Privacy, Security
What alternatives to IDX are out there?
Jan. 2, 2023 / My Data Removal Staff
Introduction
Have you ever heard of IDX? IDX is digital privacy protection company that offers an “evolving suite of privacy and identity products.” Essentially, it is a one-stop shop for your digital privacy and security needs, including consumer privacy, identity protection, and data breach response. You may be wondering, do you have to pay a company like IDX to get comprehensive, effective protection? Or,are there legitimate alternatives that you can do yourself that can offer comparable or better services and protection?
IDX is agreat service, especially if you prefer convenience or are not working on your privacy and security at all. However,you don’t have to use a company like them in order to effectively protect yourself.This article will describe the different servicesIDX offers and then explain what other comparable option you can use to effectively protect your privacy and identity.If you want to truly take control of your privacy and security, using the services we recommend below will serve you better in the long run.
Services
IDX groups the features of their plans into three main categories: Prevention, Monitoring, and Recovery. We will explain and review the features in each category
Prevention
ForgetMe Data Removal - This is a data removal service, exactly what My Data Removal does. IDX does not share the sites they scan, so it is harder to know exactly what they are doing. My Data Removal is transparent about what sites we cover and sends you a summary every month. You can log into your account and see exactly what data we found and removed. This is our bread and butter. We are data removal professionals. For more info, check out our article about getting your information off the internet.You can sign up for one of our paid plans, or you can do it yourself.
IDX Password Manager - This is a program to manage your passwords, similar to many password managers on the market. We suggest you look at a free and open-source alternative like BitWarden or KeePassXC. The free alternatives are zero-knowledge, meaning the company behind the service does not have access to your unencrypted passwords. They are also on the cutting edge of privacy and security. The free alternatives also have various browser extensions and apps to allow you to access your secure passwords on various platforms. We have an article that goes into depth on passwords managers. TLDR: you should use one. Plenty are free and you don’t need to pay for one for it to be very secure and effective.
Safe Wifi VPN - We have all heard about VPNs. The version IDX provides is not unique. We suggest you go with a VPN company that legitimately prioritizes your privacy, which does mean you should probably pay for a VPN. We suggest clients look to very well-known VPNs from providers such asProton, PIA, Mullvad, or IVPN. Take a look at our Should I get VPN article to learn more about VPNs and to learn if a VPN would be right for you.
Private Search – Google and many other popular search engines track what you search and click on and build a file on you. Privacy search engines do not. The IDX Private Search is provided by DuckDuckGo, which is something you can easily do on your own. Switch from Chrome to Firefox on all your devices and use DuckDuckGo or Startpage as your default search engine. Check out our browser and search engine posts to learn more.
Tracking Blocker –There is nothing special about the IDB Tracker Blocker. Easily accessible and safe browser add-ons (sometimes called extensions or plugins) can block many third-party trackers and scripts. There are lots of free browser add-ons to block ads and tracking. Ublock Origin is a great option.
Credit Lock by TransUnion – This service is the same thing as a credit freeze. Your plan with IDX will freeze your credit with TransUnion, only one of the credit bureaus. In their description of this service, they state that there is often a fee to freeze your credit, which is not true. To learn how to do this for free at all of the credit bureaus, check out our credit freeze article.
Monitoring
CyberScan Dark Web Monitoring – This is a service that scans the internet and dark web for your information and alerts you if anything is found. You can use a free service like haveibeenpwned to see if they have found your data in any leaks or breaches.
SocialSentry Social Media Privacy and Fraud Protection – This service claims to protect users from social media fraud and scams. The Scams subreddit on Reddit is a great place to ask questions if you are concerned you are being scammed.
Credit Monitoring – This service monitors your credit. If your credit is frozen (which we recommend), it doesn’t need to be monitored.
Credit Report – This premium version of this service will give you your credit report from the big three bureaus once a year. This is available for free at annualcreditreport.com and we recommend you do this every year.
VantageScore 3.0 Credit Score – This service tells you your credit score. You can get a free score through most banks or through a free service like Credit Karma.
Credit Alerts – This service will alert you if there are any hard pulls on your credit report but only for TransUnion. If your credit is frozen, you will not have any hard pulls on your credit. If using Credit Karma, youwould also be notified by them.
Court Record Monitoring – IDX doesn’t explain what this entails. It doesn’t seem very essential.
Payday Loan Monitoring - IDX doesn’t explain what this entails. It doesn’t seem very essential.
Change of Address Monitoring - IDX doesn’t explain what this entails. It doesn’t seem very essential.
Social Security Number Trace – They provide you with a report on your social security number and the associated names and aliases. There are lots of companies that provide this service. You can just search it. This service does not seem very essential either.
Recover
Fully-Managed, U.S. Based Identity Recovery – IDX does not explain what this means. It seems that they help you recovery from identity theft. Consumer.gov and ItentityTheft.gov can help you know what to do if you have been a victim of identity theft.
Lost Wallet Coverage – IDX will help you cancel your cards and request replacements. We firmlybelievethis should be you interacting with your banks.
$1 Million Identity Theft Insurance – This is insurance in case your identity is stolen and you suffer financial losses as a result. This can include money stolen and out-of-pocket expenses, but they need to be eligible according to the insurance policy. There are lots of similar services like NortonLifeLock, IdentityForce, and Aura. We have not tried these out, but they could be worth investigating.
Conclusion
IDX is an identity theft prevention service that combines a VPN, a password manager, and much more. Every service they offer can be obtained from alternative companies. Some of the alternatives are paid, and some are free. With IDX you balance convenience (one-stop shopping) and quality (if you are a jack-of-all-trades, you likely aren’t excellent in any or many areas). IDX seems much better than nothing, but if you want to take control of your privacy and security, using a combination of the alternative services mentioned above can be a more secure long-term solution that puts you in control.IDX is an identity theft prevention service that combines a VPN, a password manager, and much more. Every service they offer can be obtained from alternative companies. Some of the alternatives are paid, and some are free. With IDX you balance convenience (one-stop shopping) and quality (if you are a jack-of-all-trades, you likely aren’t excellent in any or many areas). IDX seems much better than nothing, but if you want to take control of your privacy and security, using a combination of the alternative services mentioned above can be a more secure long-term solution that puts you in control.