• Why Has My Risk Score Not Improved?

  The Privacy Score on your dashboard can fluctuate or remain consistent throughout your time with us. It will never be zero, but we aim to lower your score as best as possible. Your score may increase as we add more Data Brokers to our database or as re-exposures occur and are identified for our team of privacy professionals to address. It can also remain static for various reasons. One is that we find more vulnerabilities as we successfully remove information. It can also remain static if thePopular

• Can I Make Specific Deletion Requests?

  Privacy Bee will do all that is lawfully possible to delete your information. Privacy Bee automatically begins with our list of 910+ Data Brokers and People Search Sites because we consider them an imminent threat to one's privacy and security. If you have a company that is a top concern, please send us the link, and we will try to prioritize the data removal request or offer guidance on how to trigger Privacy Bee to send a data removal request. When you have those sites you find that you wantPopular

• How Do I Use The DIY Guides?

  Even without a Privacy Bee Pro Account, we provide manual removal options for most sites we scan to let all our customers take their privacy into their own hands. This article will explain where you can find the removal guides for each site when available. Looking at your exposure dashboard, every scan we've done that is incomplete or in the process of being removed appears in the "Pending" column, as you can see in the screenshot below. (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/97Popular

• How Does the Scanning Process Work?

  Understanding every part of the scanning process can seem intimidating, but we are here to walk you through every step so you can know precisely how we are finding your information and working to keep it safe. The information below applies to a Pro or Free account, though some aspects (like the removal requests process) can only be found in a Pro Account. Please take a look at this article (https://support.privacybee.com/en-us/article/what-is-the-difference-between-a-free-and-pro-account-1kpkqPopular

• How Do I Add A Family Member?

  Adding a family member is simple! When you open the Protect Your Family page, you are greeted by the page seen in the screenshot below: FamilyPageSS.png If you choose not to add family members, the table at the bottom of the page should only show your full name entered and all emails associated with your name on our platform, and then iPopular

• Can I Make Deletions Myself Or Is It All Hands Off?

  Whether you have a Pro or Free Account, you always have the option to take removals into your own hands if you would like using our complimentary Data Deletion Guides, which can be accessed for each exposure found on your dashboard. With a Free Account, we provide a scan to find your exposures, but the power to remove them lies in your hands. When you upgrade to a Pro Account, we handle the removal process for you! However, you still have the power to take the deletion process into your own handPopular

• Can I Cancel My Pro Account?

  We are sorry you want to cancel your Pro Account with us. We value your business and desire to help you get the most out of our platform. Your honest feedback is much appreciated for our continued growth, so please let us know why you want to cancel and refund (within 30 days) so we can continue to improve the platform. However, if you've decided to leave, it's easy to cancel. Please go to your Manage Account page and select "Billing ManagementSome readers

• When Will A "Requested" Deletion Be Completed?

  Every step to remove your information takes time, but that begs the question: When will a "Requested" deletion be completed? This question is difficult to answer as it depends on how responsive or compliant the site holding your information will be. Many of the Data Brokers with your information are unwilling to let it go, so when we request to remove it, they will resist it for as long as possible. This resistance often leads to a hold on the removal process, meaning it can take up to 3 monthsSome readers

• Why Am I Getting Emails From You When I Didn't Create An Account?

  When you opt for the free scan, a new account is automatically created using your email address. To delete your account, you must sign in to the platform first. After signing in, click on your name in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage, then visit the Manage Your Profile page. From there, you can easily find the option to delete your Free Account if you want to end your relationship with Privacy Bee. BillingScreenSS.png (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/2b8d3a6bc51Some readers

• What is the Difference Between a Free and Pro Account?

  Privacy Bee prides itself on simplicity and effectiveness. To keep it that way, we have opted for only one level of paid subscription (Pro Account) alongside our Free Account. The chart below demonstrates what you can expect with a Pro Account versus a Free Account! Screen Shot 2024-04-15 at 4.31.18 PM.png To understand how our pricing works, look at https://privacybee.com/pricing/Some readers

• Where Do I Start? What Do I Do Now?

  Orwell here is ready to walk you through getting your account set up and bring you one step closer to ghosFew readers

• Are Family Members Covered In My Pro Account?

  Our business works by covering each individual person, so each family member's profile defaults to a Free Account when you add them. However, a Pro Account must be purchased if you want Privacy Bee to begin the data removal process for that family member. Your pro license will not apply to them automatically. Even without buying a Pro Account for your family members, they can still benefit from our scanning process and have their exposures discovered! They can take advantage of our DIY GuFew readers

• What is a Privacy Risk Score?

  Found front and center on the Exposure Dashboard, the Privacy Risk Score measures how dangerous your personal data exposures are today. This is determined by Privacy Bee scanning and monitoring sites across the internet, which identifies anywhere and everywhere your information is found, open, and available. A full scan is conducted once you set up your account (and regularly after that) to ensure the dashboard shows the latest updates. | The Privacy Risk Score is based on the number of expFew readers

• What Countries Does Privacy Bee Cover?

  Global Reach, Local Impact In the digital age, the concept of privacy transcends borders. Data brokers, entities that collect and sell personal information, operate on an international scale and often compile and trade data without the explicit consent of individuals. At Privacy Bee, we understand the complexities of protecting personal information in this global landscape. Our mission is to offer the most comprehensive data deletion service worldwide, ensuring your privacy is saFew readers

• How Do I Set Trusted and Negative Company Relationships?

  If you are wondering what it means to trust a company, check out our "What does it mean to 'Trust' a company?" article! If you would like information about who to trust and how to change your trust status, please continue reading the article below. Deciding which companies to trust is a personal decision for each of our customers. Overall, it is up to you to determine what companies you want to trust aFew readers

• What Sites Does Privacy Bee Scan?

  Privacy Bee scans operate 24/7 in our database of 910+ Data Brokers (including People Search sites) that frequently sell or expose your info. We've also manually researched and mapped out the PII removal process from an additional 181,000+ Custom Sites. We scan a variety of different types of sites and sources to ensure comprehensive results. The particular types of sites/sources that we scan include the following: Data Brokers People Search Sites People Search Site AffiliatesFew readers

• What is an Exposure?

  Exposures lie at the heart of our platform, which finds and analyzes your personal data exposures across the internet. An exposure is an instance of your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) found online. When an exposure is found, it means your PII can easily be viewed either publicly or by paying just a few dollars to Data Brokers and People Search Sites, for example. Because of these exposures, your information can be sold to telemarketers, scammers can access it, people with ill intentFew readers

• Why Do I Have To Complete My Profile?

  To ensure that Privacy Bee's scans can find your online vulnerabilities, we strongly suggest you fill out your profile as completely as possible. This includes adding previous addresses you have lived at in the past few years, as some of your information may be associated with them instead of your current address. Additional information that will help significantly is as follows: Middle Name and initials. Previous physical addresses. Active email addresses. Birth date. Working pFew readers

• Can Privacy Bee Remove Information From Social Media Platforms?

  We understand that you want to protect your personal data from unwanted exposure. That's why we are here to help you remove your information from Data Brokers and People Search sites as much as possible. However, for social media accounts, the situation is different. Most of them require you to have direct control over your account, such as logging in and following their specific steps. We don't ask our subscribers for sensitive information or have control of their email or login information, sFew readers

• How Do I Use The Active Exposures Page?

  It's a good idea to go through the Active Exposures page and indicate "This Is Me" or "Not Me" for each section: Identity, Family, Location, and Contact Info. Once the details are expanded, you can view the information our scans discovered by clicking on any company name to go to its profile page. Clicking "This Is Me" will keep the exposures in the Pending category on the Excruciating Detail page, allowing our privacy professionals to request data deletion. When you go through the exposuresFew readers

• Does Privacy Bee Offer Discounts?

  Unfortunately, our business model is for annual subscriptions only so that our members will see long-term results. We currently do not offer discounts for families, students, etc., though this may change. If you are curious why we charge the way we do for our pro license, take a look at our "What Is The Difference Between A Free And A Pro Account?" article to see what our license(s) caFew readers

• How Do I Configure My Trust Network And Privacy Preferences?

  Marking a company as Negative/Untrusted from your Pro Account Dashboard is easy! For companies not classified as Data Brokers or People Search Sites, Privacy Bee must have a digital trail proving the requests are from our subscribers and not random sources. The following article and screenshots will give an understanding of how to set your Privacy Preferences. From the Exposure Dashboard, please go to Set Your Privacy Choices (right-hand side of the screen), type in the company name or domain iFew readers

• How Does a Privacy Bee Pro Account Subscription Work?

  Our business model is for annual subscriptions only so that our members will see long-term results, so the only type of payment frequency we offer is an annual one. We want our customers to have a chance to see what we can do for them, and a year-long subscription is the best for your money overall, given the timeline and how long removals take at times. Privacy Bee Pro Account subscriptions auto-renew annually. If you want to understand more about how long a "Requested"  opt-out request can tFew readers

• What Is The Difference Between "Pending" And "Requested"?

  The "Pending" section of the scanning process is where initial exposures go when found via our scan process and before any action is taken. After our removal team (real people doing the job) works on the "Pending" exposures, they will be moved to the "Requested" section. When placed into "Requested," that means that we are actively working on the removal! Depending on the site, the exposure report can sit in the "Requested" section for up to three months. Usually, it takes about that long to geFew readers

• How Do I Expedite A Data Removal Request?

  If you want a particular site to be moved up in priority for removal, sending in a support request is the best way to do this! We can take the links you send in and prioritize them for removal, or our support team will offer guidance on triggering Privacy Bee to send a data removal request for you. Didn't find what you were looking for? We provide a vast collection of support resources to help you make the most of your External Data Privacy protection with Privacy Bee. Still can’t finFew readers

• How Do I Use the Private Search Engine?

  Part of the Pro Account benefits that we offer is our Private Search function. Using your Private Web Search, you can search for anything on the internet safely and without being tracked. Privacy Bee stores no information on the searches you make, and the searches are made from our server. No cookies or tracking are used! It's a way to search without being tracked, though whatever links you click will take you to the site externally on your system.Few readers

• How Do I Add Email Addresses, Physical Address, and Phone Numbers?

  Thankfully, we make adding additional emails, phone numbers, and addresses easy for our users! If you want to add additional information, like another email, a phone number (or two or three), or a previous address, navigate to the Manage Account page on the left nav bar. Next, tick the blue buttons for each item you want to add to your profile: You will receive aFew readers

• Can I Cancel Auto-Renewal?

  We’re here to help if you’re looking to cancel your Pro Account’s auto-renewal. We completely understand that sometimes you may want more control over your subscription charges, whether it’s to manually manage your renewals or explore other options. Rest assured, your access to all the features will continue until the end of your current term, and we’ll send you a reminder before your subscription expires so you can decide if you’d like to renew manually. Steps to Cancel Auto-Renewal: LFew readers

• How Do I Get a Refund?

  Once you become a Pro Account subscriber, Privacy Bee's dedicated staff begins scrubbing your information from our 914+ Data Brokers & People Search Sites list. We can confirm a person's identity on these websites with the data points provided by each member: name, phone number, email address, physical address, and date of birth. All of our members' information is highly protected and never sold. Privacy Bee offers a 30 day money-back guarantee if you're looking to cancel soon after joiFew readers

• Does Privacy Bee Offer Different Tiers of subscriptions?

  At this time, Privacy Bee only offers two types of subscriptions for consumers: a Free Account (DIY) and a Pro Account. To understand the differences between these two licenses, see "What Is The Difference Between A Free And Pro Account?" Our subscription options may change later, but for now, we only offer Free and  Pro Account subscriptions! Didn't find what you were looking fFew readers

• When Will I Begin Seeing Results Now That I Have A Pro Account?

  Completion varies from company to company, but you will see many scrubbed exposures within a few weeks/months, steadily progressing as you remain a Pro subscriber. We continue monitoring and scanning after removing exposures in case your data reappears. We give companies 60 days to respond, a response time that is based on CCPA and GDPR which are the US and international standards for data privacy legislation. However, if we haven't heard anything by the end of that period, we'll send follow-upFew readers

• How Do I Update My Profile?

  Changing your name or birthday is easy. It's vital to have an accurate DOB in your profile. Only change the DOB if it was entered incorrectly. To change or update your name, physical address, and active email addresses, please select Manage Account on the left nav bar. Click on any blue "+" button to update and change your personal information. You can also add alternate names to boost our scan's ability to pinpoint more of your online exposures.Few readers

• Can I Add Nicknames, Maiden Names, Or Secondary Names To My Pro Account?

  If you have a nickname or legally changed your name, you can include them in your profile! By adding aliases, maiden names, and alternate names to your profile, you help Privacy Bee find more exposures to remove. Please go to the Manage Account page to add alternate names by clicking the blue + Alternative Name button, adding the name(s), and clicking the blue "Save Changes" button. When you add additional names, we’ll run a fresh scan with the updated information to boost your results.Few readers

• Can You Remove My Phone Number Information?

  Yes, your phone number information can be removed, but your profile must filled out to do this as efficiently as possible. When signing up for a Free or Pro Account with Privacy Bee, we ask for a selection of information, including your name, DOB, email, physical address, and phone number. This information is required to pinpoint your online exposures accurately. We need this information to submit data removal requests (Pro Account only), and we must be able to verify it as you! For more inforFew readers

• How Do I Add or Change a Method Of Payment?

  Adding or changing a payment method is easy! You can start by opening the Billing page to change your payment method. At the top right of the horizontal nav bar, you will see your name and, when clicked, a drop-down will expand to show the menu as seen below. Billing - dropdown menu.png After opening the billing menu, you shouldFew readers

• What Does "Closed" Mean?

  "Closed" can have different meanings depending on the site. Generally, it means we successfully deleted your data. However, it can also mean we've exhausted all possible efforts to remove your information, or we could not see the data because it's being sold privately or other forms of access restrictions. In that case, Privacy Bee will proactively submit a data deletion request. Look at our "How Does The Scanning Process Work?" (https://support.privacybee.com/en-us/article/how-does-the-scanniFew readers

• Why Hasn't My Privacy Risk Score Improved/Changed?

  The Privacy Score on your dashboard can fluctuate or remain consistent throughout your time with us. It will never be zero, but we aim to lower your score as best as possible. Your score may increase as we add more Data Brokers to our database or as re-exposures occur and our scans identify other exposures for our team of privacy professionals to address. It can also remain static for various reasons. One is that we find more vulnerabilities as we successfully remove information. It canFew readers

• What Do You Do With My Information?

  Privacy Bee will only use your information to locate exposures across the internet. Your information is proprietary, and we want to help you keep it safe and secure. We have your back in the fight for privacy and will always be transparent about how your information is being used. We never sell or provide your information to third parties—because that's exactly what we're fighting against! For more information, we supply both a Privacy Manifesto and in-depth Privacy Policy. The Privacy ManifestFew readers

• How Does Gmail Inbox Scan Work?

  Another benefit of being a Pro license holder is our Inbox Scan function! Spam email is one of the most frustrating parts of having an email address. It's hard to pick through what's real and what's just spam, especially when things that aren't spam are also being sent to your spam inbox. Our inbox scan is engineered to help make managing what emails you get just a bit easier. When you click on Gmail Inbox Scan, the screen below appears with optionFew readers

• How Do I Manage My Limited Power of Attorney?

  Our Limited Power of Attorney (LPoA) is extremely limited in scope: it only allows us to act as your representative for communication and make privacy-related requests for you (such as requesting data deletions or opt-outs). Although it’s not required, we recommend you sign the LPOA so that we can act on your behalf to perform the deletion requests. Our LPOA is available on your Manage Account page near the bottom, and the display will have a PDF that you can sign at the bottom. Please readFew readers

• When Will My Risk Score Be Zero?

  Your score will never be zero as we can only partially scrub your information from the internet. There will always be sources that will hold your information, such as legally public information like marriage licenses. Still, we will lower it as much as possible and will always continue working on protecting your privacy. If you want to know more about how the score works and why it fluctuates or remains static sometimes, look at "Why Has My Risk Score Not Improved?" (https://support.privacybeeFew readers

• What Does It Mean To "Trust" A Company?

  Privacy Bee aims to give consumers a voice by centralizing their preferences and enforcing them using any privacy laws available! Marking companies as Trusted or Untrusted is an excellent start for establishing who can hold your information and who needs your permission to keep your data on file. A Trusted company might include the streaming services you use, places you shop, games you play online, banking institutions, and more. An Untrusted company is any company or website you no longer wantFew readers

• Can Privacy Bee Remove Adult Content?

  We are a proactive data privacy service, and, among other services offered, we work to reduce the amount of personal information data brokers can access. Ultimately, these efforts result in a lowered risk of being the victim of a data breach and malicious actors. Privacy Bee can do what we are legally allowed to do, which includes requesting the deletion of personal information and opting out of the sale of your personal information on your behalf. Outside of that scope, we cannot formally remFew readers

• What is the Difference Between Professional And Personal Information?

  Many professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, government officials, and more, utilize our product to protect themselves online, but what defines what information we remove? Some professional information must remain online, such as a business email, business name, and other details you want customers interested in your business to see via the appropriate channels. That doesn't mean, however, that you should be stuck with your home address, personal phone number, and other identifying informationFew readers

• What Do The All-Time Stats Mean?

  ,The All-Time Stats show that we have your back, and this article will explain what they mean to you as an individual. Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 10.32.51 AM.png From the "Exposures Found" to the "Scans Performed," every stat is essential to understanding how we have kept you safe since you opened your account. We are constantly scanning for more exposures to keep your information priFew readers

• What Is A Data Broker?

  A Data Broker is a company or collection of companies collecting an array of personally identifiable information (PII) about consumers, including the following: Full name Phone number Email and physical addresses Age Gender Occupation and education history Social security number Financial and criminal background These companies collect this data to sell it, often utilizing other Data Broker and People Search Sites to spread and sell the information in large volumes to anyone whFew readers

• How Do I Use the Blur My House Feature?

  Privacy Bee offers a "Blur My House" feature, where you can blur pictures of your home on satellite maps such as Apple Maps & Google Maps. Many satellite maps reveal your home to anyone who wants to look; all they need is your address! We offer the "Blur My House" feature to help you regain your privacy, but it is a permanent action that cannot be undone when you switch it on. Please ensure you want to take action before you blur your house since it cannot be undone later. Turning it on isFew readers

• Can Privacy Bee Remove Court Cases Or Arrest Records?

  We would like to let you know that we understand how these specific web exposures concern you. However, we cannot remove government or public documents because the law permits them to appear legally on public records, such as websites for a county's or state's property tax, court, or arrest records. Some websites will remove court records if the case was expunged, dismissed, sealed, or a not-guilty verdict is given, and legal documentation is provided to prove one of those four exceptions. PrivFew readers

• Why Can't My Family Member/Spouse/Partner Sign The Limited Power of Attorney?

  You could be in "View Only" mode if you access their account as the Head of Household. It is easy to sign the Limited Power of Attorney (LPoA) from their Free or Pro Account! Here's how: Please have them log into their Free or Pro Account on our website: privacybee.com. Click the Login button. Enter their email address. Retrieve and enter the one-time code from their inbox in the field provided. Go to the Manage Account page. Click the Limited Power of Attorney button. Tap the bluFew readers

• Does Privacy Bee Send My Email Address To Data Brokers?

  Privacy Bee ensures the highest level of security and privacy when transferring data by utilizing entirely safe and secure methods. One such method includes using proxy email addresses originating from Privacy Bee when communicating with Data Brokers. This means that when we interact with Data Brokers, your actual email address remains completely confidential. At no point does a Data Broker receive your personal email address from us, ensuring your privacy and minimizing the risk of unwanted conFew readers