Signing up for an online account is something we do so often that we lose track of all the websites we’re subscribed to. You’ll only remember when they send you an email with a promotion. I know I always do.
But there are many online tools that can help you clean up your footprint online. A new tool I recently came across is Deseat.Me, a web app that scans your email accounts for services you’ve signed up for, and then puts them on a list for you to delete or keep.
Now, I know that many of us are concerned about privacy — especially after it was revealed that Unroll.me was collecting user’s personal data. But Deseat.me doesn’t collect your private data or send it to the cloud, according to its developers.
So, if you’re looking to clean up your existence online by closing a bunch of online accounts, this seems like a pretty safe bet.
Sign in with Google or Outlook
Using Deseat.me is simple. All you have to do is go to Deseat.Me and sign in with either your Google or Outlook account. If you’re already logged in to either on your browser, you won’t have to input any username or password. You’ll just be redirected to another page so you can grant access to the web app. (If you’re at all nervous, I recommend looking at the site’s Privacy Policy.)
Select which accounts to ‘save’ and ‘delete’
Once you’re logged in, you’ll see a list of websites that are “awaiting decision”. You have to go one by one, selecting which you want to save and which you want to put in a “Delete queue”. The links you put in the delete queue will be placed on a different list with a link to the website’s unsubscribe page. If you click the link, you’ll be redirected to that website so you can delete your account.
If you’re not sure you want to delete the website because you don’t remember what it is, you also have the option to disregard the link by pressing the yellow caution icon next to it, which stands for “I’m not a user here”.
The downside to the delete queue is it doesn’t provide links to unsubscribe pages for all websites you’re signed up for. Only big, known websites have delete links (such as Yelp, Apple and Digg).
Whether or not delete links are provided, it’s still good to see what accounts you have opened on the internet. If there’s no link redirecting you to an unsubscribe page, you can go look for it yourself.
Deleting your Deseat.me account
If you want to delete your deseat.me account because you either are done with deleting your accounts, or you don’t like the idea of it having access to your email and scanning through them, you can do so by clicking on “delete your account” at the bottom of the page.