rm -rf
Delete Yourself From The Internet
Think about every app you have ever installed. The flashlight app that wanted access to your contacts. The photo editor that asked for your location. The game that requested your microphone. You clicked "Allow" without thinking and moved on.
Now think about every app you installed, used once, and forgot. Every social media account you created, posted three times, and abandoned. Every shopping site where you saved your address and card details for "faster checkout." Every free WiFi network you connected to at a hotel, airport, or cafe.
You probably deleted some of those apps. Maybe you uninstalled them to free up storage. But here is what most people don't know: uninstalling an app does not delete your data. Your profile, your phone number, your photos, your messages — they stay on that company's servers. You just removed the icon from your screen.
Your data is out there. It is being bought, sold, packaged, and traded by companies you have never heard of. And right now, someone can probably find your home address, your family members, and your phone number with a simple Google search.
This module is about taking that data back.
The Surveillance You Never Signed Up For
Every device you own is a tracking device. Not because of some conspiracy — because of the way the internet was built. Here is what happens without you knowing:
- Your phone's camera and microphone can be accessed by apps you installed months ago and forgot about. That "beauty filter" app from 2019? It still has camera permissions.
- Your location is tracked by weather apps, games, and wallpaper apps that have no business knowing where you sleep.
- Your contacts list has been uploaded to servers by multiple apps. Now your friends' phone numbers are in databases they never agreed to.
- Your browser creates a unique fingerprint — screen size, fonts, graphics card, timezone — that follows you across websites even in private mode.
- Your call logs and SMS are accessible to apps that asked for "phone permissions" and you said yes because the app wouldn't work otherwise.
- Your photo gallery has been scanned by multiple apps. Some of those photos contain location data, timestamps, and faces of people you know.
The average smartphone has 40-60 apps installed. Most people actively use less than 15. The rest are data leaks waiting to happen.
Now multiply this by every device you own — laptop, tablet, smart TV, smart speaker, smart watch, even your car. Every single one of them is sending data about you somewhere.
Why This Matters to You
Data brokers buy information from all these sources and build profiles on you. They know:
- Where you live (past and present addresses)
- Who you live with (family members, roommates, partners)
- How much you earn (estimated from your browsing and purchases)
- What medications you might take (from health sites you visited)
- Your political views (from articles you read)
- Your phone number and email (from every form you ever filled)
This data is sold to:
- Insurance companies who use it to raise your premiums
- Employers who run cheap background checks on you
- Scammers who use your real details to trick you
- Stalkers who can find your address with a few clicks
- Governments who buy this data to bypass warrant requirements
You did not agree to any of this. You just installed some apps, made some accounts, and lived your life. Meanwhile, a hundred companies have built a digital version of you that they are selling to the highest bidder.
What is rm -rf?
rm -rf is a computer command that forcefully deletes
everything without asking. This module does the same for your
digital footprint. It is a 3 week, self paced, no certification
needed module that will teach you:
- Week 1: How to find every piece of data about yourself online
- Week 2: How to remove it — the right way (not just uninstalling)
- Week 3: How to set things up so your data stays private going forward
No technical skills required. No paid tools. No third-party services that ask for your data to "protect" your data. Just step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow.
How This Module Works
Each week has around 3-4 tasks. They take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how many apps and accounts you have. You can do them at your own pace. There is no deadline, no certificate, no pressure.
Each week also has a dedicated section for India and other regions because privacy laws are different everywhere. Aadhaar leaks, DPDP rights, GDPR, CCPA — we cover what applies to you based on where you live.
What You Will NOT Get From This Module
- No paid tools being pushed as "solutions"
- No "just use a VPN" magic fixes
- No services that require your data to work
- No fake certificates or badges
- No promises of "total invisibility" (that does not exist)
What You WILL Get
- Clear, non-technical instructions anyone can follow
- Region-specific guidance for India, EU, US, and Asia-Pacific
- Practical privacy habits that take minutes to maintain
- The satisfaction of removing your data from dozens of databases
The Most Important Thing to Understand
Uninstalling an app is NOT the same as deleting your account. When you uninstall an app, the app's icon disappears from your phone. But your data — your name, email, phone number, photos, messages, payment details — stays on their servers forever. That data can be sold, leaked, or hacked, and you will never know because you thought "deleting" the app was enough.
This module teaches you how to properly delete your data. Not just remove icons. And for sites that refuse to delete (many do), we teach you the "edit to fake" method — change all your details to fake information before abandoning the account, so even if their database gets leaked, it leaks garbage instead of your real data.
This one habit alone — editing to fake before abandoning — can save you from countless future breaches. Most people skip this step. Most people pay for it later.
Need Help?
If you want us to find your exposed data or help with takedowns, email us at afterthedot@proton.me. We can tell you exactly where your data is circulating and what to do about it.