After erasing as much of your online information as possible, that data often slowly reappears over time. That’s why the Deletion Services companies will keep monitoring the data brokers for an extended period.
Hence:
Would it be more effective to just flood the internet with disinformation on oneself?
And what are some of the best, and most efficient ways to do so?
Seems like this can bring more attention. Often hiding in plain sight is more effective.
Again, this concern can vary for different security plans. Just make sure you know what data need protection. Maybe this information doesn’t trace back to you.
Some minimalists might propose limiting your exposure.
Yeah, I see your point, however, when I was erasing my PII
A couple of addresses from my childhood (we’re talking over 40 years ago) kept coming up and I thought, “Wouldn’t it just be better to leave that info out there, since it has nothing to do with me anymore?”
I have a few gmail account that I maintain to delete any association that pops back up related to those email accounts. Some online accounts you can not opt out of, you can not delete required information. This is where I utilize disinformation. I would like one day to see that my information that keeps getting sold is all disinformation.
If I can opt out, I do.
If I can opt out or not, the first thing I do is change my email address if I can to a temporary email address. I delete all I can and add disinformation in required fields. Then opt out or delete my account. Then of course delete the temp email.
Eventually this disinformation will be sold or leaked, if not just as well.
I use DeleteMe to opt out of the regular whitepages and ThatsThem type sites. You have to manage every new account you create and all the old accounts.
I recently changed as described an online account from 2008. If i had not still had gmail sand boxed I would not have been able to recover the password.
I get my disinformation from the data brokers. Whats the rule 50% of the data out there is false. Well I’m not that creative, I use what’s out there. I never lived there, becomes where I live now.
That’s a good way to express it.
I like the idea of data-brokers selling my false-information. Just wasn’t sure if I was missing some obvious flaw in the “disinformation” route as opposed to the “invisibility” route.
(I know, I know, “Depends on your threat model.” 
)
I spend enough time trying to get rid of my real information and the thought of spending more time creating disinformation does not work for me. Its not a threat model.
I also have a trust issue. I don’t trust deleting my account or opt out is going to protect my real information. If the records are updated hopefully a data breach will have just the current disinformation for these accounts I don’t have access to.
My threat model is just pointing my attention to accounts with emails that https://haveibeenpwned.com/ a second tier could be anything where I used gmail. I also have on email address which I used in a sensitive data leak.
On disinformation, I have some property that if you look at the Tax Records you can see I own, publicly (USA). You can also see previous Deed Records (who owned the property before me). I have some property that if you look it up not on the tax records like the whitepages, it is in the deceased previous owners name. Thats ok with me…
I still check the mail at my home. It’s not my mail, yes I get packages, but I don’t fix the current resident issues, not my USPS not my problem.
I guess the next step would be to go political. Lean on governmental representatives and let them know about your concerns. Start demanding they implement laws to allow users of a service the ability to delete their information.
I think we are way past a political solution.
Yeah I get that. But for some sick reason I find it entertaining to create disinformation about myself. Just wondering if there is a way to do it more efficiently. I read the memoirs of some private detective where he said his favorite part of the job was creating false leads to confuse his fellow PI’s, and that really stuck with me.
why you would want write an About Me page with misinfo on you? Don’t write it at all.
There is pseudonymity which I guess you may want to employ on services like Google or Facebook.
You don’t provide the situation you are in…like what’s your threat model…which makes it hard to reply wit a proper answer.
Okay.
Here you go. I’ll use this threat model survey that Techlore posted just so we have a basis for giving basic advice–
What would be your response if I said my threat model was 14 on this scale.
10?
5?
I hope that helps.
Let’s just stipulate that that’s what I have decided to do.
My question is what’s the most efficient way to accomplish that?
(The reason I made the original post was because after going through the process of deleting my online PII I noticed that periodically more info starts popping up. Not a lot, but the little that does show up is all accurate. So that leads me to the second part of my original question. Is it better to accept that a little bit of accurate info will always be out there and just let it go? Or try to bury it in garbage info?)
I wouldn’t want to put out any wrong information about me for fear that it bites me in the but in some weird way in the future. Imagine I write that I live in such and such place and someone in real live asks me about it. Which info do I give? If I give my real info then it contradicts something that the average person would think is true. And then do I qualify why there’s this mismatch? The whole thing just seem messy.
I would much rather regularly clean my data out from these brokers (not that I’ve done it yet) and try to keep any details that are tied to me at a minimum. It’s closer to my goal and easier to explain if I need to.
Fair point. I guess it could get messy and I hadn’t thought of that particular scenario.
See!?
A real answer that didn’t require a discussion of my threat model!
Thank you for making my day!
I consider this scenario when I thought about the mail drop where my drivers license address does not match the address I am claiming I own.
“Sir, your drivers licenses shows you do not live here… I’m going to ask you to put some pants on and come with me.”
Hopefully disinformation on the whitepages will not be a legal issue.