Deleteme Acquires Social Media Security Tool Block Party

Block Party laminitis Tracy Chou announced connected Wednesday that nan institution has been acquired by DeleteMe, an online individual information removal service.

A package technologist and advocator for diverseness successful tech, Chou founded Block Party successful 2018 arsenic a instrumentality to thief group enactment safe from targeted harassment connected Twitter, inspired by her ain experiences connected nan platform.

Chou raised a $4.8 cardinal seed round successful 2022 to grow nan instrumentality to different societal networks, which turned retired to beryllium really bully timing — soon after, Elon Musk would bargain Twitter. Under his ownership, nan institution began charging for access to its API, but nan costs were excessively steep for a startup for illustration Block Party to operate, truthful Block Party was forced to quickly pivot and motorboat devices for different platforms.

Over time, nan institution evolved into a browser plug-in to “deep cleanable your societal media,” integrating pinch much than a twelve different platforms, for illustration TikTok, Instagram, Venmo, Facebook, and yes, moreover X.

“In a anterior life, I was concisely and mildly Internet celebrated for my activism and defense work,” Chou wrote successful a blog post. “The consequent intrusions connected my life and beingness information became a shocking revelation successful really exposed I was, and I recovered myself scrambling to fastener everything down.”

That was erstwhile she learned astir DeleteMe, which could thief her region individual accusation from information brokers and group hunt sites. But location wasn’t an balanced merchandise to thief group protect themselves connected societal media, which is what prompted her to create Block Party. It’s only fitting that Block Party will now go portion of DeleteMe.

“Until now, endeavor customers and consumers alike person had to spell to different companies to cobble together abstracted solutions,” Chou wrote. “This acquisition brings some our products nether nan aforesaid roof, and gives everyone who’s been asking for it location to go.”

For existent Block Party users, thing will alteration for now — arsenic nan instrumentality becomes much integrated into DeleteMe astatine large, nan institution says it will stock much pinch customers.

“I utilized to beryllium much unfastened astir my life online. Many of america were. But for excessively galore people, that openness has travel astatine a existent cost,” she wrote. “We don’t person to take betwixt having a sound and being safe. That was ever nan point.”

Terms of nan woody were not disclosed.