Are you concerned about your personal data being collected and sold by data brokers online? Privacy Bee is a service that helps you take control of your digital footprint by identifying and removing your information from hundreds of data broker sites. In this in-depth Privacy Bee review, we’ll cover everything you need to know to decide if it’s the right privacy protection solution for you.
What is Privacy Bee?
Privacy Bee is an online privacy service that automates the process of opting out your personal information from data brokers and people search sites. These sites collect data about you from various online and offline sources, compiling detailed profiles that are then sold to marketers, employers, and even fraudsters.
Privacy Bee scans hundreds of data brokers to identify which ones are exposing your private info publicly. It then submits opt-out requests on your behalf to get that data removed. The service provides a dashboard where you can track the progress and stay on top of your online privacy.
Key Features
- Automated opt-outs from 430+ data brokers and people search sites
- 24/7 monitoring for new exposures of your personal info
- Detailed privacy reports and risk assessment
- Guides for DIY opt-outs and data removal
- Optional browser extension for tracker blocking
- Breach monitoring to see if your data has been exposed in hacks
- Inbox scanning to identify companies you’ve shared data with
- Optional removal from marketing lists and people search sites
- Option to blur your house on Google Street View
Privacy Bee goes beyond just removing your data from people search sites. It provides comprehensive privacy protection through proactive monitoring, data breach alerts, and tools to control your data sharing. See how Privacy Bee compares to Incogni in our head-to-head comparison.
Pricing and Plans
Privacy Bee offers two tiers of service:
- Free Privacy Risk Assessment – Enables you to scan over 430 data brokers to see where your info is exposed. Provides removal guides to opt out on your own.
- Premiere Protection Plan – $197/year. Fully automated data removal from 430+ brokers, 24/7 monitoring, privacy tools and support. See how this compares to DeleteMe’s pricing plans.
The free assessment is a good way to get an idea of your current privacy risk, but DIY opt-outs are very time-consuming. For proactive, hands-free privacy protection, the paid plan is recommended.
Using Privacy Bee
Getting started with Privacy Bee is straightforward:
- Sign up for an account (free or paid) and provide the personal information you want removed.
- Run a free privacy risk assessment to see which data brokers are exposing your info.
- If on the paid plan, Privacy Bee will automatically submit opt-out requests on your behalf. You can track the progress on your Privacy Bee dashboard.
- Use Privacy Bee’s additional tools to tighten up your privacy:
- Scan your inbox to see which companies you’ve shared data with
- Use the browser extension to block trackers
- Opt out of common industry marketing lists
- Check breach monitoring to see if your data has been exposed in hacks
- Blur your house on Google Street View
Privacy Bee makes the process of data removal much less overwhelming by automating opt-out requests across hundreds of sites. For those concerned about online privacy, it can save hours of time and effort.
How Effective is Privacy Bee?
According to the company, Privacy Bee successfully removes personal information in over 90% of cases, thanks to its database of custom opt-out procedures for different data brokers. However, as explained in its FAQ, there’s no way to force a company to comply with a data removal request.
Even after successful removals, it’s an ongoing process to stay on top of data brokers that may re-acquire your info later on. That’s why the regular scans and proactive monitoring included in Privacy Bee’s paid plan are key to maintaining privacy over time.
In testing the service ourselves, we found the privacy risk assessment provided helpful insight into just how many sites are exposing personal data. The paid plan’s automated features made opting out from hundreds of brokers much more manageable than submitting requests manually. We appreciated the ability to track opt-out status over time.
Comparison to Other Privacy Services
A few key things set Privacy Bee apart from competitors like DeleteMe, Incogni, and Kanary:
- Covers more data brokers – Privacy Bee covers about 430 data brokers, while others typically cover under 200. See a detailed Privacy Bee vs Optery comparison.
- Breach monitoring included – Privacy Bee scans to see if your data has been exposed in breaches, while other services focus only on data broker removal.
- Proactive tools beyond opt-outs – With its browser extension, inbox scanning, and other tools, Privacy Bee provides a more comprehensive privacy solution compared to simple data removal.
- But lacks a free tier – Unlike DeleteMe which offers 1 free data removal per year, Privacy Bee’s ongoing service is only available on its paid annual plan after the initial assessment. Explore other Privacy Bee alternatives here.
For those serious about data privacy and looking for a comprehensive, long-term solution, Privacy Bee is one of the most feature-rich options available. But the lack of an ongoing free tier may be a downside for more casual users.
Privacy Bee Browser Extension
One of Privacy Bee’s most useful tools is its browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. The extension helps you:
- Automatically block tracking scripts and cookies on websites you visit
- See detailed info about the trackers found on each site
- View a privacy trust score for each site based on its tracking practices
- Designate sites as trusted or untrusted to allow/block tracking
Once installed, the extension shows a trust icon for each site you visit: a green checkmark for trusted, a red X for untrusted, and a grey question mark for unknown sites. Clicking the icon reveals a dashboard with tracker details for the current page.
In our testing, the Privacy Bee extension effectively blocked trackers across the web and provided an easy way to see a trust rating for unfamiliar sites at a glance. While it doesn’t have some of the more advanced anti-fingerprinting features of extensions like Ghostery, its focus on tracker blocking and trust scores make it a good choice for those new to privacy extensions.
Customer Support
Privacy Bee offers several ways to get support:
- Extensive knowledge base with privacy guides and FAQs
- Ticket-based email support with an average response time of 5 hours
- Privacy Concierge for personalized privacy recommendations
In our experience, the Privacy Bee support team was responsive and helpful, providing detailed answers to questions. The knowledge base covers most common topics thoroughly.
Bottom Line
So is Privacy Bee worth it? If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution to reduce your digital footprint and improve your online privacy, Privacy Bee is an excellent choice. It automates the tedious process of data removal across hundreds of brokers that would otherwise take countless hours.
The privacy risk assessment is an eye-opening look at how your data is exposed online. The paid plan provides valuable ongoing scans, monitoring, and privacy tools to stay on top of the never-ending flow of personal data to brokers and marketing lists.
While it may lack a free tier like some competitors, Privacy Bee covers significantly more data brokers and offers more proactive privacy features. For those ready to get serious about data privacy, it’s one of the most robust solutions available.
Key Takeaways
- Privacy Bee automates opt-outs from 430+ data brokers and people-search sites
- Its privacy risk assessment shows how your personal info is exposed online
- Paid plan provides ongoing monitoring, data removal, and privacy tools
- Browser extension blocks trackers and shows site trust ratings
- Breach monitoring alerts you if your data is exposed in hacks
- More comprehensive than other data removal services, but lacks a free tier
FAQs
Is Privacy Bee legit? Yes, Privacy Bee is a legitimate privacy protection service founded in 2017. It has a track record of successfully removing data from hundreds of data brokers for thousands of customers.
Is their privacy risk assessment really free? Yes, you can run a privacy risk assessment to see where your personal info is exposed online for free. However, you’ll need a paid plan for data removal.
Does Privacy Bee guarantee data removal? Privacy Bee states it has about a 90% success rate with removals, but no data broker service can fully guarantee removal due to differing company policies and regulations.
Can I use Privacy Bee for just a few months? Privacy Bee is offered as an annual subscription, and proactive data removal requires regular scans. Due to the time required for opt-out requests, using it for just a few months isn’t recommended.
Will Privacy Bee control my online accounts? No, Privacy Bee will never ask for or require access to your online accounts like social media or banking. It only needs limited personal info to scan for and opt out of data brokers on your behalf.
How is Privacy Bee different from a VPN? Privacy Bee focuses on removing your personal data from data brokers and marketing lists, while a VPN encrypts your internet connection but doesn’t directly impact existing data out there about you. The two are separate privacy tools.
What if I need to cancel my subscription? If you choose to cancel, Privacy Bee will prorate your subscription cost for any unused time remaining in your 1-year plan. You can cancel anytime from your account dashboard.
Will using Privacy Bee delete old blogs/posts about me online? No, Privacy Bee targets data brokers and marketing lists that resell your personal information, but does not scan for or remove other online content like old blogs or news articles. A reputation management service may be more appropriate for that purpose.
Can I use Privacy Bee for an entire family? Yes, you can add additional family members to your plan for $197 per person per year. Privacy Bee will scan for and remove each person’s info separately.
Can Privacy Bee help with identity theft? While Privacy Bee can reduce your exposure to potential identity theft by removing your info from data brokers, it is not an identity theft resolution service. If you suspect you’re a victim of identity theft, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and contact your local authorities.
