Error message

  • Deprecated function: implode(): Passing glue string after array is deprecated. Swap the parameters in drupal_get_feeds() (line 394 of /home/cay45lq1/public_html/includes/common.inc).
  • Deprecated function: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in menu_set_active_trail() (line 2405 of /home/cay45lq1/public_html/includes/menu.inc).

Feed aggregator

New forum topics

So many Discord users are flocking to this alternative platform that it keeps crashing

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 08:08
Discord users are so keen to escape age verification plans that they're in danger of suffocating alternative platforms.
Categories: Technology

Canada Goose confirms data leak - around 600,000 customers thought to be affected

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 08:05
Luxury retailer Canada Goose confirms data was leaked, but argues it wasn't breached, as hackers claim a third-party was hit instead.
Categories: Technology

Upgrade to an OLED TV for less than you’d think in the Presidents’ Day sales — LG and Samsung sets are back to Black Friday prices

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:58
We've tested LG and Samsung's budget OLED TVs, and you can't go wrong
Categories: Technology

X is down for many –here's what we know about the outage

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:39
A bad start to the week for X
Categories: Technology

I'm a certified barista, and my favorite Breville coffee maker is down to a record-low price at Amazon for Presidents' Day

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:38
Enjoy authentic hot or cold-brewed coffee, with a thermal carafe that keeps it at the perfect temperature for over five hours.
Categories: Technology

What drone ban? Several of our favorite 'beginner-friendly' DJI drones are currently on sale for record-low prices today

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:30
It's a good time to consider picking up these DJI models
Categories: Technology

Walmart's Presidents' Day is filled with best-selling TVs, appliances and Apple devices — here's what's in my shopping cart

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:27
Walmart's Presidents' Day sale is live, and I've found the 21 best deals on best-selling appliances, TVs, Apple devices, and more.
Categories: Technology

Blockchain fintech giant Figure hit by data breach, says 'limited number of files' impacted

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:05
ShinyHunters claims responsibility, says Figure is part of the Okta single sign-on attacks.
Categories: Technology

Still struggling with iOS 26 battery life? iOS 27 could fix it soon – but here are 7 ways to boost it now

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:00
iOS 27 will bring battery life improvements, according to a new report. But while you wait, here are 7 tips to try on iOS 26.
Categories: Technology

This mini PC with 8GB RAM is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and at under $100 I can definitely recommend it

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 07:00
The NUC Box mini PC delivers practical everyday performance in a compact, space saving design for under $100.
Categories: Technology

Optery data removal service review

TechRadar Reviews - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:55

Optery remains one of the strongest data removal services going into 2026, offering a rare mix of broad broker coverage, flexible pricing, and detailed visibility into what’s being removed from the web. Whether you are an individual, a family, or a business, it is particularly appealing if you want both automation and verifiable proof that the data has actually been taken down.

Data brokers, people-search sites, and marketing databases continue to expand in 2026, making it increasingly difficult to keep personal and professional information under control. Optery positions itself as a dedicated data removal and privacy service, focusing on scanning for exposed profiles and then systematically opting you out of hundreds of sites, including high‑value sources like Google search results. Used alongside other privacy tools such as a VPN, password manager, and antivirus, it helps form a more complete online protection stack rather than a standalone solution.

We found Optery especially compelling because it combines automated removals with human privacy agents on its higher tiers, increasing the likelihood that stubborn brokers will actually comply with opt‑out requests. It is also one of the few services that places a strong emphasis on visibility and documentation, providing detailed exposure and removal reports that show exactly where your information was found and which sites have been cleared.

Optery: Plans and pricing

(Image credit: Future)

Optery’s consumer lineup still revolves around four tiers: a free plan plus three paid subscriptions—Core, Extended, and Ultimate—available on both monthly and annual billing. The free tier focuses on self-service removals and scanning, while the paid plans add automated opt-outs at various levels and human-assisted removals.

Pricing for individuals remains very competitive by data-removal standards. Core starts at about $3.99 per month on a monthly subscription or roughly $3.25 per month with an annual subscription, positioning it among the lower-cost automated data removal options. Extended steps up to around $14.99 per month (about $12.42 monthly on annual billing), and Ultimate sits at $24.99 per month (around $20.70 on the annual plan), which aligns closely with what third‑party reviewers describe as $39, $149, and $249 per year, respectively, when purchased annually.

Coverage scales with price: Core handles removals from roughly 80–100 sites, Extended pushes coverage into the 200+ range, and Ultimate targets all of the 300–600+ broker and people‑search sites Optery monitors, depending on how you count international and niche sources. All paid plans are backed by a 30‑day money‑back guarantee, which makes it easier to trial the service without long‑term risk.

For businesses, Optery offers separate enterprise plans with per‑seat pricing, including Core Pro and Ultimate Pro options that scale to dozens or hundreds of employees and support advanced identity and access controls. Optery also offers discounts and options for family members in some plan structures, helping households and organizations protect multiple people under one umbrella.

Optery: Features

Optery’s feature set is one of its biggest strengths, particularly in how it blends scanning, removals, and proof. Even on the free tier, you get exposure reports, scans of Google search for your personal details, email and phone checks, and self-service opt‑out instructions for many brokers, giving you a strong baseline view of your public exposure.

On paid tiers, Optery moves from self‑service to automation. Core focuses on fully automated “bot‑only” removals across 80–100 sites, typically limited to a single name and one city or state per user. Extended introduces a “humans + machines” model, where automated tools are paired with human privacy agents, expands coverage to 200+ sites, and supports unlimited name variations and historical addresses for the same person.

Ultimate is where Optery differentiates itself most clearly. It adds coverage for the full list of supported data brokers (300+ and, in some third‑party tests, upwards of 600+ total sites checked), unlimited custom removal requests after a short onboarding period, and automated removal requests for outdated content to Google and Bing. Across all paid tiers, Optery provides periodic removal reports—often monthly or quarterly—that include screenshots and status updates, making it easy to verify that profiles have been removed or suppressed.

For families and small groups, Optery offers options to protect multiple people under a single subscription, with discounted rates when you add more members. For power users, there are also advanced capabilities, like expanded reach and maximize‑removals features, that aim to push opt‑outs as widely as possible across related brokers and aggregators.

Optery: Setup

Getting started with Optery is straightforward and mostly guided. You begin by creating an account, choosing either the free tier or a paid plan, then adding basic personal details such as your name, email address, and at least one address to enable accurate matching across data brokers.

Once your profile is set up, Optery runs an initial scan, generating an exposure report that highlights where your information appears and the severity of each exposure. If you remain on the free tier, you can use the dashboard’s links and instructions to submit opt‑out requests yourself; paid users can simply confirm their details and let Optery’s automated and human agents begin the removal process.

Enterprise customers have a more structured onboarding phase, typically involving bulk user provisioning via SSO/SCIM/SAML and policy configuration, but Optery provides admin dashboards and tools to streamline rollout across teams. In either scenario, the initial setup is usually a one‑time effort, after which Optery continues scanning and issuing removals in the background.

Optery: Ease of use

Day‑to‑day, Optery is designed to be low‑maintenance. The dashboard offers a clear overview of your exposure, showing which sites have active profiles, which have been removed, and where follow‑up is still in progress. For most users, the service runs in the background after initial configuration, with periodic emails or PDF reports summarizing progress.

One of the more user‑friendly aspects is the visibility into each broker: Optery often captures screenshots or structured evidence showing your information before and after removal, which helps reassure less technical users that real work is being done. This transparency is an area where it compares favorably to some rivals that provide only high‑level status numbers.

The trade‑off is that the depth of information and configuration options can feel a bit dense if you just want a “set it and forget it” experience, especially in the enterprise portal. Still, for privacy‑focused individuals and organizations, the combination of automation, detailed logs, and clear status tracking makes Optery one of the easier advanced services to live with day to day.

Optery: Security and privacy

(Image credit: Optery)

Because Optery is handling sensitive personal data in order to remove it from brokers, its own security posture matters. The company is headquartered in the United States and emphasizes compliance with major privacy regulations such as CCPA and related state privacy laws, aligning its opt‑out workflow with legal rights to data deletion and restriction.

Optery uses a “humans + machines” model, but carefully scopes what information is shared with data brokers, typically limiting it to what is strictly necessary to confirm identity and process an opt‑out. Features like Maximize Removals and Expanded Reach increase coverage by sending more removal requests, and Optery’s documentation is explicit about the data elements included so customers understand the trade‑offs.

On the infrastructure side, Optery stores account data in secure environments and recommends keeping a subscription active because brokers frequently repopulate profiles and new exposures appear over time, which it mitigates with recurring scans and removals. The Ultimate plan’s integration with Google’s and Bing’s outdated content tools also shortens the window during which exposed data remains visible in search results, reducing the opportunity for bad actors to exploit cached records.

Optery: Support

Optery backs its product with a reasonably comprehensive support ecosystem, centered on a self‑service Help Center and direct email support. The Help Center covers topics like getting started, managing profiles, understanding your exposure reports, enterprise administration, and troubleshooting common issues, which reduces the need to contact support for routine questions.

For more complex or account‑specific issues, users can reach Optery via email, with higher‑tier plans—particularly Ultimate—receiving priority handling. The company also maintains a blog that explores broader privacy topics, provides deep dives on data broker behavior and legal frameworks, and publishes step‑by‑step opt‑out guides that are useful even if you are not a paying customer.

While some rivals now offer live chat or bundled phone support, Optery’s approach skews toward detailed written resources and email‑based assistance, which fits well with its documentation‑heavy, evidence‑driven style. For most technically comfortable users and business admins, that combination is more than adequate.

Optery: The competition

(Image credit: Kanary)

Optery competes in a crowded field that includes DeleteMe, Mozilla Monitor Plus, Kanary, Privacy Bee, IDX, and newer offerings like Incogni and DuckDuckGo’s privacy membership. Each service has its own strengths, and the best fit depends on whether you prioritize automation, international coverage, price, or bundled extras.

DeleteMe is one of the longest‑running names in the space, with a reputation for strong customer service and manual removals, though its coverage and interface can feel more traditional. Mozilla Monitor Plus leans on Mozilla’s broader ecosystem—often packaged with a VPN and other tools—and is attractive if you already trust Mozilla and want a single vendor for multiple privacy services.

Kanary positions itself around fast scans and transparent reporting and directly compares its coverage and speed against Optery and DeleteMe, often at a mid‑range price point. Privacy Bee and IDX tend to bundle identity monitoring and security features with data removal, making them appealing if you want a more “all‑in-one” security suite rather than a dedicated removal tool.

Incogni, which has grown quickly in popularity, focuses heavily on large‑scale automated removals and often comes in cheaper for families, but it may not match Optery’s depth of proof and visibility into each individual removal. Across recent independent roundups, Optery regularly appears among the top recommended personal data removal services, particularly at the Ultimate tier, where its site coverage and reporting stand out.

Optery: Verdict

Optery continues to stand out in 2026 as one of the best data removal services for users who care about both breadth of coverage and transparency into what’s being done on their behalf. Its combination of a genuinely useful free tier, flexible paid pricing, automated and human‑assisted removals, and strong broker coverage—including automated removal of outdated content from Google and Bing—puts it ahead of many rivals, especially at the higher end.

There are trade‑offs: the interface and reporting depth can feel like overkill if you just want something completely hands‑off, and some competitors offer more robust real‑time support channels or lower family pricing. Even so, if your priority is claiming control of your personal information across as many data brokers and search results as possible, Optery’s Ultimate and Extended plans are extremely compelling options for both individuals and organizations.

For anyone building a serious privacy stack in 2026, alongside a VPN, password manager, and security tools, Optery deserves a place near the top of your shortlist.

Categories: Reviews

This YouTuber just tripled his old iPhone 11 Pro’s battery capacity with a $10 Amazon kit – but it's a risky repair

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:35
Apple doesn't recommend carrying out a battery upgrade like this – but someone tried it anyway.
Categories: Technology

A turquoise turntable designed for Bluetooth? If anyone can do it, TEAC can

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:20
Don't want to bother with turntable cables? TEAC's TN 400BT X/TB wants you to listen to your vinyl wirelessly
Categories: Technology

'He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future': Sam Altman says OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:20
OpenAI snaps up OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger – OpenClaw will now go on to be an "open and independent" platform.
Categories: Technology

I'm a loyal Apple Watch user, but this Garmin Vivoactive 6 Presidents' Day deal could lure me to the other side

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:17
The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is back to its Black Friday price, and it's a great Apple Watch SE 3 alternative.
Categories: Technology

The best fitness tracker deal for Presidents' Day is actually on a 6-year-old Fitbit – here's why

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:17
Buying a Fitbit on Presidents' Day? The old Fitbit Inspire 2 is quietly the best value of all, as it still comes with a year of Premium.
Categories: Technology

After some PS5 games this Presidents' Day? Some of my absolute faves are discounted in the sales

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:07
The Presidents' Day sale is proving a great time to stock up on PS5 games — these are the deals I'd go for.
Categories: Technology

What is the release date for School Spirits season 3 episode 6 on Paramount+?

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:04
Who's telling the truth and who is flat-out lying? School Spirits season 3 episode 6 might have answers, so when is it coming to Paramount+?
Categories: Technology

I'm finding all the best Presidents' Day sales for you – 50+ deals on TVs, laptops, appliances, and more top-rated tech

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:01
I'm searching through today's Presidents' Day sales and have hand-picked over 50 of the best deals on TVs, laptops, appliances, and more tech from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other major retailers.
Categories: Technology

Google Pixel phones could soon get a dedicated app for one of their oldest features

TechRadar News - Mon, 02/16/2026 - 05:51
Google's Now Playing tool looks set to get moved to a dedicated app, where it will hopefully have some upgrades too.
Categories: Technology

Pages

Subscribe to The Vortex aggregator