How to stop websites from tracking you

Online tracking is a pervasive reality. This article explores how to identify and mitigate this tracking, empowering you to make informed choices about your online privacy.

Understanding Trackers and Their Motives

Many websites employ trackers, often linked to advertising networks. These snippets of code monitor your browsing habits to deliver targeted ads—that's why you see ads for products you recently viewed. According to Jeremy Tillman, President of Ghostery, these trackers essentially steal your data to resell it to you in the form of targeted advertising. Beyond advertising, trackers also negatively impact website loading speeds.

Identifying and Blocking Trackers

Several tools help you identify and block trackers. Ghostery, a free browser extension (compatible with Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera), visually displays trackers on a website and blocks them by default. Privacy Badger, another free extension from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, offers similar functionality, with added features to detect and block cross-site trackers.

While these extensions reveal trackers, understanding the listed companies can be challenging. Beyond familiar names like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, you'll encounter less-known ad tech companies. Ghostery provides some information, but thorough research might be difficult as these companies often operate discreetly. The Markup's Blacklight platform offers a more comprehensive scan of website trackers.

Safari users on macOS benefit from built-in tracker blocking and reporting features, accessible via the shield icon in the address bar.

Taking Further Steps to Enhance Privacy

For enhanced privacy, consider using a privacy-focused browser like Brave, which inherently limits tracking. Switching to privacy-conscious alternatives like Safari (instead of Chrome) and DuckDuckGo (instead of Google) further strengthens your online privacy. Additional resources on utilizing browser features and third-party extensions for tracker blocking are available. Ghostery is also developing its own privacy-focused browser. By actively managing your online footprint, you can regain control over your data and enhance your online security.

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