How to see who's tracking you and stop it Extensions and plugins
Your data is the new gold, and they want it. Even mobile apps and browser extensions can track your activity. It's also used to improve your internet experience as a whole. These are used by most websites and services to log a user’s online habits, which, again, is data that is then used to tailor ads. Your internet activity can also be tracked by cookies - small bits of text that are downloaded and stored by your web browser. They collect anonymous browsing logs from users and sell that 'data' to marketers, which use it to develop hyper-targeted online ads. But there's also internet service providers, which, in the US, are allowed to monitor your internet activity and use it as a revenue stream. Hackers can use techniques like phishing to scam you and steal your data. Your email conversations, online purchases, medical information, and even financial details like credit card numbers are all considered data, too.Īs for who collects this data and why, there are a couple different culprits. It can also be your internet activity, including the pages you visit and even metadata like when you visit those pages. Data can include personally identifiable information, such as your email address and social security number. First, understand that 'data collection' is a vague concept.
