More than one third (33%) of people would delete their presence from the internet if they were given the chance.

New research from NordVPN found that almost half of respondents believe there is ‘no reason’ for their name to be on the internet, while 42% said they feel ‘used’ because of data collection by firms who may use it to their advantage.

When asked why else they would delete their online profile, more than a third (34%) said they feel that someone will eventually hack their devices, and 31% don’t trust the internet.

It is currently estimated that around 63% of global population are online, according to the study ‘Would you delete yourself from the internet?’

Survey respondents hailed from France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Japan, and South Korea, and the sample was taken from national internet users.

According to respondents from the survey of 10,800 people, 50% said that they would like their personal financial information to be deleted from the internet the most.

Other information people want removed from the internet included unflattering photos/videos (33%), embarrassing moments (28%), old dating/social media profiles (25%) and previous employment history (15%).

Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN, commented: “While removing yourself from the internet sounds like a good idea for those concerned with having their personal information exposed to the wrong entities, you have to ask yourself if wiping the slate totally clean is even possible in our digital-dominant world.

“Our study also found that some would be in favour of a more practical approach because 38% would be in favour of paying to use the internet anonymously at all times.”

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For those who want to be anonymous when online and are willing to pay for it, the study revealed that 27% of people would pay up to £85, 7% would pay between £86-425, and 3% would consider between £426-850 to be anonymous. Around 2% of respondents said they would pay even more.

The survey found that keeping personal information safe on the internet is the key to happiness online. Almost three quarters (71%) of people would most be afraid of having their financial data accessed by a hacker, while 43% said texts and emails, 35% said medical information, 33% said social media accounts, and 24% said sex life.

Markuson added: “While we can hope to remove some information about ourselves online, only better online habits can help people feel safer when they’re on the internet.

“Using more sophisticated passwords, trusted cybersecurity tools (such as a VPN, antivirus, and password manager) and practicing a general awareness of threats will help people protect their most valuable information online for years to come.”

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