The best way to protect everyone’s data online is to flood everywhere with fake info
Posted by epicphysicspersonyay@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 11 comments
I was watching a YouTube video that was sponsored by incogni, which claims to remove your data from the dark web or smth idk.
And it got me thinking. What if instead of getting rid of people’s data we just add a load more. Make trying to find real info ever a needle in a haystack sort of ordeal. Just billions of fake people who never existed but have realistic sounding names, addresses, emails etc.
Checkmate scammers. Now u have too many fake people to scam and it’s no longer cost effective.
Individual-Cup4185@reddit
That’s a fascinating take on data obfuscation—how do you think it would scale across platforms like Reddit or X? We use SourceLeader to find leads on Reddit, X & LinkedIn, and also track real-time intent signals with SparkToro and Mention.
epicphysicspersonyay@reddit (OP)
Yes
Ill_Horse_2412@reddit
scaling that across big platforms is a technical nightmare, not a conceptual one.
the real issue isnt the method, its the volume and velocity of data.
you would need a dedicated system just for the obfuscation layer itself.
its a robust tool for a specific problem, not a universal filter.
PlusWinter8752@reddit
Interesting idea, but the real problem is attribution and trust signals, not just data volume. Attackers can still filter real identities using verified sources and patterns. The focus is usually on reducing exposure at the source. In enterprise setups, Ray Security is used to track actual sensitive data movement rather than relying on noise.
Fragraham@reddit
There's a browser extension that does just that. It feeds bogus random data to trackers, and advertisers.
Unindoctrinated@reddit
Yep. It's called adnauseum. - https://adnauseam.io/
stickJ0ckey@reddit
Brilliant
Zealousideal_Type814@reddit
that's always happening and it doesn't seem to help
IQ375983@reddit
The question is just how the fakes would be distributed. The tracking systems of companies like google would want the truth. Maybe a browser extension and or vpn could spoof it 🤔 but that would probably end in an arms race.
Florentis25@reddit
It’s a clever idea, but it wouldn’t really work.
Scammers use real, verified data, so fake profiles get ignored. That’s why people use services like Optery they help remove your real info from data broker sites. Best move: protect your real data + remove it where you can.
Quick note — I’m on the Optery team
emergent-emergency@reddit
But if you protect it well, it costs less for storage and processing.