The web, which was once a sanctuary for privacy, has been transformed into a playground for tech giants and advertisers who eagerly track, identify, and monetize our digital footprint. Anonymity is no longer the default, now there is privacy intrusion everywhere.
In a recent survey, about 75% of Americans declared that they are “very concerned” to “extremely concerned” about their online privacy intrusion. For this reason, savvy internet users are fighting back, arming themselves with ad-blockers to fend off malicious cookies, while savvier users utilize a VPN software to mask their real IP addresses. Even casual internet users clear their cookie cache time and again or use private browsing functions.
Imagine entering a website, unaware that with each click, a digital trail is being meticulously laid out before you. Companies seeking to monitor your online behavior employ an array of clever tactics, from implanting sneaky cookie files to deploying invisible scripts. Once you accept these seemingly harmless cookies, the website tracking begins, seamlessly following your every move as you continue your online searches.
Read more: What are internet cookies and how they invade your privacy?
Unveiling ways websites can track you
Have you ever experienced that eerie feeling of searching for a new laptop on Google, only to have laptop advertisements haunting your every digital footprint? And it doesn’t stop there—your Instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with identical laptop offerings. It’s as if the internet is reading your mind, and you can’t help but wonder: How on earth does this happen?
Read more: Explained: Online Behavioral Tracking
In pursuit of creating the systems of the future, companies understand that data serves as the lifeblood that fuels innovation. With unwavering determination, they strive to capture every aspect of our lives, leaving no stone unturned. As you read these words, companies are actively developing new codes and cutting-edge technologies, all with the aim of exploiting our data at its most intimate level.
Many techniques are used to gather information about the visitor in order to distinguish them from millions of others online. The most common ways websites tracked you are:
Cross-website tracking
As the name suggests, cross-website tracking is employed by website developers to monitor your every move across the digital landscape. It’s a process that allows them to track your behavior seamlessly as you navigate from one website to another, creating a comprehensive profile of your online activities.
Behind the scenes, trackers such as cookies, invisible scripts, IP addresses, website tracking devices, and website logs lurk in the shadows, creating a pile of online data collection from web searches, browsing history, clicks, and more. The information they collect is a digital goldmine, offering valuable insights into your preferences, habits, and interests.
Read more: What is a Tracking Cookie and How Do I Remove Them?
But here’s where things get intriguing. When enabled, these third-party trackers can share the online data collection they’ve gathered with external entities for targeted advertisements, better user experiences, fraud prevention, and provide tailored customization.
But it doesn’t end there. Have you ever noticed those ubiquitous share buttons on the websites you visit? While they may seem innocent, they too serve a purpose beyond just sharing content. Embedded within them are hidden trackers, surreptitiously gathering data every time you click From page analytics to the owners of the website, a piece of information is discreetly shared.
And let’s not forget the social media buttons—those familiar icons that tempt us to like, share, and comment on our favorite platforms. Little do we realize that lurking behind these buttons are trackers, silently customizing our feeds based on our every interaction.
Browser fingerprinting
Browser fingerprinting, aka device fingerprinting, was originally developed for security but has now become a powerful tool for tracking individual users based on their device and browser settings.
As you surf the web, your browser collects essential information about your device, such as screen resolution, operating system, location, and language settings. These seemingly innocent details form the intricate ridges of your digital footprint.
Just like detectives skillfully assemble evidence at a crime scene, trackers collect and piece together these fragments to create a distinct “fingerprint” that can identify you wherever you go online. It’s a sophisticated game of cat and mouse as your every move is meticulously traced across the vast expanse of the web. According to a study, browser fingerprinting is 90% accurate when it comes to identifying users.
Tracking pixels
A tracking pixel or web beacon is typically an image file or a transparent GIF. This pixel carries a hidden code—a digital watchdog observing your digital footprint. What makes it even more elusive is that the code remains invisible to the unsuspecting user.
When you open an email or visit a website that harbors these sneaky pixels, the embedded code springs into action, diligently recording your activity. It silently tracks your digital footprint, allowing marketers to analyze the online data collection. By deciphering visitor behavior, they gain insights that shape marketing strategies that have the power to captivate and engage their audience.
Rise of website tracking
In an age where internet privacy intrusions have reached new heights, users have become increasingly vigilant, adopting precautionary measures that make traditional cookie-based tracking ineffective. The once-dominant tracking method has been pushed to its limits, prompting trackers to explore more sophisticated alternatives. A study titled “Fingerprinting the Fingerprinters: Learning to Detect Browser Fingerprinting Behaviors” clearly proves that 10% of the top 100,000 Alexa sites use fingerprinting scripts.
With the decline of cookie efficacy, pioneers of website tracking recognized a commercial opportunity and wasted no time in expanding their services. These companies, known as “data brokers,” saw the potential in utilizing unique digital footprints to discreetly trace your online activities. As you journey through the web, they silently perform online data collection, slowly piecing together a comprehensive profile of who you are.
But website tracking is just one piece of the puzzle in the vast landscape of tracking techniques employed by data brokers. These third-party entities operate in the shadows, amassing information about your digital presence and meticulously connecting the dots to paint a detailed picture of your online persona.
Privacy and security impacts
The practice of website tracking carries far-reaching consequences that extend beyond mere online data collection. As we delve into its complexities, it becomes evident that website tracking has profound impacts and leads to privacy intrusion. Here are some key points to consider:
Privacy intrusion
Website tracking infringes upon our privacy by surreptitiously monitoring our online activities. Every click, search, and interaction becomes part of a digital dossier, allowing companies to build detailed profiles and gain insights into our personal lives.
This wealth of data becomes the building blocks for detailed user profiles, allowing companies and advertisers to target us with hyper-personalized advertisements. The line between our digital footprint and our private world blurs as our identities are dissected for commercial gain.
Read more: Internet privacy
Vulnerability to cyber attacks
Malicious actors eagerly seize upon the piles of tracking data to craft sophisticated attacks. Armed with intimate knowledge of users’ browsing habits and personal preferences, these cybercriminals launch highly personalized phishing campaigns, deliver malware, or perform other scams.
The comprehensive profiles created through website tracking become valuable commodities, sought after in the shadowy depths of the dark web. In these illicit marketplaces, personal information is bartered, traded, and sold to the highest bidder. Hence, leads to identity theft, fraudulent activities, and a loss of control over our digital lives.
Outsmarting website tracking
Unlike cookies, which can be managed through browser settings, fingerprinting operates in the shadows, unseen and undetected. It’s a sneaky technique that leaves users unaware of its presence, making it a significant challenge to control.
Read more: How to Delete Cookies in Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari
With cookies, you have the power to delete your browsing history, block them, or even disable them entirely. But when it comes to website tracking, it’s a different story. As digital fingerprinting is invisible, evading detection and removal. Once it captures your unique digital fingerprint, there’s no turning back.
While some browser plugins claim to offer protection against website tracking, their effectiveness varies greatly. A study revealed that many anti-fingerprinting tools fall short of delivering robust safeguards.
In case you are looking for a better solution, check out PurePrivacy. With PurePrivacy say goodbye to the prying eyes of social media platforms and external apps that relentlessly track your digital footprint. PurePrivacy gives control in your hands and frees you from invasive targeted ads.
Websites you visit are secretly tracking your online activity, and with PurePrivacy’s tracking blocker, you can effortlessly halt their surveillance with a single tap.
Besides this, if you wish to ensure the protection of your internet privacy, you need PureVPN. It meets all the requirements that make a reliable and trustworthy VPN. It encrypts your data online, giving you the freedom to privately browse websites without being tracked.
