In the early ages, kingdoms used to deploy spies to track the progress and strategies of another realm. They were masters of their work and knew how to be in disguise to complete their missions.
If we think of the present time, trackers reflect the purposes of spies: to collect information. It is just that the spy has become digital, advanced, almost invisible, and much more effective. Many online entities use online trackers. They are being planted to track the visitors’ progress and record their behavior so that the website admins or partners can build strategies accordingly.
But do you know that these trackers collect information without the consent of users? Yes, you heard it right. The moment we enter the world wide web, we are tracked. They collect various types of information about users to target them in the future.
So, the next thing is how can you stop them? Well, there are a few ways to do that, and this article will elaborate on all of them for you.
What are online trackers?
As the name suggests, online trackers are tools that collect data about users’ online behavior. They record the websites you visit, the links you click, the ads you see, and even your searches. All this data is then used to target ads and content to you.
In simple words, these trackers are the ones that help websites show you ads on a social media app of shoes that you searched on a retail store. Seems astonishing, right? It is the truth of the internet today. The hard part is that these trackers will never leave us alone on the web.
Types of online trackers
There are broadly two types of online trackers – first-party and third-party trackers.
- First-party trackers are placed by the website you are visiting. For example, when you visit Facebook, it uses its own first-party tracker Meta Pixel to record your behavior on the website. This data is then used to show you targeted ads.
- Third-party trackers are placed by companies other than the website you are visiting. For example, Google Analytics is a third-party tracker used by millions of websites to collect data about their visitors. Other popular third-party trackers are Hotjar, Mixpanel, etc.
What information can trackers collect?
As we mentioned before, online trackers can collect a lot of data about users. This includes information like the following details:
- The links you click.
- The ads you see.
- The searches you make.
- Your geographic location.
- Your device information.
- Your IP address.
- Browsing habits.
- Personal information like age, name, gender, etc.
How do online trackers work?
Now that we know what online trackers are and what information they collect, it’s time to understand how they work.
Online trackers generally use three methods to track users – cookies, web beacons, and embedded scripts. Let’s understand each of them in detail.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer by websites you visit. Websites use them to store information about your visit so that the website admin can remember you when you come back again. For example, cookies store information like login details, user preferences, etc.
Web beacons
Web beacons or pixel tags are small images placed on websites or emails. They are generally used to track whether a user has viewed a particular web page or email.
Embedded scripts
Embedded scripts are small pieces of code placed on websites. They are used to collect information about users like the links they click, the pages they visit, etc.
What are the ways to stop tracking?
Now that we know what online trackers are and how they work, it’s time to learn how to stop them.
There are broadly four ways to stop online tracking: using privacy-focused browsers, ad blockers, VPNs, and anti-tracking tools. Let’s understand each of them in detail.
Privacy-focused browsers
Privacy-focused browsers are those that come with built-in features to block online trackers. Some private browsers include Brave, DuckDuckGo, Tor, etc.
These browsers are developed with the sole purpose of protecting user privacy. They block online trackers by default and make it difficult for websites to track users.
Moreover, not only do they stop tracking, but they also help you maintain anonymity on the web. They even protect from various online threats and protect the data from the prying eyes of cybercriminals.
Ad blockers
Ad blockers block online ads as well as online trackers. Some of the popular ad blockers are uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, etc.
Ad blockers work by blocking the requests made by ad servers to show ads on websites. It also includes the requests made by third-party trackers. Thus, they not only stop ads but also prevent third-party trackers from collecting data about users.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
An excellent Virtual Private Network or VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a secure tunnel. It makes it difficult for websites and ISPs to track your online activities.
Apart from this, VPNs also offer various other benefits like hiding your IP address, protecting from online threats, etc. Say you enable a VPN for PC: everything you do online from that moment will be encrypted. That could also have great benefits for accessing region-specific content.
Conclusion
Online trackers are the ones that collect data about users without their knowledge. They use various cookies, web beacons, and embedded scripts to track users. However, you can use the above techniques to stop the tracking and browse content without worry.