There’s no hiding from data brokers and marketers; they have collected more information about you than you could ever imagine—literally, tons of it—and they are going to keep collecting until they can’t anymore. That’s why it’s up to us to take our data back, protect it, and make sure that we aren’t losing anything important in the process! Here are five tips on how to keep your data private in a world of marketers and data brokers.
Install tracking protection software
There are many software options that can help protect you from websites tracking you. For example, Ghostery provides users with information about web trackers and lets them decide which trackers they want to block or allow. It is currently free to download on all desktop browsers, so there is no reason not to take advantage of it. Another easy way to avoid being tracked is installing privacy-enhancing browser extensions such as Do Not Track Plus for Chrome.
Use a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, is an easy way to protect yourself from people who might want access to your data. It creates an encrypted tunnel between you and a VPN server, so all information you send over public Wi-Fi is secure—even if that means protecting yourself from advertisers. At its most basic level, a VPN service can hide what you do online from snoopers on public Wi-Fi.
Try TrackMeNot, which uses search engines instead of browser cookies.
Internet search engines are free services. That means they rely on third-party content, and they’re often more than happy to trade personal information for that content. One way around being tracked by Google, Bing, etc., is with TrackMeNot, an extension available for Chrome and Firefox. It uses search engine queries as decoys when you’re seeking a sensitive service—such as birth control or abortion clinics—to help mask your identity from any potential advertisers monitoring which keywords you use in searches.
Use DuckDuckGo as your primary search engine.
DuckDuckGo is an alternative search engine that emphasizes user privacy. The major search engines such as Google collect data about what you search for, which can be used by marketers or sold to other companies (and there’s nothing you can do about it). With DuckDuckGo, you don’t have to worry about unwanted intrusions into your web experience; every search term is wiped from their servers as soon as you click out of their page.
Check out the StopBot extension for Chrome and Firefox.
StopBot monitors every form on a website for input fields that can be used to share your personal information. If you see any, StopBot will block them from being filled out—all without any action required from you. You’ll feel like you’re living inside an anti-surveillance device!
Read e-mails only on webmail services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. Section: Look into Tor browser
Read e-mails only on webmail services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. Section: Look into Tor browser
an anonymous web browser that can prevent websites from tracking you. If you are willing to give up some basic conveniences like autofill, it will protect your information better than other browsers. If you don’t like giving up on these conveniences, stick with Google Chrome, but consider taking all steps outlined here for added security. If you’re willing to give up some basic conveniences like autofill, it will protect your information better than other browsers.
Don’t trust Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media platforms with your personal information. Just don’t do it.
The social media platforms we rely on to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues have gotten very good at their jobs: making money. Social media sites are designed to collect information about us and sell it to other companies. The seemingly harmless Like button is actually a carefully engineered piece of code that puts Facebook’s needs above yours. In fact, if you’re not paying for an ad-free experience (through paid memberships or donations), Facebook will generate income by selling you out.