Internal tracking is nothing new. It was first introduced back in 1994, but as more and more of our life is getting dependent on the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of our privacy. Have you ever had a conversation with a friend on a particular product just to have a similar advertisement appear on your phone minutes later? This may feel like a complete coincidence, but it’s not. Your ISP may collect your private data, like browsing history and sell it to other companies without your consent. This gives rise to such uncanny predictions that are always on point.
What online tracking works?
Before you learn ways to stop being tracked, it is essential to understand how an online tracker actually works. When you visit a particular website like Amazon, a unique bit of code called a cookie is inserted into your browser. This cookie will track you from that point on, things like which website you visit next, you long you are browsing, what type of products you are searching for or have brought previously, and thousands of other activities. This data is then used for targeted ads that are remarkably similar to the product you were looking for.
Now, according to the Federal Trade Commission, online tracing is not illegal; this allows businesses to show their products to potential clients who have the most chance of purchasing. In addition, you are also benefited from seeing ads for products you actually need; it is a win-win situation for both, or is it?
Because you do not control who has access to these personal data, third parties and hackers can exploit these to compromise your security.
How to stop trackers
Privacy is your fundamental right, and while the law enforcement agencies find ways to wrap their head around online tracking, here are 3 effective ways to stop online trackers.
Use a reliable VPN
Your best defense to protect your online privacy is by using a reliable VPN like Surfshark VPN. These VPNs are designed to encrypt your internet connection by sending it through a dedicated server. This prevents your ISP from recording your online activities and selling them to third parties and unwanted advertising agencies. Apart from privacy, a VPN also unlocks various features, including ad-blocking and bypassing government or institutional restrictions. So in this day and age, when we spend most of our time online, having a VPN service is highly recommended.
Use a private search engine.
Google, the default search engine globally, is known to track nearly half of all internet traffic in the world. Others, like DuckDuckGo and MetaGer, have established alternative search engines that don’t monitor users and allow you to surf anonymously.
Tracker blocker
A tracker blocker is a tool that enables you to stop ISPs from keeping track of your online activities by periodically clearing all cookies and cache memories of your browser. You can also use an ad blocker as an alternative, but if you are already using a good VPN like surfshark VPN tracker blocker will come built-in.
