Data Removal
This is a comparison of my experience doing it myself vs platforms that provide it as a service.
Summary
Ultimately, you'll hear from privacy and OSINT experts the DIY approach is the most effective. This has been my experience as well.
All of the relevant guides and resrouces are linked below.
Both of the major platforms that specialize in data removal have their pros and cons, but they aren't as good as doing things yourself. DeleteMe maintains a somewhat up-to-date list of sites they opt-out from, Cloaked does not. DeleteMe does not have as wide of coverage as Cloaked, but in some cases may be more effective at completing the removal. The lack of a clear CSV or raw data-driven deliverable is what's frustrating on both sides. The status and catalogue of activity in your dashboard for both is somewhat vague. Cloaked wins here, as you can at least see what's happening from the web interface. DeleteMe appears to require pulling the PDF report and reviewing that, which in my opinion is unnecessary as a deliverable and is bloated.
Learn, then Maintain
What I did (and suggest) is doing everything yourself first, then signing up for a service unless you really enjoy doing this maintenance once per quarter. This is purely a time trade-off, and is in no way more or less effective. Having a service maintain your work means it's continuing to take things down that will appear again, and acts as an early alert system if things ever pop back up again.
Alternatively if you are proficient in selenium and have found a way to automate this yourself, that's likely the best case scenario for ongoing maintenance. I'm not sure how realistic that is, or how much of a pet that type of project would turn into, but I think it could be worth exploring just for the learning experience alone.
DIY
An individual can reasonably achieve this in a month or two, doing 1 a day or set aside an hour a week to do 5-10 at a time. This gives you direct insight into what's out there, how these companies work, and how to assess your own footprint. It's also free, but it will cost you in time. Despite that, it is the most effective option.
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Pros
Hands on perspective of your online footprint
No monetary cost
Muscle memory for finding information
Understanding of how data brokers operate
Learn how to deal with dark patterns (artificial limitations)
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Cons
It costs time and requires persistence
Some sites are malicious, use a VM or browser profile
DeleteMe
Strong support for major sites where you may have to DIY it anyway compared to Cloaked. Loses out in terms of practical application of proactive privacy tools, cost, and breadth of coverage.
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Pros
Easy to enroll and navigate the platform
Excels at removals from some majors sites
Transparency in site coverage
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Cons
No dashboard view or raw data
Reports are mostly bloated, unnecessary
Email, phone, and other masked options are limited
More expensive
Cloaked
More robust and active, especially in terms of proactive privacy features. Wins in terms of practical usage and cost.
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Pros
Most effective removals (aggressive)
Robust masked options (VOIP, email, virtual cards)
Identity management / password manager
Most cost-effective option
Easy to understand dashboard
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Cons
Missing coverage for a few major sites (may change)
No raw data download
Pushes you to use the mobile app on phones
Does not work on iOS with lockdown enabled
No public list of site coverage