal information during tax season, prompting the data-removal service Incogni to offer automated solutions for protecting sensitive user data from identity theft.

Key points

• Data brokers systematically collect and sell personal details like Social Security numbers, addresses, and phone numbers to third parties.
• Incogni, a service developed by Surfshark, automates the process of issuing data-removal requests to over 250 brokers and people-search websites.
• The service operates in the US, UK, Canada, EU, and Switzerland, utilizing regional privacy laws to enforce takedown demands.
• Incogni provides continuous monitoring to detect and remove re-added personal information from broker databases.
• A promotional offer provides 9to5Mac readers with a 58% discount on annual individual and family subscription plans.

The widespread availability of personal data through legal brokerages creates significant security risks, particularly during tax season when identity theft attempts often spike. Automating the removal process helps individuals reclaim their digital privacy without the labor-intensive burden of manually contacting hundreds of data-holding companies.