Hey Nordies,
We are not alone when we’re online.
And not always in a good sense.
Sometimes these invisible companions can be annoying or even dangerous.
This video will explain who tracks us online and how to avoid it.
Number one.
Your internet service provider.
Yes, your ISP can see what you do online.
It can see which websites you visit, what services you use, and all your other unencrypted
data like passwords and conversations.
ISPs can also see =your geolocation when you use a mobile device.
What is worse, they can also curb your traffic if you use certain services.
Moreover, ISPs can pass your data to third parties or sell it to advertisers — most
of us surely don't wish for their private data to end up somewhere without our consent.
Number two.
Websites.
Individual websites use a lot of tools to track your behavior and gather as much info
about you and your habits as possible.
One of the most popular methods is using cookies.
And they are not sweet nor delicious.
Cookies are small pieces of code that keep track of your requests, identify you as a
user, and even track you across different platforms.
They help websites target ads according to your browsing habits.
In more threatening cases, websites can inject you with even more dangerous stuff, like malware.
By prompting you to click on malicious ads or links, they can infect you with bad stuff
and keep snatching your data even when you no longer visit them.
Number three.
Data-hoarding services.
While the mentioned tracking techniques usually work in the background without your knowledge,
in this case, we contribute to tracking practices ourselves.
Facebook and Google know a lot about us by analyzing the data we provide to them — the
stuff we search, the things we post, and our overall behavior patterns.
By accumulating such a large amount of information, they can bombard us with ads, experiment with
various marketing techniques, and even shape our behavior and opinion.
Number four.
Cybercriminals.
Cybercriminals are always on the hunt for your private data.
And they use various tools to snatch it.
They can steal it by intercepting your traffic on public Wi-Fi or track you by using secretly
injected stalkerware or keyloggers.
They also monitor our publicly available data on social media and other services to sharpen
their social engineering skills and trick users into submitting their data or simply
guessing their passwords.
Number five.
Your browser.
Your browser stores cookies and other browsing data.
They also employ fingerprinting techniques to collect data about your browser settings
and configurations.
Such a unique online fingerprint makes it easier for third parties to gather data about
you.
And it can also be transferred across multiple browsers.
While all this sounds frightening, not all tracking is malicious.
Websites track us to enhance your experience.
They memorize your habits, check the features we use, and translate all this into quicker
loading and more convenient browsing.
Also, they can suggest the content that best suits your interests.
However, there are many ways to minimize online tracking.
First, use a VPN service.
While a VPN won’t protect you from data-hoarding and cookie-tracking, it will hide your activities
from ISPs and protect you on insecure public Wi-Fi networks by encrypting your data.
Also, use your common sense when browsing — don’t click on suspicious ads or links
and keep an eye on your apps to see if there’s nothing suspicious there.
Also, avoid posting any confidential or sensitive information on social media or other public
services.
You should also use software designed with privacy in mind.
Make sure that it encrypts your communications and doesn’t track your data.
Another tip is to enable the “do not track” function wherever possible.
A lot of services have this option.
Your devices should also become more privacy-focused.
Disable location tracking if it’s not necessary.
Also, review the tracking settings of all your apps to avoid any unnecessary tracking,
and disable ad personalization in your devices.
Data broker sites store tons of publicly available data about you that can be useful to hackers.
We strongly advise you to opt out of such services.
Opting out of targeted advertising is also a viable option.
Various groups such as Digital Advertising Alliance may help you with this.
You should also be more cautious when casually browsing.
Try not to create account profiles if not necessary and use the service as a guest instead.
Also, always disable cookie tracking.
You should also consider using a tracker blocker.
Just make sure to use a reliable one.
Stay safe.
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