Incogni review
Surfshark / Nord Security group · Tesonet corporate family · built 2021
Bottom line
Incogni is cheap, polished, and had its removal process independently checked by Deloitte in 2025 - and Incogni itself does not appear to operate a data broker. So why orange? Because of who stands behind it. Incogni was built inside Surfshark, now part of Nord Security, and both trace back to Tesonet, a Lithuanian venture builder that also backs Oxylabs - one of the world's largest web-scraping and residential-proxy operations. There's no evidence of direct data-sharing between them, but it's the opposite corner of the personal-data economy from the one you're paying Incogni to protect you from. There's also no independent effectiveness data.
| Owner | Product of Surfshark, which merged with Nord Security (Feb 2022) under holding company Cyberspace B.V. (Netherlands). Both trace to Tesonet, a Lithuanian venture builder. |
|---|---|
| "Both ends" conflict? | Partial / structural. The Tesonet family that backs Incogni also backs Oxylabs (175M+ residential IPs, web-scraping infra). No direct Incogni↔Oxylabs data-sharing found, but it's a real ownership-level concern. |
| Data you hand over | Name, address (+ up to 2 past), email(s), phone(s), date of birth, password, payment. No SSN/photo. |
| Sells your data? | States it does not sell data. But shares data with "affiliated group companies" for admin - i.e. your PII can flow to sibling Nord/Surfshark entities, not just the brokers you're escaping. |
| Security | Claims SOC 2 Type II (self-reported). No ISO 27001 found. Independent Deloitte limited-assurance report (Aug 2025) verified its removal process (420+ brokers, 245M+ requests). No known breach. |
| Independent test | Not included in Consumer Reports' 2024 study - so no independent, controlled effectiveness data. PCMag/PCWorld Editors' Choice (review press, not investigative). |
| Coverage & method | 420+ brokers automated; Unlimited tier adds "custom removals" to 2,000–3,000+ more sites (human specialists). Mostly automated. |
| Price (2026) | Standard $7.99/mo (annual); Unlimited $14.99/mo; Family $15.99/mo; Family Unlimited $22.99/mo. 30-day money-back. |
| Affiliate link? | Incogni runs an affiliate program (via Surfshark), but we're not currently enrolled - our link is plain. |
Who owns it - and can you trust them?
Follow the ownership chain and it goes: Incogni → built inside Surfshark (2021) → Surfshark merged with Nord Security in February 2022 under the Netherlands-registered holding company Cyberspace B.V. → and both companies grew out of Tesonet, a Lithuanian venture builder founded in 2008. Tesonet's own materials list Nord Security, Surfshark, and Oxylabs among the companies it built or accelerated.
Oxylabs is a major web-scraping and residential-proxy provider - the kind of infrastructure used to harvest data at scale. The same corporate family profits from both Incogni (removing your data) and Oxylabs (large-scale data collection). We found no evidence they share your data, and Incogni itself isn't a broker - but on the specific "does the owner also make money from the personal-data economy?" test, the honest answer here is "yes, one step removed." If that bothers you, it should factor into your decision.
A smaller point in the same spirit: Incogni's privacy policy permits sharing your data with "affiliated group companies" for administrative purposes, meaning your details can move within the broader Nord/Surfshark group, not only out to the brokers you're opting out of.
Does it actually work?
We can't tell you as confidently as we'd like, because Incogni wasn't part of Consumer Reports' 2024 controlled study - the one genuinely independent effectiveness test in this category. What exists instead is a Deloitte "limited assurance" report (August 2025) that Incogni commissioned, which verified operational claims like its 420+ broker coverage and 245M+ removal requests processed. That's a real audit of process and scale, but it isn't the same as an independent measurement of how much of your data actually disappears. PCMag and PCWorld have given it Editors' Choice nods, but those are review sites, not investigative outlets.
Your privacy & data
Incogni asks for name, current and past addresses, email(s), phone(s), and date of birth - slightly more than the most minimal competitors, notably the DOB. It states it has never sold personal data. The sharing picture is broader than "just the brokers," though: it lists vendors (support, payments, cloud/analytics) and, as noted above, affiliated group companies. Retention after cancellation is stated inconsistently across its own pages (12 vs 24 months), so check the live policy before you sign up.
Security
Incogni claims SOC 2 Type II compliance on its marketing pages (self-reported; we didn't see an independent certificate), and we found no ISO 27001 certification and no breach history. The Deloitte assurance report is a genuine positive on the process side. Overall the security story is adequate but leans more on self-attestation than DeleteMe's published certifications.
Pros
- Low price and large custom-removal reach
- Deloitte-verified removal process (2025)
- States it does not sell your data
- Slick UX; 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Owner's corporate family also runs scraping firm Oxylabs
- Shares data with "affiliated group companies"
- No independent (Consumer Reports-style) effectiveness data
- Requires DOB; inconsistent retention terms
Visit Incogni
Fine as a cheap, automated option - just go in aware of the ownership picture and the missing independent test data.
Visit Incogni →Plain link - we are not currently in Incogni's affiliate program, so we earn nothing from this.
Sources
- Tesonet, companies it built/accelerated (lists Nord Security, Surfshark, Oxylabs).
- Oxylabs, residential proxy pool (175M+ IPs).
- Incogni, privacy policy and pricing; Deloitte assurance via GlobeNewswire.
- Consumer Reports, 2024 study (Incogni not included).
Last reviewed July 2026. Spot an error or something out of date? Let us know - we'll correct it.