• Where can I see the Activity History for my account?

  Optery is committed to transparency regarding the work we're doing on your account. We're continually adding data brokers, performing scans and removals, and much more. As part of our effort to ensure transparency, we've introduced a new feature that allows you to track progress on your account over time. This new Activity History feature provides insights into your data broker removal progress. We aim to expand this feature to include additional details, such as plan upgrades and downgrades, faPopular

• How do Custom Scans work?

  Background By default Optery provides full initial scans and Exposure Reports for all new users, and then fresh scans and Exposure Reports to Free Basic users quarterly. For paying customers Optery provides automated scans and removals monthly, but does not send any subsequent Exposure Reports, and instead sends Removals Reports quarterly. Reports Optery Provides by Default For reference, this is what Optery plans provide by default: Free Basic: Exposure Report typically withPopular

• Why does Optery combine "Removed" and "Not Found" into one Removals Protection status?

  Your Optery dashboard displays several Opt Out and Exposure Risk Statuses for each data broker such as Search in Process, Personal Info Found Exposed, Submitted, and Removed / Not Found. We have combined the "Removed" and "Not Found" statuses into one status and sometimes customers ask us why we combine these two statuses. Removing hundreds of thousands of profiles from data brokers is complicated work, and combining these two statuses dramatically simplifies reporting and tracking. In a perfFew readers

• Does Optery Remove Multiple Exposed Profiles From A Single Data Broker?

  Optery's cutting-edge technology can uncover multiple hidden online profiles associated with a single individual within a single data broker's database. Our patented search engine employs a sophisticated scanning and matching algorithm to identify these distinct profiles. This allows Optery to determine the exact number of user profiles belonging to the same individual within a single data broker's system. Optery iteratively performs opt-out requests for multiple exposed user profiles, effectiveFew readers

• What if a "View" link leads to an empty or not found page?

  Clicking through and visiting the "View" links in your Dashboard is the first thing a new user should do after creating an account with Optery. These links direct you to our best initial attempt at finding pages about you at data brokers. Along with your first Exposure Report, this is a quick way to see how many data brokers are exposing your information online. What is often confusing is that we display the “View” links for every data broker, regardless of whether we find your profile at tPopular

• Do I have to confirm "Yes, that's me" or "No, I'm not there" for each of my profile links on the Dashboard?

  No - you do not need to confirm your profiles by selecting "Yes, that's me" or "No, I'm not there" for each of your profiles. This is an optional step that helps Optery improve its profile matching algorithms, but is completely optional and not required.Some readers

• How does Expanded Reach work?

  Optery's standard subscription plans (i.e. Core, Extended, Ultimate) are differentiated in the personal data removal industry with (a) automated direct opt out submissions via APIs and web forms, (b) verified removals with before-and-after screenshot pairs for proof-of-work verification, and for Extended and Ultimate, (c) a "humans + machines" approach combining the industry's most advanced opt out automation with expert human privacy agents to maximize removals effectiveness. Optery also offerPopular

• Why has my removals progress gone backwards, stalled or declined?

  Because of this approach, and some common reasons below, sometimes your removals progress will go backwards or decline on a month over month basis.Few readers

• How does the Postpone Scan feature work for new signups

  Utilizing the "Postpone Scan" feature now allows you to delay your initial Free Exposure Scan for up to 24 hours to give you more time to add your optional profile information.Some readers

• What does the "Plan Coverage" column mean in the Dashboard?

  This column displays the Paid Plan subscription required for Optery to submit removal requests on your behalf to the corresponding data broker.Few readers

• What does the "Exposure Risk" column mean in the Dashboard?

  The “Exposure Risk” column only applies to users on a Paid Plan. This column reflects the visiblity (i.e. exposure) of your profile information at a given data broker. For users on a Paid Plan, here are the different statuses you might see: Search In Progress: we are in the process of locating your exposed profile(s) at this data broker. The more information you provide in your "Manage Profile" page, the more thoroughly we can conduct our search. Your Profile is Exposed: we have found yFew readers

• What does the "Link to Profile" column mean in the Dashboard?

  Clicking through and visiting the "View" links in this column is the first thing a new user should do after creating an account with Optery. These links direct you to our best initial attempt at finding pages about you at data brokers. Along with your first Exposure Report, this is a quick way to see how many data brokers are exposing your information online. What is often confusing is that we display the “View” links for every data broker, regardless of whether we find your profile at theFew readers

• How Does Optery's Google Search Results Scan Work?

  When performing data broker removals, the two best tools for finding profiles that need to be removed are: (a) the free Optery Exposure Report and (b) Searches for your name, email address, phone number, and home address using major search engines like Google and Bing. Optery now automatically scans both Google and Bing (including DuckDuckGo) search results, and incorporates the resulting screenshots in your Optery Dashboard and Exposure Reports. This feature helps you, and us, find more expoFew readers

• Why don't the “How Exposed Are You” and “Protection Progress & Status” numbers match?

  The Dashboard includes two separate graphs titled “How Exposed Are You?” and “Protection Progress & Status" and customers sometimes ask why the two sets of numbers don't add up. The reason is that they are based on two entirely different processes. For example, you'll notice that while some of the statuses look similar across the two graphs, none are exactly the same: Matched Profiles Found Not Found / Search In Progress and Profiles Removed / Not Found Removals In Progress Removals PendiFew readers

• What are "Autogenerated Profile Links" under "show more" in the Dashboard?

  The first link displayed is the same as the "View" link in the "Link to Profile" column of the Dashboard. If you provide more information in your "Manage Profile" page, we will generate additional links for you to explore. For example, if there are different variations of your name, such as an abbreviation (e.g. Samuel and Sam, or Kristine and Kris), or if you have a Maiden name, you can input those name variations in your "Manage Profile" page, along with past cities you've lived in, and thFew readers

• What is "Type of Data Broker" under "show more" in the Dashboard?

  Denotes the type of data broker. There are many different types, e.g. People Search, Email, Phone Number, Marketing, etcFew readers

• What is "Displays Names of Family Members" under "show more" in the Dashboard?

  Indicates whether the data broker displays the names of family members in its profiles. This can be a especially jarring to see the names and profiles of parents, siblings, and children also exposed.Few readers

• Why does Optery combine "Not Found" and "Search In Progress" into one Exposure status?

  Your Optery dashboard displays Exposure Risk Statuses for each data broker such as Search in Progress, Matched Profiles Found and Not Found. For Exposure Risk Status, we have combined the "Search In Progress" and "Not Found" statuses into one status and sometimes customers ask us why we combine these two statuses. Finding your profiles at data brokers among the hundredFew readers

• What is "Privacy Opt Out Support Email" under "show more" in the Dashboard?

  This is the privacy support email address we have on file for each data broker. Many data brokers will accept removal requests via their Privacy Opt Out Support URL, or you can email them and they will provide you with instructions for opting out.Few readers

• What is "Primary Opt Out URL" under "show more" in the Dashboard?

  This is the URL each data broker has provided for receiving opt out requests. When submitting your removals on your own, you will do so via these URLs.Few readers

• What does the "Removals Pending" tab mean in the Dashboard?

  The “Removals Pending” tab only applies to users on a Paid Plan. It displays each data broker that we have not yet submitted a removal request for. Reasons data brokers may sometimes be "stuck" in the Removals Pending tab is if we need to perform manual investigation on the profile or data broker, or if we are currently blocked on the data broker, or if we are undergoing engineering maintenance on the opt out process for the data broker. Removals Pending Tab (https://storage.crisp.chat/uFew readers

• What does the "Removals in Progress" tab mean in the Dashboard?

  The “Removals in Progress” tab only applies to users on a Paid Plan. It displays each data broker that we have submitted a removal requests to on your behalf. It also displays the status of each data broker removal request in the Removal Status column. Removals in Progress TabFew readers

• What does the "Removal Status" column mean in the Dashboard?

  The “Removal Status” column only applies to users on a Paid Plan. This column reflects the status of Optery's removal requests to data brokers on your behalf. For users on a Paid Plan, here are the different statuses you might see: Submitted: we have submitted your removal request to the data broker. Acknowledged: the data broker has acknowledged our removal request submission. Removed / Not Found: we have confirmed the data broker has removed your profile. Non-Compliant: many dataFew readers

• What does the "Removal Completed" column mean in the Dashboard?

  The “Removals Completed” tab only applies to users on a Paid Plan. It displays each data broker where your profile has been removed, or can no longer be found. For each data broker, you can click the corresponding Link to Profile or Autogenerated Profile Links (after clicking ‘show more’) to confirm your profile is no longer there. If our system is out of sync, and your profile has been re-introduced without us catching it yet, click “Yes, that’s me” or send a message to support@optery.com wiFew readers