You Won’t Believe What Websites Are REALLY Tracking About You - Discover the Shocking Truth Now!
In today’s digital age, it’s hard to go a day without visiting a website or downloading an app. However, if you’re not careful, these online destinations can collect a shocking amount of data about your every move. From your browsing history to your likes and dislikes, websites have become proficient at monitoring your activity, and the worst part? Most users have no idea.
Are you curious about what websites are really tracking about you? Read on to discover the surprising truth that might leave you reeling.
Your Location
It’s no secret that websites can gather your geographic location, but did you know they can track your movements even when you’re not using their site? With the rise of mobile technology, GPS tracking technology has become a common tool that websites use to gather data about users’ whereabouts.
Your Search History
If you thought clearing your browsing history was enough to conceal what you’ve been searching for online, think again. Websites that utilize cookies can log all your searches, even if you’ve cleared your cache. This information can then be used to personalize your browsing experience, serve up ads, and develop profiles about your interests.
Your Social Media Activity
If you’re an avid social media user, you may have noticed that ads for products and services you were recently discussing start showing up in your feed. That’s because websites can track your interactions on social media platforms and use that data to serve up targeted advertising. Your likes, shares, and even private messages could be used to build a comprehensive picture of your habits and preferences.
Your Email and Online Communications
Many websites require you to provide your email address or sign up using your social media accounts, and while this may seem harmless, it can lead to your communication being monitored. Websites can capture your email addresses and track your online conversations, even the emails that you send through your trusted email provider.
Your Online Purchases
Many websites keep tabs on what you’re buying online and how much you’re spending. This information can be used to determine your purchasing habits and target you with advertising that may be uniquely suited to your interests.
In conclusion, websites have become masters of collecting data about their users, and as technology continues to evolve, this trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Although data collection can be beneficial, it’s essential to take precautions to protect your privacy. By being mindful about the information you share online, using ad-blockers, and regularly clearing your browsing history, you can take back control over your information and protect your online identity.
When you browse the Web, you’re constantly being followed. Different companies, such as ad networks and social networks, track users so that they can deliver personalized content based on: browsing history, Internet searches, likes and dislikes, and much more.
As an internet user, you may or may not be comfortable with this. If you’re not comfortable with it, luckily there’s something that you can do about it. Today we’ll show you just how to find out which companies are tracking you, and what type of data they’re tracking.
For this task, we’ll use an internet tool called Ghostery. This tool will show you a list of trackers for each Web page including: ad networks, behavioral data providers, web publishers, and more. Then you’ll be able to learn more about each one.
Here’s how:
Go to the download page for Ghostery and download the appropriate browser extensions; Ghostery is available for Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer and even iOS devices.
After Ghostery is installed, you’ll be taken through a quick wizard. The wizard introduces you to Ghostery and helps you choose the best options.
You’ll be asked whether or not to enable an alert bubble. If you want to be alerted automatically (without having to click on the browser icon) each time a company is tracking you on a Webb page, you should enable this.
Additionally, Ghostery can automatically block specific trackers and you can specify which ones (if any) to automatically block. You can choose to block: advertising, analytics, beacons, privacy and widgets.
For each category, you can go a step further and choose to block individual items. Personally, I like to keep widgets unblocked because many social sharing buttons on blogs and websites are in the widgets category.
Now browse to any Web page of your choice. If you’ve enabled the alert bubble, you’ll see it popup along with the items being tracked (crossed out in the bubble) and those not being tracked.
You can also click on the browser icon to view each tracker. To learn more about a specific tracker, click on the item in the list and you’ll be taken to an info page.
That’s it. Now you’ll know which companies are tracking you and why.
Charnita has been a Freelance Writer & Professional Blogger since 2008. As an early adopter she loves trying out new apps and services. As a Windows, Mac, Linux and iOS user, she has a great love for bleeding edge technology. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
