Cleaning out your online life for better Security

Image Credit: spengy at flickr

 Yesterday I posted about creating good passwords and how to store them.  Today I'll follow up with the next step of improving security: deleting and deactivating unused online accounts.

   Many of us have unused, or barely used accounts on the internet.  I know I do, because for the last 3 or 4 months I've been slowly going around and weeding out any old accounts using my KeePass database as a guide.  I go through a section, see what websites I have saved, and go through the ones I haven't visited in more than a month.  I weigh the pros and cons of keeping it, and if the cons outweigh the pros, I delete or deactivate the account.

  This past week, however, tipped the scales for last.fm and LinkedIn.  I deactivated both accounts, since I never use them, and then I went on a spree.  I delete Rdio (no webOS mobile app), Grooveshark, and AIM (because apparently at some point I hated myself that much).  I started to delete my Planet Elderscrolls/IGN account, but apparently you can't.  So I changed all of the fields to gibberish.  As I went through and methodically did this, I either deleted an entry out of KeePass, or I saved the new changes, just in case I ever need access to the account.

  There are a few benefits of deleting extra accounts.  The most obvious reason is that the fewer accounts you have online, the fewer chances that your information will be compromised.  Even removing all actual identifying information from an account that can't be deleted is a big bonus.  It also means that you have less "virtual clutter."  It's kind of like a spring cleaning for your digital self.  By paring down your accounts to only the ones you use, you are in fact focusing and simplifying your online activities to not only be more productive, but perhaps even a little happier.  You may even reach digital bliss!

  Crazy digital hippy talk aside, it's time to start actually deleting and deactivating.  The big question is where to start.  Wouldn't you know it, somebody has gone and made this awesome website called AccountKiller that has a whole list of websites, and how to cancel them.  That would be an excellent start if I may make the suggestion (and I do).  Not every single website is listed, just the popular ones, and not all websites will give you the option to cancel.  They put those websites in a "blacklisted" area, and websites that are easy to cancel in a "whitelisted" area. "Greylisted" sites are sites that may seem to be deactivated or deleted, or it may be difficult (but not impossible) to delete an account.

  So, using AccountKiller and KeePass, you can effectively delete, deactivate, and de-inform (that's a made-up word) your extra and unused websites.  And if the hacks of 2011 hadn't made you a little wary, hopefully this newest round of leaks and hacks has at least got your attention.