How to delete your ShareThis account

About deleting your ShareThis account

ShareThis is a widely used social sharing platform and publisher tool that provides buttons for website owners to enable easy sharing to social media networks. By integrating their scripts into websites, ShareThis tracks user behavior and interests across the web to build detailed advertising profiles. Because ShareThis operates as a third-party data aggregator across millions of websites, your browsing history and personal preferences are constantly being funneled into their databases.

Deleting your ShareThis account is a vital step for users concerned about cross-site tracking and digital profiling. While the service provides convenience to publishers, the background collection of behavioral data is extensive. Reasons to delete your account include:

• Reducing your digital footprint across the advertising ecosystem.
• Limiting the amount of granular interest data ShareThis holds on your browsing habits.
• Preventing ShareThis from associating your online actions with your personal profile.
• Minimizing your exposure following historical reports regarding the service's data handling practices.

What happens to your data

When you request the deletion of your ShareThis account, the company typically initiates a process to remove your profile-linked identifiers from their active advertising databases. However, ShareThis collects a vast amount of data through its ubiquitous sharing buttons, including your IP address, browser type, device information, and the specific URLs you visit.

• Personal identification: Email addresses and login credentials.
• Technical metadata: Browser cookies, device fingerprints, and operating system info.
• Behavioral history: Records of which websites you visit and your interactions with social share buttons.
• Advertising profiles: Aggregated interests used for interest-based ad targeting.

While account deletion stops ShareThis from associating new data with your specific account, they may retain certain logs for legal compliance or internal security audits. Furthermore, if you continue to visit websites that use ShareThis's trackers without using a privacy-focused browser or extension, they may still collect non-account-linked data through cookies.

Privacy considerations

ShareThis acts as a significant node in the ad-tech industry. Their business model relies on tracking users across different domains to monetize insights via targeted advertisements. Unlike first-party services, ShareThis monitors activity across the web, making them a common source of third-party tracking cookies.

• Use a privacy browser: Brave or Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection can block ShareThis scripts.
• Clear cookies regularly: Removing third-party cookies prevents ShareThis from tracking your movement between sites.
• Limit ad tracking: Enable 'Do Not Track' settings, though note that many ad-tech firms, including ShareThis, may choose to ignore these signals.
• Use a VPN: Masking your IP address makes it significantly harder for ShareThis to link your browsing sessions across different networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my account stop ShareThis from tracking me on other sites?

No, deleting your account removes your registered profile, but if you visit sites using their buttons, ShareThis may still collect data unless you use a tracker-blocking tool.

Is ShareThis safe to use?

ShareThis has been scrutinized for its extensive tracking capabilities and history of data breaches, which is why many privacy-conscious users choose to opt out.

How long does it take for ShareThis to delete my data?

After submitting a formal request to their support team, the process typically takes several business days, depending on their current verification queue.

Can I use ShareThis buttons without being tracked?

It is functionally difficult to interact with ShareThis widgets without the company placing a tracking cookie on your device.

Does ShareThis sell my data to third parties?

ShareThis uses the data they collect to facilitate targeted advertising services and shares insights with third-party partners within the advertising ecosystem.

Can I request a copy of my data before deleting my account?

Yes, under various privacy regulations like GDPR or CCPA, you can request an export of your personal data before final deletion by contacting their privacy department.