The paradox is that your traffic is so unique that it can be compared to traffic captured from other websites you’ve visited and be used to build a profile around your commonly visited websites and current interests.
That fingerprint is then sold to brokers that forward to websites that will serve targeted content to your fingerprint when you do happen to show up. It doesn’t necessarily care what your identity is just that you have an identity.
But if you’re not running multiple tabs, or in private tab view, and you’re not allowing most or any cookies, then they’re going to have a harder time following what you do and where you go.
Use a solid VPN
Use Firefox derivative (Waterfox and Libre Wolf, feel free to use multiple to separate tracking)
Use pivate tab mode
Use Privacy Badger (EFF)
Use Port Authority (highly rated port scan blocker to block network port scanning from LexisNexis)
Close unused tabs
Clear cache and cookies on exit
Disable unused network stuff (WiFi and/or data, GPS, BT, NFC, anything that’s not required that could be used for location scanning)
On Android 15+ iirc, disabled mic and/or camera permissions until necessary. Most people don’t talk on the phone anymore so it’s rare you need the mic (unblock for camera)
The paradox is that your traffic is so unique that it can be compared to traffic captured from other websites you’ve visited and be used to build a profile around your commonly visited websites and current interests.
That fingerprint is then sold to brokers that forward to websites that will serve targeted content to your fingerprint when you do happen to show up. It doesn’t necessarily care what your identity is just that you have an identity.
But if you’re not running multiple tabs, or in private tab view, and you’re not allowing most or any cookies, then they’re going to have a harder time following what you do and where you go.
I shouldn’t need a 9 point checklist to browse the internet. I’d rather there be proper user protections in place.
Oh for sure! I agree! But I do the following, mostly automated through settings, to either poison the data or avoid them from getting it at all.