You’re Being Tracked: How to Enhance Your Online Security and Privacy
With the vast information network available on the Internet, people have become used to using the Internet to buy products, search for information, or keep in contact with friends and family. However, many don’t know that online entities track your activity and learn as much as they can about you. While there are some solutions and tools you can buy, like rotating residential proxies or adjusting your tracking and security settings, few people know about them. We are here to show you why you must stay safe online and how to do so.
What’s Online Tracking?
Online websites and software will track you through various means. What we mean by “track” is that your information is released to a third party, either the website creators or their affiliates. This information ranges from your likes and what you looked at on the website to your IP address and general location. It can even release information like your email, mobile number, and name.
Who’s Tracking You and How?
The prominent companies that track you are marketing firms that collect your information to sell to retailers or use in their advertising campaigns. These marketing companies can target specific groups of people by collecting their information and sorting them into categories depending on their age, general location, or likes.
Government agencies or monitoring authorities are the others that will track you for one reason or another. The last general group is social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc. Many of these ask you to allow them to track your location and will provide you with advertisements based on your previous likes.
Tracking cookies is the standard way to track your activity. Website designers and marketing advertisements embed these cookies or pixels in the website code you visit and actively gather information on your IP address and activities, which the website owner can give to affiliate companies.
Why is Tracking Dangerous?
The danger comes when it’s not just targeted marketing using your information. Malicious online hackers and cybercriminals can use tracking cookies and other means to learn where you live through your IP address. They can also hack your device to learn personal information, like your Social Security Number, bank details, etc.
By tracking your IP address, they can get a good view of your daily routine, such as where you do your groceries, the road you drive to work, your preferred doctor, and more. You can imagine why this becomes a problem, so stop it before it happens.
How to Stay Anonymous Online
You never know when someone is tracking you and who they are. That’s why it’s better to implement various changes to ensure you are challenging to track.
Multiple Browsers
The first is to use multiple browsers. Browsers all use tracking software to understand your preferences and what websites you look at. In this way, they build a user profile, which is why you can get recommended news and websites and how ads remember what you were looking at yesterday.
However, by using multiple browsers, no one browser can clearly define your preferences or lock down your information. Further, using anonymous browsers like Tor will eliminate the tracking software from the get-go. However, remember that these browsers can be slightly more risky, as connecting to the dark web through them is more accessible.
Rotating Residential Proxies
Proxy servers act as a middleman between you and the Internet, which means your information isn’t exposed to anyone online. This way, they can’t track you through your IP address. Rotating residential proxies are even better for this purpose. They’re a type of residential proxy that uses an IP pool created from the IP addresses of real home devices.
When you send a new request, meaning you make a new connection, this proxy will change your IP address. It’s the ideal way to ensure no one can track you since there’s no one IP address to track. It makes it almost impossible for hackers to follow your activity thread.
Browser User-Agent Switcher
Your browser’s user agent is a string of text that describes your operating system, rendering details, browser, and other details about your device. However, you can use a user-agent switcher to prevent this data from being misused, which switches your browser’s user agent. You can set it to a specific browser or ask to change your user agent randomly. This way, parties can’t track you through your browser.
Privacy Settings
Many people don’t read the terms and conditions when signing up for a new account at a website or social media platform. However, if you read it, you’ll see they state they’re allowed to share your information with affiliates, partners, etc., which can be up to 70 or more other companies.
Always consider whether you’re happy with that before agreeing. Also, keep your passwords and logins unique and secure to prevent leaks. Lastly, when accessing a site, don’t just unquestioningly accept cookies. First, adjust it to your preferences or ensure the cookies aren’t permitted to track you.
Keeping Safe While Online
You must keep your information safe online since no one else does it for you. It starts with basic practices, like never logging into your Google, Facebook, or other social media accounts while browsing online. However, you can also implement other methods to safeguard your information. Rotating residential proxies are some of the best tools, as they make tracking your IP address and activity nearly impossible. Always browse online with safety as your priority by completing the few steps we listed above.
