"I feel like I'm being followed around the web, every site I visit shows me ads related to sites I've visited previously. I'm worried about my online security and privacy.How did these websites know about me?"
Is this just a coincidence? you're browsing an online store for smart phones.You have left the store.But the ad of the phone keeps trailing you all over the internet .Days later, you open Facebook, and there it is again.But how?
How ads follow you?
Its called ads-retargeting. Retargeting is a type of online advertising that typically relies on cookies – tiny bits of code, dropped into your browser when you visit a website for the first time. While these cookies don’t actually know who you are, they give companies the ability to track your browsing habits, know what you look at and then follow you to another site to show you some ads.When you move on to a new site that has a space for personalised ads, even one not at all related to the original site, the page will recognise your tracking cookie and show you a 'relevant' ad.
But it's worth knowing that the way companies serve up targeted ads is growing ever more sophisticated: it's even possible for them to 'follow' users as they use the internet on different devices.They look for users with very similar patterns of use and conclude that the very similar ones are likely to be the same people. Then they show them 'relevant' ads.
No one likes being followed by an ad, even if we know it's anonymous. It gets even more worrisome when companies that we've given identifiable personal information to, such as Facebook, Amazon and Google, get involved in ads re-targeting.
How to control Re-targeting ads?
There are certain measures that will help you control what you see online. The following techniques are helpful steps to make it harder for advertisers to track you:1.Disable/reset cookies
You can also set your browser not to accept third-party cookies but then you may have trouble accessing websites that require you to sign in. So the best option here would be setting your browser to delete cookies every time you end your browsing session. Here’s how to manage cookies’ settings on your browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
2.Clear your browser data
Options are different for different browsers, but generally you can get there by finding the History or Privacy tabs. However, note that this will remove all the history, including saved passwords and frequently visited sites. So before cleaning your browser history, make sure to bookmark pages you want to save and visit later.
3.Switch to private mode
Opening a private or incognito window in your browser will ensure that your searches, visited pages and cookies won’t be saved after you close all of your private windows. However, even though private browsing is good for hiding your tracks, this information can still be collected by your ISP, employer and third parties that can track your IP address.
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