These purposes can include stalking, launching DDoS attacks, identity theft, and even spreading ransomware. Have you ever wondered why you suddenly start seeing ads for items on special shortly after searching online for that specific item? Or why do you suddenly see ads for health and wellness apps after searching for healthy recipes?Īlternatively, some individuals track you and collect your data for more nefarious purposes. By tracking what website you visit, where you shop and what you buy, a business can create targeted marketing strategies aimed at you. One of the main reasons websites and apps collect your data is either for marketing purposes or because it’s a lucrative side hustle. As annoying as this may be for us, it is a legitimate way for businesses to do market research and gain valuable insights for marketing. By knowing more about their target audience, they can curate ads that lead to better conversions. This data can be valuable to different people for different reasons.īusinesses, websites and app developers want more data to refine and personalize their marketing strategies. It can also describe your browsing patterns, history and preferences. It can refer to personal identifiers such as your name, email address, social security number and financial information. Who Is Collecting Your Data?ĭata is a very broad term. From your search history, search engines can see when you browse the web, where you’re located ( geo-tagged websites), how long you spend on different websites and the types of sites you enjoy visiting. The bigger reason is that your search history provides search engines and websites with a clear picture of your browsing practices and preferences. And no, it’s not just to keep sensitive information from your parents or significant other. There is a reason why clearing your search history is recommended. Email tracking software allows the user to see exactly when an email was opened, who opened it, and their location. Email trackers aren’t exactly a new concept, and they have been used by email marketers, individuals, phishers and spammers for years. But, there are many other details attached to emails that users may not be aware of that can be tracked. Not only could it contain sensitive information about you or your business. EmailsĮmails contain a lot of information. For example, why would a navigation app need access to your contacts or photos? Or why would a game need access to your camera? These are all sly ways that apps use to legally collect information on you. But this can be a way for the app to collect your data and track your preferences. We often give apps permissions they may not need just to start using the app. If you don’t hide your IP address, details of your personal preferences can be gathered by many different websites and hackers. From your IP address, trackers can get your location, details about your connected devices, where you go, and lots more. An IP address can easily be tracked and give the tracker a clear idea of you. An IP address is critical for the internet to work as it’s responsible not just for identifying your network but also for communication between your network and the web. Your IP address is the unique identifier for your network. Here are four commonly used methods that websites use to track visitors. There are a few different ways that websites and apps can track users. How Are You Being Tracked?īefore we can understand how to protect ourselves, we need to know how we’re tracked. Keep reading to find out the best ways to hide your IP, protect your online browsing and ensure you aren’t being tracked. We’ll also discuss seven different ways to hide your IP address and keep websites from tracking you. This article will look at how websites and other platforms track you and why you are being tracked. However, the truth is that most of us aren’t doing nearly enough to keep websites from tracking us. Some users might think that they are protected by their browser, search engine and antivirus programs. One of the most common and notable of these is the threat to our privacy. While the internet provides many benefits, it also brings new risks and challenges.
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