30% of Americans over 65 want to be removed from the web. Here’s why

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This article was created in partnership with Incogni 

 

A recent study performed by Incogni has revealed that 30% of Americans over 65 would “delete themselves from the internet” if they could. These respondents have some very good reasons for wanting themselves (and their personal information) removed from the Internet, but that’s just the start of the story.

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The hidden dangers of your personal data online

Having personal information easily accessible online presents some significant risks to everyone, regardless of age. Starting from the most common and least serious risks, the availability of personal data online can be reasonably expected to lead to more spam calls, texts, and emails.

Ratcheting up the level of seriousness, people with detailed profiles available online may be more likely to experience targeted scam attempts (via phone, text, social media, or email) and be at greater risk of falling victim to identity fraud. “People with detailed profiles available online” means pretty much everyone, thanks to data brokers, including people search sites.

Given that, according to the FBI’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report, elderly Americans accounted for only 24% of all identity theft claims for the year but incurred over 41% of the financial losses, older Americans are disproportionately affected. These are good reasons for anyone to want their personal data removed from the Internet. Older Americans, though, are at greater risk than most.

 

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Americans over 65 are a special case

To understand why 30% of older Americans are right to want their information off the internet, let’s look at what characterizes Americans over 65. There is some truth to the stereotype of older people not being very tech savvy, but that’s not the whole story.

The 65 year-olds of today are not the 65 year-olds of 20 years ago: many more seniors now have the basic levels of computer literacy they need to independently navigate the online world, even if only in a limited capacity. The fact is that, these days, computer literacy is not what’s primarily exposing older Americans to greater risks online. Here are 6 things that both characterize people over 65 and make them more vulnerable to online dangers.

1) Have more personal data in circulation online. They’ve generally been online longer than younger Americans, generating more personal data through their interactions with various apps, websites, and services. They’ve also had longer to generate a paper trail, having likely bought and sold more vehicles and property, been married, and held more licenses and certifications.

2) Have more to lose, financially. Wealth tends to accumulate over time, leaving older people with more disposable income and liquid assets on hand. On average, a 25 year-old has fewer assets and less in savings to lose to scammers and identity thieves than a 65 year-old.

3) Make more of the kinds of transactions that attract the wrong kinds of attention. Real estate transactions, for example, are noted in public records that data brokers then scrape for personal data. They do this to offer ready-made profiles to their customers. Scammers are often on the lookout for people who have just sold a vehicle or property, because they’re likely to have large sums of money sitting around directly after a sale.

4) Be more likely to rely on trust when making decisions. A recent study suggests that elderly adults may be more susceptible to online scams because of their tendency to rely on initial impressions of trustworthiness, to the point of overlooking red flags. This is exactly the kind of person a scammer would be happy to come across.

5) Be less aware of current online threats. Even if an older person is computer literate enough to manage day-to-day tasks, they’re less likely to be up-to-speed with the latest trends in tech when compared with younger generations. Techniques like voice cloning and SIM swapping may be completely unknown to many older adults.

So, yes, older people are, on average, less computer literate than younger people, but that’s far from the main—let alone only—reason they’re at higher risk of having their personal information available online.

 

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The real surprise

It’s pretty clear at this point that 30% of Americans over 65 have good reason to want to have their personal information removed from the internet. What about the remaining 70%? Because, if we go back to that original Incogni research, we find that 50% of the youngest respondents (ages 18 – 24) would have themselves removed from the internet if they could. A whopping 60% of respondents aged 25 – 34 indicated the same.

 

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Why data protection matters for all ages

Older Americans are indeed vulnerable to online scams and identity theft, they’re also likely to suffer greater financial consequences. But younger Americans are still at significant risk, and let’s not forget—today’s younger Americans will be tomorrow’s elders.

It doesn’t seem that the older generations are less concerned about their data circulating online, in fact, the Incogni study suggests that they’re the most concerned of all the age groups about their financial information being misused. It may rather be that they’re unaware of how personal information is bought and sold online, or they simply mightn’t realize that having such data removed is possible.

With a personal information removal service like Incogni, such data removal is not only possible, but simple and affordable. Incogni contacts data brokers on your behalf, leveraging data-privacy laws to compel them to stop collecting, storing, and selling or trading your personal information.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

The study by Incogni highlights the significant concerns older Americans have about their online privacy. With the increasing risks of identity theft and scams, it’s understandable that a substantial number would prefer to have their personal data removed from the internet. Services like Incogni make this process accessible, ensuring that people of all ages can safeguard their personal information and protect themselves from potential online threats.

What steps have you taken to protect your online privacy, and what concerns do you still have? Let us know in the comments below.

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