Online Tracking
ONLINE TRACKING OVERVIEW
New web technology has created many unexpected ways for corporations to track your web activity without your knowledge. Countless advertising networks are able to secretly monitor you across multiple websites and build detailed profiles of your behavior and interests. Your personal information is valuable. More valuable than you might think. The real money is in taking your data and shacking up with third parties to help them come up with new ways to convince you to spend money, sign up for services, and give up more information. It all sounds good until you realize the only thing you have to trade for such "exciting" bargains is everything personal about you: your age, income, family's ages and income, medical history, dietary habits, favorite web sites, your birthday...the list goes on.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Basic protection when visiting a website. HTTPS Everywhere: https is an internet protocol that enables a secure connection between your browser and the website you visit. You have probably noticed that some URLs begin with https, like when you visited the website of your bank or your email provider. HTTPS Everywhere is a browser add-on that automatically activates HTTPS encryption between your browser and all websites that support HTTPS - thus circumventing online tracking to some degree. Prevent third parties from secretly tracking your online activity by installing the following. Privacy Badger: a browser add-on which prevents third party trackers from secretly tracking you when you access websites. Adblock Plus: a browser extension which prevents page elements, such as advertisements, from being downloaded and displayed - through which third parties can track your online activity.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Prevent third parties from tracking your online activity across various websites by installing the following. RequestPolicy: a browser add-on which blocks cross-site tracking. Priv8: a browser add-on which prevents cross-site tracing by enabling you to manage your tabs in sandboxes. Explore which third party companies are interested in your online activity and what difference the above tools make by installing the following. Ghostery: a browser add-on which lets you know which third party companies are interested in your online activity and lets you block each one individually. Disconnect: software which blocks and visualises third party trackers
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED While the above those tools can help circumvent and block online tracking, the browsers we use have certain default settings which allow online tracking anyway. Chrome If you're a Chrome user, for example, you might want to uncheck your browser's default settings which allow it to store tracking technologies, such as cookies, and to send your data to Google. Such data can include the websites you access and your IP address. To prevent the default tracking of your online activity through your Chrome browser, you can apply the following simple steps: 1. Click on the Chrome menu icon on the top right corner of your browser window. 2. Select "Settings". 3. Click on "Show advanced settings" at the bottom of the page. 4. Uncheck the privacy settings under "Privacy" which - ironically enough - allow your browser to track your online activity and to send your data to Google.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED Firefox If you're a Firefox user, you might want to use its Private Browsing option to circumvent default online tracking. By using a private browser, Firefox states that it does not retain your browser history, search history, download history, web form history, cookies or temporary internet files. However, Firefox notes that the files you download and bookmarks you make through its private browser will be retained and that your internet service provider or employer can still track the pages you visit. To use Firefox's private browser, apply the following two simple steps: 1. Click on the Firefox menu icon on the top right corner of your browser window. 2. Select "New Private Window"
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED Mobile Browsing Mobile browsing is a new frontier. There are dozens of mobile browsers, and even though most people use the one included on their device, there are few tools to protect your privacy by comparison to the desktop. Check to see if your preferred browser has a "privacy mode" that you can use while browsing, or when you're logged in to social networks and other web services. Try to keep your social network use inside the apps developed for it, and—as always—make sure to clear your private data regularly. Some mobile browsers have private modes and the ability to automatically clear your private data built in, like Firefox for Android, Atomic Web Browser, and Dolphin Browser for both iOS and Android. Considering Dolphin is our pick for the best Android browser and Atomic is our favorite for iOS, they're worth downloading.
ONLINE TRACKING RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
There’s not one magic bullet solution. Research technology a little bit, learn about the privacy implications of the products that you’re using, learn about the privacy tools that are out there, but also the right way to use them. Clean your Internet browsing history after every use. Change Cookie Settings Avoid JavaScript search engines. Don’t reply to suspicious emails and never accept friendship requests from people you don’t personally know. Don’t post overly personal details anywhere online. Pay attention to your privacy settings and updates to privacy options
New web technology has created many unexpected ways for corporations to track your web activity without your knowledge. Countless advertising networks are able to secretly monitor you across multiple websites and build detailed profiles of your behavior and interests. Your personal information is valuable. More valuable than you might think. The real money is in taking your data and shacking up with third parties to help them come up with new ways to convince you to spend money, sign up for services, and give up more information. It all sounds good until you realize the only thing you have to trade for such "exciting" bargains is everything personal about you: your age, income, family's ages and income, medical history, dietary habits, favorite web sites, your birthday...the list goes on.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Basic protection when visiting a website. HTTPS Everywhere: https is an internet protocol that enables a secure connection between your browser and the website you visit. You have probably noticed that some URLs begin with https, like when you visited the website of your bank or your email provider. HTTPS Everywhere is a browser add-on that automatically activates HTTPS encryption between your browser and all websites that support HTTPS - thus circumventing online tracking to some degree. Prevent third parties from secretly tracking your online activity by installing the following. Privacy Badger: a browser add-on which prevents third party trackers from secretly tracking you when you access websites. Adblock Plus: a browser extension which prevents page elements, such as advertisements, from being downloaded and displayed - through which third parties can track your online activity.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Prevent third parties from tracking your online activity across various websites by installing the following. RequestPolicy: a browser add-on which blocks cross-site tracking. Priv8: a browser add-on which prevents cross-site tracing by enabling you to manage your tabs in sandboxes. Explore which third party companies are interested in your online activity and what difference the above tools make by installing the following. Ghostery: a browser add-on which lets you know which third party companies are interested in your online activity and lets you block each one individually. Disconnect: software which blocks and visualises third party trackers
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED While the above those tools can help circumvent and block online tracking, the browsers we use have certain default settings which allow online tracking anyway. Chrome If you're a Chrome user, for example, you might want to uncheck your browser's default settings which allow it to store tracking technologies, such as cookies, and to send your data to Google. Such data can include the websites you access and your IP address. To prevent the default tracking of your online activity through your Chrome browser, you can apply the following simple steps: 1. Click on the Chrome menu icon on the top right corner of your browser window. 2. Select "Settings". 3. Click on "Show advanced settings" at the bottom of the page. 4. Uncheck the privacy settings under "Privacy" which - ironically enough - allow your browser to track your online activity and to send your data to Google.
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED Firefox If you're a Firefox user, you might want to use its Private Browsing option to circumvent default online tracking. By using a private browser, Firefox states that it does not retain your browser history, search history, download history, web form history, cookies or temporary internet files. However, Firefox notes that the files you download and bookmarks you make through its private browser will be retained and that your internet service provider or employer can still track the pages you visit. To use Firefox's private browser, apply the following two simple steps: 1. Click on the Firefox menu icon on the top right corner of your browser window. 2. Select "New Private Window"
ONLINE TRACKING TIPS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED Mobile Browsing Mobile browsing is a new frontier. There are dozens of mobile browsers, and even though most people use the one included on their device, there are few tools to protect your privacy by comparison to the desktop. Check to see if your preferred browser has a "privacy mode" that you can use while browsing, or when you're logged in to social networks and other web services. Try to keep your social network use inside the apps developed for it, and—as always—make sure to clear your private data regularly. Some mobile browsers have private modes and the ability to automatically clear your private data built in, like Firefox for Android, Atomic Web Browser, and Dolphin Browser for both iOS and Android. Considering Dolphin is our pick for the best Android browser and Atomic is our favorite for iOS, they're worth downloading.
ONLINE TRACKING RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
There’s not one magic bullet solution. Research technology a little bit, learn about the privacy implications of the products that you’re using, learn about the privacy tools that are out there, but also the right way to use them. Clean your Internet browsing history after every use. Change Cookie Settings Avoid JavaScript search engines. Don’t reply to suspicious emails and never accept friendship requests from people you don’t personally know. Don’t post overly personal details anywhere online. Pay attention to your privacy settings and updates to privacy options
