It’s quite scary the amount of data companies hold on us. Rightly wanted to draw attention of the importance of considering a data detox in their latest #MappingMyData.campaign. Whenever your online you know companies are using that information to their advantage. You can see it through the recommended suggestions based on things you might have searched for in the past. Sometimes it might seem useful when you get a discount coupon for something that you had debated buying anyway. But other times it can sway your purchasing decisions making you spend money you can’t really afford. But I think there are lots of benefits of a data detox that I want to consider in this article.

Companies use that information on you to suit their own purposes, whether it is to encourage you to buy something through targeted marketing or using that information to make decisions about the financial products you can access. It has made me think twice about freebie websites where I have willingly given away information about myself just for a free little sample! The company will be getting a lot more out of that info than I will from a £1 or less sample!

Probably the most worrying is that gambling sites can use the information you provide from a casual bet to target you with more ads that might fuel your addiction leading to long term problems. Whilst politicians can use the information to help gain your vote. They can focus on messages that appeal to you. All of this can reduce political debate because the party is only tailoring their correspondence to what they think will sway you. So the benefits of a data detox is being able to make decisions with more free will rather than being manipulated by the data they hold on you.

So what steps can you take to protect yourself from this kind of behaviour.

Becoming More Aware

Part of the process of protecting your personal data is becoming more aware of what you share online. Always read the pop ups and don’t accept all just to access a site. They can then track what you get up too once you have granted them permission.

I think I always knew companies had a certain level of information. However, I never realized quite how much. Seeing it visually like that is making me realize I am long overdue a data detox!

Start To Delete That Data

Sites like Rightly can contact companies on your behalf and help you get the data held on you deleted. This can give you a real sense of security as many companies sell on the information to other companies and then don’t track what they do with what they now know. By reducing the data out there about you then being more careful going forward you can make your own choices with free will, rather than clever persuasive techniques and ploys.

Turn Your Location Off

Although at the moment because of the COVID-19 track and trace app I am reluctant to do this. Normally though I think it’s a good idea to turn your location off. It is one way to stop companies tracking your movements, where you go and what you are doing. You can piece together a lot about a person by knowing where they are.

Incognito browser mode

If you use the incognito browser mode it doesn’t record your browsing history, so it makes it harder for advertisers to track you. Browser cookies are deleted at the end of the session, so using it is something to consider if you are worried about how your data is being used.