The internet is full of mysterious things you cannot see with the naked eye, and every step you make online creates a written record only certain people can access. You may be aware of cyber-attack attempts and various other forms of cybercrime, but some people may not know that the internet is also full of surveillance.
You can read ahead to learn more about this internet phenomenon. We have prepared a guide that will introduce you to the term web user tracking and who is responsible for these activities. Here is how they do it and what you can do to protect your devices and data online.
What is web user tracking?
As the name suggests, web user tracking is an activity that keeps records of your online behavior. Internet parties collect your data, such as browsing history, clicks, etc. In most cases, people use the collected data to create marketing strategies and present you with advertisements that will catch your eye.
If you are an internet user, you may have been in a situation where you have searched for a specific product. A few minutes later, all your social media ads are flooded with ads containing this product. It isn’t rare – many people use this activity to find what they need. Such advertisements are targeted ads, meaning they are based on your activity.
However, keeping track of your online activities and listening to your needs isn’t safe or comfortable. Many internet users want to suppress this issue because they don’t feel safe in an online environment. Targeted ads might be useful to some users, but others might see them as haunting. After all, users might wish to keep certain activities secret and not be reminded of them via online ads.
You must first know who to protect yourself from to understand how to protect yourself.
Who uses web user tracking?
You may think some websites you use cannot track your data, but most sites can follow you. Any website, platform, app, or other party located in an online environment will collect your data. When you enter a website, it will track your behavior to see how to improve its products or services. Moreover, social media apps have advanced algorithms that will recognize your activity and provide you with more similar content. One of the most noticeable tracking strategies is cookies. You should have noticed the cookie notifications every time you enter a new site. In Europe, Google has launched an option to reject all cookies offered by sites. However, many users might still accept everything a site provides.
Companies, websites, and platforms usually won’t harm your data. The sad truth is that these unharmful parties aren’t the only ones watching you. Cybercriminals use web user tracking to steal your data and misuse it.
For example, a cybercriminal can steal details thanks to unsafe connections and websites. In other cases, it is possible to taint legitimate websites with malicious code. Thus, let’s see how to stay safe from tracking and potential web attacks.
Web user tracking techniques
It is not entirely simple to use web user tracking. Numerous tools enable these systems, and here are a couple of examples:
- Cookies – one of the most common techniques for web user tracking is cookies. These small text files contain users’ internet activity, behavior, and data. Advertisers usually use cookies to track one’s behavior on numerous platforms, thus creating ads according to your needs.
- IP tracking – every device has a unique Internet Protocol address or an internet location. A third party can collect all data stored on that address using this location. Third parties frequently use this technique for insight and to provide you with advertisements near your physical location.
- Fingerprinting – this technique collects your device’s information. For example, a third party can use fingerprinting to see your device’s operating system and configurations. Fingerprinting can keep track of your activity across multiple platforms simultaneously.
As you can see, other parties may overly expose your internet activity and data. If you don’t feel comfortable knowing this fact, you can use various tools to prevent this behavior.
How to protect yourself from web user tracking
The market offers various solutions for preventing any harmful behavior. Here’s what you can do to protect your data on the internet:
- Use a VPN – a Virtual Private Network will successfully hide your IP address, making your internet activity unrelated to your internet location. Additionally, a VPN for PC will encrypt internet traffic, making it more difficult to track you online in general. For instance, Internet Service Providers won’t be able to see what you do online.
- Use a private mode – by using the private mode; you may prevent certain cookies, lowering the amount of data websites collect from your location. However, the incognito mode in browsers does not do enough. Therefore, you need to pair it with other techniques, like enabling a VPN.
- Don’t give out personal data – you shouldn’t give your personal information to web pages unless you must. If you provide data, ensure that the website is secure. Furthermore, only provide data essential for using the service. Thus, fill out only the mandatory details required during login processes.
These tips won’t take a lot of time or money to implement, but they will save you a lot of trouble. Other tips include reading terms of use and privacy policies. They might reveal a lot about how services deal with your data. You might consider looking the other way if you notice any red flags.
Conclusion
The internet generation has experienced many online security scandals, but web user tracking is the biggest ongoing problem. People worldwide are concerned about these systems and want to protect their data. Well, now that you have a better idea of what web user tracking is, who uses it and how, and how you can protect yourself, you can have some peace of mind. It is essential to be safe while browsing the internet, so we suggest using a VPN that will solve this and various other problems.