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Removing your data yourself, or with TraceErase: what actually changes
By The TraceErase team · First published · Last updated · Table checked
The short answer
Most of the official routes (preference services, access and erasure requests, complaints) are free to use yourself, with or without TraceErase. TraceErase charges for the organisation around them: a directory of reviewed official steps, drafts you review, one record of what you sent and when replies are due. It does not watch for your data returning, and as of 29 October 2026 no request has been sent to a real organisation through it, though eligible requests can be handled for you when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you. Its separate, free Check my exposure page, where it is available, searches a licensed search index for possible references to you, only when you ask; its coverage is very limited at present. No organisation has to say yes. If you have one or two requests to make, doing it yourself may be all you need.
The differences that matter
The routes are free; the work around them is not
You can follow every reviewed official step in the directory without a plan. The plan pays for the organisation and tooling around the steps, not for the right to make a request.
One record instead of a folder of emails
TraceErase keeps what you sent, the date it arrived, the replies and the response date worked out from your own dates, for every organisation you contact.
Nothing is removed because you used either route
In both cases the organisation decides its reply. A sent request, a reply or a listing is not proof that data has gone.
What TraceErase does not do today
It does not watch for your data returning (weekly protection is temporarily unavailable), and it does not send requests for organisations it does not support. The free Check my exposure page, where it is available, searches a licensed search index for possible references when you ask, and does not open the pages it finds. The live status is shown below the table.
Comparison table, checked
Each answer says what it means in words. “Not verified” means the feature was not found in the pages read; it does not mean it is not offered. Numbers in square brackets point to the sources below.
| Feature | TraceErase | Doing it yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of the official routes | Yes Every reviewed official step in the directory is free to follow, with or without an account. The plan is billed separately: see the price under the table. | Yes The ICO says registering with the Telephone Preference Service is free, and says organisations generally cannot charge for a subject access request (a fee is possible only for a manifestly unfounded or excessive request, or further copies).[1][2] |
| Finding the official route for a named organisation | Yes A directory of UK-relevant organisations. Where TraceErase has read the organisation’s own pages, the entry shows the steps and the date TraceErase read them. A listing is not proof the organisation holds your data, and a checked route has not been tested by signing in. | Yes You search each organisation’s own help pages, the ICO and the preference services. The organisation’s page is always the authority; it takes your time. |
| Writing the request (copy of your data, erasure, objection, complaint) | Yes Drafts you review and edit. The template wording is still awaiting specialist review, and a draft is not legal advice. | Yes You write it yourself. The ICO says no specific wording is required for an erasure request and publishes a template.[3] |
| Sending the request | Partly For most requests you send it yourself. For organisations and actions marked eligible, you can choose the request, give written permission you can withdraw, and TraceErase handles the sending, using software and our team, only when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you. Where an organisation needs a step from you, you complete it. Right now: Checking whether this is available…. | Yes You send every request yourself, by the route the organisation names. |
| Keeping a record and working out dates | Yes A case history per request with your dates, replies and notes. The response date is worked out from the dates on record by versioned rules and marked “needs confirming” when uncertain. It is a guide, not legal advice. | Partly You keep your own notes and diary. The ICO sets out the time limits on its pages.[3] |
| If there is no reply or you disagree with it | Partly You can prepare a draft that challenges a response, and the tracker shows the response date worked out from your dates. TraceErase does not chase organisations for you, and no follow-up has been approved for a real organisation. | Yes The ICO says to raise a complaint with the organisation first, then complain to the ICO if you are still unhappy. You do both yourself.[3] |
| Watching for your data reappearing | Partly Breach checks run when you ask. On a paid plan you can also turn on scheduled checks of your account email, with a separate choice of one email when a check finds a newly listed breach. Weekly protection, which would repeat the exposure check, is temporarily unavailable, so nothing else is re-checked for you. | Partly Only if you repeat your own searches and requests by hand. |
Step by step
Step 1: Find the route
On your own
Search the organisation’s own pages and the ICO.
- You
With TraceErase today
The directory shows reviewed official steps and the date they were read.
- You
- TraceErase software
Step 2: Write the request
On your own
Write it yourself, or adapt a template.
- You
With TraceErase today
A draft is prepared. You review and edit it.
- You
- TraceErase software
Step 3: Send it
On your own
You send it by the route the organisation names.
- You
- The organisation
With TraceErase today
You send it. Where an action is eligible, you can choose it and TraceErase can handle the sending when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you, and you complete any step an organisation needs from you.
- You
- TraceErase software
- TraceErase team
Managed handling right now: Checking whether this is available…
Step 4: Record dates and replies
On your own
Notes, a diary and your inbox.
- You
With TraceErase today
The case history keeps the dates, replies and the response date.
- You
- TraceErase software
Step 5: Follow up or complain
On your own
Raise a complaint with the organisation, then with the ICO.
- You
- The organisation
With TraceErase today
A draft challenging the response; the complaint route is the ICO’s, and you take it.
- You
- TraceErase software
Whichever way you go, an organisation decides its reply. A sent request, a reply or a listing isn’t proof that data has gone.
Who suits what
TraceErase may suit you if
- You have more than a handful of organisations to deal with, such as old accounts, shops and subscriptions, and want one place for the routes, drafts, dates and replies.
- You want the official steps for each organisation read and dated for you, with their limits stated.
- You would rather review a prepared draft than write each request from scratch.
- You may want TraceErase to handle eligible requests for you when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you.
Doing it yourself may suit you better if
- You have one or two things to do, such as registering with a preference service, which is free and one-off.
- You are comfortable writing a request and keeping your own notes.
- You do not want another account or a subscription.
- You need something TraceErase does not do, such as continuous monitoring of people-search sites or automatic repeated removal requests.
What TraceErase does differently, and where it is limited
A difference
One record across organisations
The case history, replies and response dates are in one place instead of scattered across inboxes. Implemented and verified locally; the response dates are guidance, not legal advice.
A difference
Official steps that name their limits
Checked entries show what the organisation’s own pages say, the date TraceErase checked them, and what a route does not cover.
A difference
You stay in control
TraceErase prepares and you decide. Where managed handling is available, your permission is written, specific, versioned and revocable, and staff approve the exact wording before anything is sent.
Limits to weigh before you decide
- Most of what TraceErase points you to is free. You are paying for the organisation and tooling, so if you have only a few requests the free route may be enough.
- As of 29 October 2026 no request has been sent to a real organisation through TraceErase and no outcome has been observed. Eligible requests can be sent for you when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you (see the live status).
- Breach checks run when you ask, or on a schedule if you turn that on. Weekly protection is temporarily unavailable, and there is no promise that any organisation will erase anything or reply in a set time.
- Reviewed routes come from reading official pages. They have not been tested by signing in, and request templates are awaiting specialist review.
- You give TraceErase an account and the request records you add. Doing it yourself shares nothing with us. The Privacy Policy says what we hold.
Managed handling right now: Checking whether this is available….
Price
TraceErase
- £9.99 per month in GBP
- £49.99 charged once a year, upfront in GBP
Twelve monthly payments come to £119.88; one annual payment is £49.99.
Read from our billing records, in pounds. The annual plan is charged once, upfront, and renews until you cancel. An account is free and does not start a purchase. What the plan includes.
What the words mean on this page
- Listed
- The organisation is in the TraceErase directory. It is not proof that the organisation holds your data and not a supported removal.
- Checked route
- TraceErase read the organisation’s own pages for an action on a date. Nobody has signed in to run it, the organisation may have changed its pages since, and a checked route is not a removal.
- Handled by TraceErase (eligible)
- That organisation and action are on the reviewed managed list. It does not mean delivery is open, which the live status shows.
- Submitted, replied, removed
- Three separate things. A request being sent is not a reply, and a reply is not proof that data was removed.
- Plain definitions of the five request types
- Account closure, erasure, objection, access and listing removal are explained once, in the guides hub.
We never set the number of organisations in our directory against another company’s count of removals. They measure different things.
Sources
Public pages this comparison relies on and the day each was read. Pages change, so check the source for anything that matters to you.
- ICO: nuisance calls and the Telephone Preference Service (opens in a new tab) · Information Commissioner’s Office · read · UKSays registering a landline or mobile is free. It does not state how long registration takes, so this page does not either.
- ICO: a guide to subject access (opens in a new tab) · Information Commissioner’s Office · read · UK, guidance for organisationsUsually no fee; a request may be made verbally or in writing; the page notes it was updated in July 2026 for the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
- ICO: your right to get your data deleted (opens in a new tab) · Information Commissioner’s Office · read · UKThe right is not absolute. No specific wording is required. Complain to the organisation first, then the ICO.
How this page is kept accurate
Written by The TraceErase team from the sources above and our own capability record. Review of claims: not needed for this page. This page compares TraceErase with a free process and makes no claim about another company’s product. Statements about official routes are attributed to the ICO pages linked in the sources. Statements about TraceErase describe it as at the last-updated date; the live status of managed handling is read when the page loads. The “last updated” date changes only when the content does. General information, not legal advice.
Questions
Can I really do all of this for free?
For the official routes the ICO describes, yes: you can follow the steps and make the requests yourself. The ICO says registering with the Telephone Preference Service is free and that organisations generally cannot charge for a subject access request. What costs time is finding each organisation’s route, writing each request and keeping track of replies.
So why would I pay for TraceErase?
To save that organising work across many organisations: reviewed steps with dates, prepared drafts, one record and response dates. If you only have a request or two, the free route may be all you need. See pricing for what the plan includes and what it does not.
Will TraceErase remove my data for me?
No organisation has to say yes, and TraceErase does not promise removal. It helps you ask, keeps the record and shows what each organisation replied. Eligible requests can be handled for you when Loan Broker Cleanup is open to you.
Does TraceErase scan for my details on data broker or people-search sites?
Only when you ask, and only through the free Check my exposure page, where it is available. It searches a licensed search index for possible references to your name on supported websites and does not open the pages it finds, so a result is not proof and none found is not an all-clear. Weekly protection, which would repeat the exposure check, is temporarily unavailable, so there are no scheduled scans, monitoring or alerts. The directory lists organisations and the official ways to ask them; it does not search for you.
What if an organisation ignores my request?
The ICO’s guidance is to raise a complaint with the organisation first and then complain to the ICO. TraceErase keeps the dates and helps you prepare the challenge; the complaint itself is yours to make.
Is this page an independent review?
No. TraceErase publishes it and sells one of the options. We have tried to be fair about what the free route does well, and the sources are linked with the dates they were read.
Related
Start with a free account
Create an account to search the directory, prepare a request and keep the record. Creating an account does not buy anything or send anything, and you choose a plan only if you want one.