On the consumer side, Bitdefender Ultimate Security is the top-of-the-line, but it’s divided into three tiers. At the basic tier, it adds Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection to all the features included with Premium Security, along with dark web monitoring and digital footprint visualization.
It’s only at the Ultimate Plus tier that you get full-on identity theft monitoring and remediation. Ascending to the Ultimate Plus Extended tier brings additional identity theft features and doubles the million-dollar insurance. Note that identity theft features are handled by our partner, TransUnion, which also provides similar features for Avast One Platinum, Malwarebytes Ultimate, and ESET Home Security Ultimate. Bitdefender’s Small Business Security edition matches the basic Bitdefender Ultimate, not the Plus or Plus Extended tiers. My Bitdefender contacts confirmed that the Small Business Edition only has one tier.
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I’ve separately reviewed the standalone Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection, so please refer to that review for full details. This app is available on the web and can be accessed from Bitdefender Central online. Its main dashboard begins with an identity protection score and a risk map that details the types of exposures that may have the most significant impact on your privacy.
Scrolling down, the next section reflects what Bitdefender refers to as your digital footprint. Its analysis of your footprint begins when you give it permission to access your email account (Google or Outlook). Much like the Online Account Cleanup in McAfee+, it looks through your emails to identify sites where you have an account. Bitdefender provides details about each account, along with advice such as deleting your account, adding multi-factor authentication, or changing your password. If you choose to delete the account, Bitdefender can supply an email template.
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
The dark web monitoring feature works much like you’d expect. You supply personal information such as email address (up to 10), your full name, and phone numbers (up to 5). Bitdefender scans the dark web and reports any instances where your data appears. And you diligently review all the reports, take necessary actions, and mark off the items you’ve dealt with. Deal with enough breach worries and exposed accounts, and you’ll find your score going up.
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Entering all the data requested for monitoring also unlocks a feature called Impersonation Check. This feature generates a report of social media accounts that Bitdefender’s analysis determines could be related to you. You go down the list, checking off the ones you know are yours, then carefully go over the unfamiliar ones to determine if someone’s trying to create social media accounts that spoof your identity.
New since my review of the standalone app is the Fraud Assistance feature. Selecting this item simply lists the types of fraud you may encounter, along with specific actions to take in the event of such an occurrence.
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Data brokers and aggregators scour the web for legally available personal data, process that data into profiles, and sell those profiles to the highest bidder, including advertisers, researchers, and possibly identity thieves. Several large security companies have begun offering a personal data removal service as part of their suites. At its higher tiers, McAfee+ scans your profile across 40-odd brokers and automates the removal process if it is found. Norton’s Privacy Monitor feature tracks several dozen brokers, but automated removal requires the purchase of the Privacy Monitor Assistant.
With Bitdefender, Data Broker coverage is strictly informational. The data broker page starts with FAQs to help you understand the topic. It lists eight popular data broker sites, each with a link to check if your data is present. If so, another link directs you to a template for submitting an official removal request. Removal is DIY—according to the report page in Bitdefender, “…because of legal restraints we can’t verify what information they [the brokers] own about you.”
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Bitdefender definitely won’t replace a dedicated personal data removal service such as Incogni, Optery, or Privacy Bee. However, you can use its advice to at least cut back your presence in the personal data profile market.
