Why is it Even Like This in the First Place?

Why the hell do they want to know everything about you and why do they collect your data without your consent?

In a word, you're a commodity.

The truth is that the vast majority of companies, non-profits, charities, or virtually any other entity that exists, however they define themselves, has no value for human beings in the altruistic sense. You're merely a number and your only value to them is your money or data:

1. Money. The most obvious value to these entities is of course your buying power and I think that's such common sense for most people, it's hardly necessary to examine that motivation too deeply.
2. Data. The more insidious value you possess is your data, which can later be used to sell you things, deny you access for things (like a new bank account), or to influence you to do things (like vote).

When someone asks for your information (name, address, phone, email, SSN) or even something that seems friendly or innocent like they're just curious about you (country, race, language, sex, gender, preferences), you can be confident that 99% of the time this is for their purposes alone, and benefits you in no way whatsoever.

They'll smile and say things like "Oh, we just need that for the form," but they'll rarely come out and say things in a clear way like "We need your home address so we can physically find you if things don't go our way." or "We need your Facebook account so we can look through your images, profile you, and decide if you're too unfit to be a tenant in our building."

You're a commodity, but you're only a commodity if they can control you, and they can only control you if they know everything about you. The scariest mindset is one that assumes you must be a criminal if you take any measure to be the one in control of your own data.

No one will accuse you of having something to hide if you lock your door or close your shades at night, so why should the digital world be any different? Luckily, attitudes have shifted around topics of privacy and security. Data compliance standards like the GDPR and CCPA show that the world is starting to care.

What can we do for you here at PleaseDeleteMe? Nothing. Nothing, that is, that you couldn't simply do for yourself. There are so many awesome resources on this topic in 2025. The only value we bring to you is time. Deleting oneself from the interent is time-consuming. In a nutshell, the real service we're providing is data entry on your behalf if you just don't want to do it yourself.