Updated
Updated · troyhunt.com · Jul 3
Author Says Data Removal Services Fail Against Breaches Hitting Tens of Millions
Updated
Updated · troyhunt.com · Jul 3

Author Says Data Removal Services Fail Against Breaches Hitting Tens of Millions

3 articles · Updated · troyhunt.com · Jul 3

Summary

  • Data removal services can help only with lawful data brokers that honor opt-out requests, the analysis argues, leaving people exposed once breach data is dumped publicly and copied widely.
  • ShinyHunters leaks cited in the piece — including recent dumps affecting retailers such as Canada Goose — show why: stolen records spread across clear-web sites, Telegram channels, forums and private archives within minutes.
  • That makes paid removal largely useless against the highest-risk actors, because criminal leak sites and downstream copiers have no incentive to comply even if one source deletes a record.
  • The author says the services' practical value is narrower: reducing some broker-driven marketing or targeted profiling, not stopping identity theft, extortion or other abuse after a mass breach.

Insights

Are data removal services a scam, or a useful tool for managing your everyday digital footprint?
If your data is now permanent online, is it time to completely reinvent digital identity?
Since breaches are inevitable, why do companies fail to protect their own backup data from hackers?