PrivacyHawk Review 2026: Is This Data Removal App Safe?

PrivacyHawk finds and removes your personal info from data broker sites and provides a $5 million identity theft insurance policy. Learn about our experience testing the app.

PrivacyHawk is a straightforward, hands-off app that helps you identify and remove your information from data broker sites. It also includes additional security measures to protect identities and combat email spam.

However, it's not clear which encryption is used, and it asks for access to your emails for some features. For a privacy-focused app, it's not transparent about some of its policies.

However, it does offer perks that most data removal services don’t. Read on to learn more about our firsthand experience testing PrivacyHawk.

Pros
  • Fast data exposure scan
  • Hands-off data removal experience
  • Generous $5 million identity theft insurance policy
Cons
  • Premium plan doesn't have automatic data removal
  • Might not use AES-256 encryption
In this article
At a glance
Our experience
Prices and plans
Security features
Does PrivacyHawk keep your data safe?
Customer support
Top alternatives
Bottom line: Is PrivacyHawk good?
FAQs

PrivacyHawk review at a glance

Price $6.25–$29.99/mo
Money-back guarantee Yes — 30 days
# of people covered 1
# of site removals 100+
Recurring removals Yes
Custom removal requests No
Privacy reports Yes — monthly
Supported countries Global
Extras Identity protection, digital footprint (company database removal), and unsubscribe (remove spam and unwanted emails)
Learn more Get PrivacyHawk

Star rating summary

PrivacyHawk received a star rating of 4.0 due to its middling scores in the value and features categories. The PrivacyHawk app is easy to use and does offer unique features like Digital Footprint and Unsubscribe, but it lacks custom removal requests and only contacts 100+ data broker sites. Despite the high price, it only covers one person. 

Decision factor Weight Verdict
Our experience 25% 4.5
Value 5% 4.0
Features60% 3.33
Customer service 10% 5.0

We last tested PrivacyHawk on January 12, 2026.

4.0
Privacy Protection
PrivacyHawk
  • Data removal with bonus features for identity protection, company database removal, and email spam filtering
  • Includes up to $5 million in identity theft insurance
  • Fewer automatic opt-outs than competitors and no custom removals
  • Premium plan is DIY and requires manual opt-out requests
Learn More

Our experience

Signing up for PrivacyHawk involves a quick data scan to find your exposed information on data broker sites. Like with Incogni’s free data exposure scan, you don't need to register to receive PrivacyHawk’s free scan. PrivacyHawk only needs an email address, first and last name, age, and city and state of residence. When we tested it, the scan was completed in less than 2 minutes.

From there, you can create an account for continuous privacy monitoring, automated data broker removal, and identity protection. You can provide additional information for more effective monitoring. Personal data you can share includes your address, phone number, date of birth, and more. You'll always want to confirm that a company will handle your data responsibly with proper encryption and a transparent privacy policy.

PrivacyHawk is an app, so you can't use it on your browser. The dashboard shares your Privacy Score. It looks similar to a credit score, but the Privacy Score indicates how well your data privacy is protected online.

PrivacyHawk app dashboard
PrivacyHawk app dashboard

Overall, the experience was hands-off. We didn't receive any notifications about successful data broker opt-outs or when our information was found on a new site. PrivacyHawk runs in the background, continuously scanning and removing your data from the internet. The only notification we received was a monthly progress report email.

Verdict: 4.5/5. Overall, we had a decent experience with PrivacyHawk. The app was easy to use, but we felt a bit doxxed by the service. We deliberately didn't enter our SSN, but it still appeared in our profile. We also thought the PrivacyHawk extras were lackluster and less effective than standard data removal features, such as custom removals.

PrivacyHawk prices and plans

PrivacyHawk prices range from $6.25–$29.99/mo. There are two plans, with the option to pay monthly or annually.

Plan Premium Platinum
Annual plan $74.99/yr $124.99/yr
Monthly plan $19.99/mo $29.99/mo
Family plan
Max # of people covered 1 1
Data broker opt-out Manual Automated
# of site removals 100+ 100+
Privacy reports Yes — monthly Yes — monthly
Real-time alerts
Recurring removals
Custom removal requests
Identity monitoring
Learn more View plan View plan

PrivacyHawk doesn't offer a free trial, but it does have a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans purchased on its website.

Premium is the lower-tier plan. One of the biggest differences between Premium and Platinum is the automated data removal requests. Premium only does a data exposure scan, and you can remove the data manually. While the PrivacyHawk Premium plan is cheaper than competitors', it doesn't offer automated data removal. Paying for a DIY data removal service doesn't feel worth it. 

On the other hand, Platinum includes automatic removal from data broker sites. It also has several privacy-focused features. Platinum monitors your identity, the dark web, and company breaches for potential data leaks.

PrivacyHawk scan results
PrivacyHawk scan results

Platinum also provides a white-glove remediation service and a $5 million identity theft insurance policy. However, identity theft protection services like Aura offer a better long-term value by bundling online security software, data removal services, and identity theft coverage for individuals, couples, or families.

Verdict: 4/5. PrivacyHawk's coverage-to-cost ratio isn't the best value available. Other top data removal services like Incogni offer more automated data broker opt-out requests and custom removals, making a higher service cost more worthwhile. Plus, if we're paying for a data removal service, we'd expect the process to be automated. Paying for PrivacyHawk Premium and then having to manually request removals isn't ideal.

PrivacyHawk security features

PrivacyHawk stands out for its recurring data removal process and extensive identity theft protection. However, it has a small data broker database, no credit monitoring, and some features feel like all frills with no substance.

Verdict: 3.33/5. PrivacyHawk offers three additional features: identity protection, removal from company databases, and email spam filtering. The app's unique features are pretty cool in theory. The ability to automatically unsubscribe from spam emails or automatically request that companies remove your data is great. But giving the app full access to your emails is a little uncomfortable. We would've liked more automatic data removal requests and the option for custom removals.

How does PrivacyHawk work?

PrivacyHawk can remove your personal information from data broker databases via opt-out requests, including:

  • Full name
  • Age
  • Birthday
  • Residential address
  • Phone number
  • Relatives
  • Email address

Data identity protection monitors

The PrivacyHawk Platinum plan includes identity monitoring services. PrivacyHawk can scan data brokers and people search sites to find your personal information, including:

  • Address
  • Debit and credit cards
  • Driver's license
  • Medical IDs
  • Passport
  • Social Security number
  • Bank accounts
  • Date of birth
  • Emails
  • Name
  • Phone numbers

Data broker and people-search sites covered

  • # of sites covered: 100+

PrivacyHawk scans and removes your data from 100+ data brokers and people search sites. This is on the low side of coverage. For example, Incogni monitors 420+ sites, while DeleteMe monitors 85-262 (depending on your plan and location).

PrivacyHawk divides its dashboard into two sections: Processing and Protected. Sites that never had your data or have successfully removed it appear under Protected. Those actively waiting for removal are listed under Processing. There's even a timeline of when to expect data removal.

PrivacyHawk data broker monitoring
PrivacyHawk data broker monitoring

There are thousands of public and private data broker sites, and it can be hard to tell if a service is effectively covering them all. Choosing a data removal service with a wide range of options can help minimize the chance that your information will still exist on the internet.

5.0
Privacy Protection
Incogni
  • Get fewer spam calls, robocalls, and scam notifications
  • Hide your address, phone number, and email from the public
  • Lower exposure to cyberattacks and financial scams
Learn More

Reports

PrivacyHawk sends a monthly email report on its progress. It shares the number of new exposures found as well as the number of data brokers that don't have your personal data.

While it's a monthly report, it also includes all-time stats that show the long-term value of data protection.

PrivacyHawk email report
PrivacyHawk email report

Alerts

PrivacyHawk's identity protection tool sends real-time alerts. You'll get alerts for:

  • Dark web breaches
  • SSN exposure
  • Change of address alerts
  • Financial account alerts

PrivacyHawk doesn't send you alerts about data broker-related actions. You'll have to manually check the app to view progress on data removals and any new data broker site listings.

Recurring and custom removals

PrivacyHawk has recurring data removal. It's an essential feature for pesky data broker sites that re-add your personal information after it's removed. Every month, PrivacyHawk will check and resubmit another removal request to ensure your data stays off their sites.

One downside of PrivacyHawk is that it doesn't include custom removals like Incogni or DeleteMe. You can't ask PrivacyHawk to remove data from a broker site not on its current list. However, you can email support to request that the site be included on its data broker lists. In the meantime, you'll have to go through the manual data process yourself.

Bonus features

Besides data removal, PrivacyHawk offers three additional features: identity protection, company database removal, and email spam filtering.

Digital Footprint

Like footprints in the sand, we all leave a trace on the internet. Many companies have our personal data, such as our shipping address or email address. Digital Footprint scans your emails to find companies that may have your personal information and sends an email on your behalf to remove this data.

While this sounds cool, it's a bit uncomfortable to give PrivacyHawk access to all of your emails and also let it send emails. It feels a bit unnecessary, since many companies have to follow privacy laws to keep your data safe.

PrivacyHawk Digital Footprint dashboard
PrivacyHawk Digital Footprint dashboard

Unsubscribe

Like Digital Footprint, PrivacyHawk asks for permission to scan all of your emails and look for potential spam or unwanted emails. Then it will unsubscribe you from these email lists.

We didn't have a great experience. It didn't seem that PrivacyHawk found all of the spam emails we receive, so it wasn't as automatic as we expected.

PrivacyHawk unsubscribed emails overview
PrivacyHawk unsubscribed emails overview

Identity Protect

PrivacyHawk offers identity monitoring to help you spot signs of theft. It also includes a generous $5 million identity theft insurance coverage. However, it’s missing key features like credit monitoring and a credit lock.

PrivacyHawk Identity Protection dashboard
PrivacyHawk Identity Protection dashboard

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Aura Identity Theft's website
Privacy Protection
Aura Identity Theft
PROMOTION: Clean Up Your Exposed Info for Only $7.00/mo
  • Continuously monitors the dark web and scans data breaches for compromised data
  • Excellent identity theft protection service that includes a password manager and antivirus protection
  • Robust tools for children’s security

Does PrivacyHawk keep your data safe?

The industry standard for data removal services is to use AES-256 encryption. It ensures your personal information is encrypted and secure.

It's not clear which encryption protocol PrivacyHawk uses. It only mentions a generic "advanced encryption" standard. That’s not reassuring, since PrivacyHawk has access to your Social Security numbers and your emails.

However, PrivacyHawk claims it doesn't sell or share personal data for cross-context behavioral advertising. Some of the data PrivacyHawk collects include:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Age
  • City of residence
  • Content of messages sent to PrivacyHawk
  • Billing information
  • Social media interactions with PrivacyHawk
  • Device data
  • Location data

Another problem with PrivacyHawk is that it doesn't offer the option to enable two-factor authentication (2FA). It's a crucial feature to protect your account from unauthorized access.

PrivacyHawk customer support

Support type PrivacyHawk
Email or live chat Yes — email (support@privacyhawk.com) and live chat
Phone Yes — (313) 774-4295
Online guides or forums Yes

PrivacyHawk has a chatbot, email, and phone support. There are also online guides on how to use PrivacyHawk. We tested out the chatbot, since it was readily available. Normally, chatbots can handle only basic inquiries. But we were able to get all of our questions answered without needing a human representative.

PrivacyHawk app chatbot customer support
PrivacyHawk app chatbot customer support

Verdict: 5/5. PrivacyHawk offers multiple ways to contact customer support. But it also boasts in-depth online guides that helped us navigate the service without needing to contact support.

Top alternatives

PrivacyHawk might not meet all your needs. You might want a more extensive data broker list, automated data removal on all plans, or additional monitoring for family members.

While Incogni and DeleteMe offer more robust data removal services, Aura offers data removal plus complete identity theft protection. 


Incogni

Aura

DeleteMe
Starting price From $7.99/mo From $7.00/mo From $8.60/mo
Max # of people covered 5 5 4
# of data brokers automatically checked 420+ 140+ 85-262
Automatic data broker opt-out
Custom removals
Real-time alerts
Privacy reports
Learn more Get Incogni Get Aura Get DeleteMe

Learn more about our top-tested data removal services.

Bottom line: Is PrivacyHawk good?

Overall, PrivacyHawk is a basic data removal service that doesn't have any "wow" factor.

We think the PrivacyHawk app could help people remove their information from company databases. Digital Footprint can help you discover which companies have your data and request removal. The identity protection feature is a great bonus, but it lacks many essential tools, such as credit monitoring.

Many of the best data removal services can provide monitoring for your entire family, ensure your data is encrypted with strong protocols, and remove your data from the internet.

4.9
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On Aura Identity Theft's website
Privacy Protection
Aura Identity Theft
PROMOTION: Clean Up Your Exposed Info for Only $7.00/mo
  • Continuously monitors the dark web and scans data breaches for compromised data
  • Excellent identity theft protection service that includes a password manager and antivirus protection
  • Robust tools for children’s security

How we test and rate data removal services

We take testing data removal services seriously, using a consistent approach across 10+ services to give you reliable information to make the right choice.

We sign up for each service 1-4 weeks before our full review begins. This gives the service time to find our personal information across the web, contact data brokers to remove it, and show us how well their process actually works through real results and reports.

The best services reach out to hundreds of data broker and people search sites, not just a handful. We make sure services don't just send one removal and call it done. Instead, we look for companies that actively monitor these sites and follow up when your information pops back up (because it often does).

Our final ratings consider several key factors: how well the service works, whether it's worth the price, how they protect your information, and how easy it is to use. We also factor in customer support quality, since you'll want help if issues come up.

To learn more about how we test, check out our full data removal testing methodology here.

PrivacyHawk FAQs

Is PrivacyHawk a legitimate app?

PrivacyHawk is a legitimate app for discovering and removing your data from data broker sites. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. You can download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.

What kind of data does PrivacyHawk find?

PrivacyHawk finds your personal data on data broker sites and the dark web. It looks for information like your name, age, city, and state. PrivacyHawk also provides identity theft protection, which can also monitor bank accounts, debit and credit cards, passports, and other sensitive data.

What is better than PrivacyHawk?

Many of the best data removal services offer more features than PrivacyHawk. Some offer monitoring for family members, automated data removal requests, and additional security tools like password managers or antivirus protection.

How do I cancel my PrivacyHawk subscription?

You can cancel your PrivacyHawk subscription in the app. Go to Settings and select Delete My Account. Follow the prompts to delete your data and cancel your subscription. Alternatively, you can also email customer support to cancel your subscription.


4.0
Editorial Rating
Learn More
On PrivacyHawk's website
Privacy Protection
PrivacyHawk
  • Data removal with bonus features for identity protection, company database removal, and email spam filtering
  • Includes up to $5 million in identity theft insurance
  • Fewer automatic opt-outs than competitors and no custom removals
  • Premium plan is DIY and requires manual opt-out requests
Author Details
Sara J. Nguyen is a writer specializing in cybersecurity. She aims to help people protect their data while enjoying technology. She has written about online privacy and tech for over 5 years for several organizations. When she's not writing about the latest cybersecurity trends, you can find her on LinkedIn.