How to Get Your Profile and Data Completely Disconnected from Klout

Just tried opting out, I don't have this link at the bottom of my profile setting page...did they remove it again?

Thank you so much for posting the removal settings. Its amazing how many apps have access to everything!

Thanks for the very helpful article. I did go to the Profile Settings to disconnect, but did not see the option to delete the account. Have they taken that away since you posted this?

Thank you for a thorough discussion on this timely topic. I too have disconnected from Klout. 

Jure, aloha. That was so easy following your instructions.  Thank you.  Though I knew I seen these directions, I could not remeber where and was thinking it was on Pam's comment thread.  Hopefully, I will be removed soon.  #YouMatter--always.  Aloha.  Janet

Great post, Jure! I already Tweeted it and now have used it to disconect all my online accounts from Klout. Klout was always pretty questionable but now has become this recent debacle pushed me over the edge.

Thank you so much! As of today I am FREE! Just today (Nov 1st) I went into my Klout Dashboard (this is well after the change in alogorithms) and saw a reported 10 for a score. Scores previous to that were a steady 42, in fact some other sites reflected the true score of my profile. But I'm trying to find work which in some cases involves social media also. The last thing I need is a frickin' "glitch" in Klout (even if it's one hour or one day) that shows an incorrect and inconceivable number. Again, thank you for freeing me from those numbers which don't mean a thing!

I can't imagine Klout or any other service simply just access what is public on Twitter without Twitter giving them access to their "firehose" and therein lies the root. I have filed a complaint with Twitter support to get an explanation as to why, after I revoked access, Klout still displays my Twitter profiles on the profiles they created in my name. I don't care about the scores. I want assurance from all involved that my denial of access is being respected. And of course I no longer trust any of them once they give me this assurance. The financial rewards to the companies that get the measurement of online influence right are just too tempting. And what is the worst that can happen to them if they are caught? A fine? I am actively deleting ever social "game" realizing now that there is a risk having all of this information connected on any site. I am revoking access to apps I don't use. I am restricting permissions to services like Facebook that I don't trust, and I will not stop until Klout releases my data and displays no score via their Chrome plugin. For what it is worth, I filed a complaint with the FTC but I doubt that will have any chilling effects with these rogue services. They are getting theirs while the getting is risk-free. They'll stop when there is a law but at the very least I can demand, with a DMCA complaint, that they stop displaying my avatar photos… maybe. Fair Use might apply since their score could be considered a "commentary" and therein also lays a risk for us comsumers.

Jure, Thanks for putting this together. I will be sharing it with many others that are concerned with Klout's privacy issues. 

I'm not at all surprised that their disabiling was really just a cosmetic fix to make users think they could actually opt out. There is no opting out and there simply HAS to be laws about this. Yes, it may be public information but can you gather this information and sell it to advertisers, or anyone for that matter, if a user asks to opt out?  In the case of some online address look-up sites, you CAN ask to have your info removed and I mean REALLY and actually and physically removed. Not just masked so that Klout can continue utilizying you in their database for a profit, which is what this results in. I imagine there will be some rather unpleasant legal issues on their horizon soon.

Jure, Thank you so much for writing this post.  As you can imagine I am not a fan of #klout anymore.  I tried several things to remove my account from klout but it is still there.  This information helps me tramendously and is much appreciated.  :O) Have a great day and thanks again. Tamela

Wow, great collection of de-klout-ification...  We have a weekly social media discussion group here in OC (#SMMOC), and the Klout changes were one of the hot topics of the morning. It's funny to think that the number has enough meaning to make people care enough to connect (or disconnect) their accounts to it. They may not be on the right track, but it seems like the "influence metric" will be a hot topic for a while to come.

Great resources, Jure, thanks for putting this all together.

Great stuff Jure. I've recently disconnected Klout from most of my networks and of course it still had access even though it was "disconnected." I'm not sure based on Facebook telling me that Klout (and every other app) access my info within the past 24 hours if it was still accessing it, but either way there's no chance now. Perhaps Klout will finally stop telling me my influence on Facebook, which I barely use, has dropped :)

I migth be missing from something, why is everybody quiting from klout? 

This is a very helpful post, Jure. I may have to edit my Klout post to add a link for you! Thanks.

Jure, I am surprised that FTC allows websites to collect data even if the account has been disabled.  Are there any WWW prorocols on treatment of personal info?  there is a need of something like creative commons on personal data as well.

Jure, aloha. Thanks so much.  One of the things that I have found so disturbing, even though I don't have children, is that the private accounts of minors were being accessed through their parents' accounts.  Defintiely not a good thing.  Off to share, share, share this great post.  Thx again, my friend.  Until next time, aloha.  Janet

This is a timely post in light of Klout's latest actions and the reaction a good number of their users have had.  You were very thorough to include every platform - good job.

Thanks for the very helpful article. I did go to the Profile Settings to disconnect, but did not see the option to delete the account. Have they taken that away since you posted this?

Thank you for a thorough discussion on this timely topic. I too have disconnected from Klout. 

Jure, aloha. That was so easy following your instructions.  Thank you.  Though I knew I seen these directions, I could not remeber where and was thinking it was on Pam's comment thread.  Hopefully, I will be removed soon.  #YouMatter--always.  Aloha.  Janet

Great post, Jure! I already Tweeted it and now have used it to disconect all my online accounts from Klout. Klout was always pretty questionable but now has become this recent debacle pushed me over the edge.

Thank you so much! As of today I am FREE!
Just today (Nov 1st) I went into my Klout Dashboard (this is well after the change in alogorithms) and saw a reported 10 for a score. Scores previous to that were a steady 42, in fact some other sites reflected the true score of my profile. But I'm trying to find work which in some cases involves social media also. The last thing I need is a frickin' "glitch" in Klout (even if it's one hour or one day) that shows an incorrect and inconceivable number.
Again, thank you for freeing me from those numbers which don't mean a thing!

I can't imagine Klout or any other service simply just access what is public on Twitter without Twitter giving them access to their "firehose" and therein lies the root. I have filed a complaint with Twitter support to get an explanation as to why, after I revoked access, Klout still displays my Twitter profiles on the profiles they created in my name.
I don't care about the scores. I want assurance from all involved that my denial of access is being respected. And of course I no longer trust any of them once they give me this assurance. The financial rewards to the companies that get the measurement of online influence right are just too tempting. And what is the worst that can happen to them if they are caught? A fine?
I am actively deleting ever social "game" realizing now that there is a risk having all of this information connected on any site. I am revoking access to apps I don't use. I am restricting permissions to services like Facebook that I don't trust, and I will not stop until Klout releases my data and displays no score via their Chrome plugin.
For what it is worth, I filed a complaint with the FTC but I doubt that will have any chilling effects with these rogue services. They are getting theirs while the getting is risk-free. They'll stop when there is a law but at the very least I can demand, with a DMCA complaint, that they stop displaying my avatar photos… maybe. Fair Use might apply since their score could be considered a "commentary" and therein also lays a risk for us comsumers.

Jure,
Thanks for putting this together. I will be sharing it with many others that are concerned with Klout's privacy issues. 

I'm not at all surprised that their disabiling was really just a cosmetic fix to make users think they could actually opt out. There is no opting out and there simply HAS to be laws about this. Yes, it may be public information but can you gather this information and sell it to advertisers, or anyone for that matter, if a user asks to opt out?
 In the case of some online address look-up sites, you CAN ask to have your info removed and I mean REALLY and actually and physically removed. Not just masked so that Klout can continue utilizying you in their database for a profit, which is what this results in.
I imagine there will be some rather unpleasant legal issues on their horizon soon.

Jure,
Thank you so much for writing this post.  As you can imagine I am not a fan of #klout anymore.  I tried several things to remove my account from klout but it is still there.  This information helps me tramendously and is much appreciated.  :O)
Have a great day and thanks again.
Tamela

Wow, great collection of de-klout-ification... 
We have a weekly social media discussion group here in OC (#SMMOC), and the Klout changes were one of the hot topics of the morning. It's funny to think that the number has enough meaning to make people care enough to connect (or disconnect) their accounts to it. They may not be on the right track, but it seems like the "influence metric" will be a hot topic for a while to come.

Great resources, Jure, thanks for putting this all together.

Great stuff Jure. I've recently disconnected Klout from most of my networks and of course it still had access even though it was "disconnected." I'm not sure based on Facebook telling me that Klout (and every other app) access my info within the past 24 hours if it was still accessing it, but either way there's no chance now.
Perhaps Klout will finally stop telling me my influence on Facebook, which I barely use, has dropped :)

I migth be missing from something, why is everybody quiting from klout? 

This is a very helpful post, Jure. I may have to edit my Klout post to add a link for you! Thanks.

Jure, I am surprised that FTC allows websites to collect data even if the account has been disabled.  Are there any WWW prorocols on treatment of personal info?  there is a need of something like creative commons on personal data as well.

Jure, aloha. Thanks so much.  One of the things that I have found so disturbing, even though I don't have children, is that the private accounts of minors were being accessed through their parents' accounts.  Defintiely not a good thing. 
Off to share, share, share this great post.  Thx again, my friend.  Until next time, aloha.  Janet

This is a timely post in light of Klout's latest actions and the reaction a good number of their users have had.  You were very thorough to include every platform - good job.