You might not be aware of it (by design), but each click, comment, and doom-scrolling session gives advertisers and data brokers surprisingly detailed insights about you. Don’t want their profiling techniques and predictive algorithms to influence your online experience? Then follow these tracking-proof browsing practices.
Secure Your Accounts
The quickest way for hackers to get access to tons of your personal data is by breaching your accounts. That means strengthening them is among the most impactful ways to prevent unwanted info leaks.
Start by making sure all your accounts have strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication. A password manager is ideal for automating and speeding this up. If possible, also change your username if it’s the same or similar across accounts, so that you limit their connection.
Finally, consider using an email service that supports aliases. You can’t do much about breaches that affect others, but an alias will at least tell you which website or company was impacted.
Make Your Browser Safer
Next, it’s time to plug the security holes in your browser. Do this by:
- Disabling third-party cookies;
- Only allowing access to websites starting with https;
- Setting the browser to ask for permission to send notifications and access info or systems like your location, your phone’s microphone, and so on;
- Installing an ad blocker.
Minimize Tracking Impact
Cookies are only the most visible tracking layer. Even when they’re turned off, just browsing can create a pattern that’s easy to associate with you. For example, signing into services through Facebook or Google gives them a pretty good idea of what you’re up to. Signing up via email is safer, and using different browser profiles for work, leisure, shopping, etc., is even better.
You’ll also want to be careful with browser extensions. On the one hand, having too many makes browser fingerprinting easier since your signature is more unique. On the other hand, extensions can come with their own tracking risks and may become security weak points if they stop being updated.
Consciously Protect Sensitive Information
While tracking does happen in the background, intentional actions also impact your digital footprint. Minimizing is effective and gives you agency. Often, it’s enough to make your social media profiles private and not share sensitive information with contacts to maintain your privacy.
Some information will stay online permanently. However, you can always delete old revealing posts and accounts you don’t use anymore to give trackers and cybercrooks less to work with. Be sure to also check if any of your emails have previously been part of a breach and switch to new ones accordingly.
Use Public Networks Safely
Networks like the free Wi-Fi you’d use in an airport or coffee shop lack the protections you enjoy at home or when using mobile data. They’re easy to hack or clone, which potentially lets hackers intercept your files, steal passwords you put into improperly secured websites, or redirect you to malicious ones.
Download a VPN and always use it when browsing from public Wi-Fi. This will create an encrypted tunnel that makes data interception and monitoring impossible. Even then, it’s best to stick to casual browsing and not access websites that require account login.
Be Careful What You Click On
A cracked game you downloaded might contain a Trojan that monitors your system and steals data for weeks before being detected. Meanwhile, links spread via phishing emails may lead you to fake websites designed to steal your account and personal information.
Always make sure to download software legally and through reputable websites. Treat emails that urge you to do sketchy things as suspicious and contact the real sender directly rather than click on shady links.
Conclusion
After all, roaming around the web doesn’t have to be dangerous at all. Unless you hand out your information carelessly, click on every scammy link or a banner mindlessly, you will be fine.
That said, make sure to take advantage of cybersecurity tools like password managers and VPNs. If you don’t want to splurge on these services, look for coupons and discounts, like NordVPN deals that circulate online.
