Forum Discussion
Add Privacy Scrub Service to Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender protects accounts against phishing and malware, but attackers increasingly exploit nuisance data broker sites that publish personal information (names, emails, addresses). These sites are scraped to personalize phishing campaigns, making them harder to detect.
I propose a premium Defender add‑on that automatically files opt‑out requests with major data brokers (similar to DeleteMe).
1 Reply
Interesting proposal — the rise of data-broker–based phishing is definitely becoming a problem.
Microsoft Defender already covers identity risk, credential theft, and phishing protection, but it doesn’t currently include an automated data-removal / data-broker opt-out capability. That’s a very different workload because it requires integration with dozens of external brokers, legal workflows, and periodic re-submissions.
Something to keep in mind is that Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence already surfaces exposure insights (e.g., leaked credentials, open-source data traces), but it stops at visibility, not active removal.
A Defender add-on like the one you suggest could fill a legitimate gap — especially for high-risk users or regulated industries. I’d recommend posting this idea in the official Security Feature Request channel as well, since it aligns with the trend of expanding Microsoft’s identity protection beyond just tenant boundaries.
