Ever posted something online you regret?

Have you ever posted something online you wished you hadn’t? For six in ten Brits it’s something they have all had to face.

Researchers discovered that 47 per cent wish that they could permanently delete aspects of their digital past, due to fears of it being used in ways they didn’t intend.

Pictures of past beaus and embarrassing images top the list of things Brits would like to see completely removed from their online archives, amid concerns about their privacy, security and how it might affect their future.

“In May, new regulations will give everyone in the UK the right for their online data to be forgotten,” said Nick Taylor, MD for Accenture Security, who commissioned the research.

“Individuals will have the power to decide which businesses can store and use their personal data and ask companies to delete any information they have about them. In the past, consumers have voted with their wallets; now they can also vote with their data.”

The study of 2,000 adults found almost one in ten think about erasing their online past every day, while one in five contemplate deleting it on a weekly basis.

For one quarter of Brits, it’s their teenage years that most often plague them, with 17 per cent wishing to delete their years at university.

As a result, seven in ten think UK residents should have the ‘right to be forgotten’ when it comes to their social media or online data.