The Tools That Convinced Me to Take Browser Security More Seriously

When I was a kid, my parents taught me not to share my real name online in case people I interacted with were predators. What they didn’t teach me was how much information online platforms and websites collect about us during everyday use. I didn’t begin to understand how much the internet tracks us until I took some marketing and advertising courses. Even then, it was hard to wrap my head around digital surveillance until I tested anti-tracking tools and saw how many trackers were blocked on the websites I visited.Now, I’m committed to using tools to minimize the information websites collect about me. I’ve compiled a list of those tools -- from Bitdefender’s Browser Guard extension to Norton’s fully separate safe browser -- to help you make the same commitment.These tools prevent websites from downloading things like ad trackers onto your device to prevent targeted ads and data sharing with advertisers, government agencies or data brokers. Many also block ads. These tools don’t hide your internet activity from your internet service provider or prevent apps from tracking you. For that, you’ll need a VPN.How the internet tracks youThe websites you visit track your activity in various ways. The most common way is through cookies. Cookies are text files that contain basic information related to your browsing activity, like your preferred login settings or products you’ve previously viewed on an e-commerce site. Websites use this information to optimize your experience on repeat visits. First-party cookies (those installed by the site you’re visiting) are often used for benign purposes like helping you log back in faster or keeping items in your shopping cart. Third-party cookies (those installed by third-party apps on sites you’re viewing), also called cross-site cookies, are generally used for targeted advertising. Cross-site cookies sometimes also have more sinister purposes, such as selling your data to spammers or scammers.The websites you visit may carry other types of trackers, such as:Super cookies: An advanced form of cookies built to track your activity across multiple browsing sessions. Super cookies are stored in atypical areas of your browser, making them more difficult to eliminate than regular cookies.Web beacons: Also called tracking pixels, web beacons are almost-invisible images connected to web pages or emails to gather information about your online activities. Beacons embedded in emails may also be able to track your IP address.Fingerprinting: These trackers use information like your device type, operating system and the browser you’re using to give you a digital footprint. A profile is built around this fingerprint and used to track your behavior every time you open your browser.Together, these trackers collect an enormous amount of personal and sensitive information about who you are and your online behavior, from your Google searches to your social-media interactions and your activities on specific websites. This information is most commonly used to create targeted ads or sold to data brokers without your consent. It can also be used to create social engineering scams that exploit and manipulate you into giving up money or access to key accounts.The browser safety tools you can use to prevent trackingMost browser safety tools are browser extensions, such as Bitdefender’s Browser Guard, which block various trackers. They may also screen sites you visit for signs of scams, malware or other dangers. Alternatively, you…

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