How To Stop Ads From Tracking You Online

Edited by Ezvid Wiki Editorial on 12 September 2018

One thing you've probably noticed is that many of the ads you see on the Internet seem specifically tailored to you. You check out a coat on a website, but decide not to buy it. The whole next week, every time you surf the web, you see ads for that coat. It's not an accident. Many websites use cookies and scripts to track your activity, so they know what you search for in order to target you with advertising. If you'd like to get search results that are free from this kind of tracking and keep those tempting products out of your line of vision when you're on the Internet, you've got a lot of options. We'll go over some of the ways you can protect yourself and the benefits of each. If seeing ads in your email worries you and you want to know what information is at risk, you can read up on whether Gmail is reading your email. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

What Are Some Browser Extensions That Can Stop Ads From Tracking Me?

  • Adblock Plus - disables online tracking, publishes acceptable ads
  • uBlock Origin - open source and efficient ad blocker
  • Ghostery - detects and blocks trackers to speed up page loading
  • Privacy Badger - stops third-party domains from tracking you
  • RedMorph - shows you which URLs are being blocked
  • Disconnect - provides block list of halted trackers

What Is A Private Search Engine?

A private search engine works just like Google or Yahoo, except they don't keep track of your searches or browsing history. This means that anything you've searched for in the past won't affect your current search results, and you won't be targeted with ads based on those searches. If you're looking for unbiased information about a product, this can be incredibly useful. However, once you navigate away from the search engine and go to another website, you can still be tracked. To learn more, read up on DuckDuckGo and why it is useful and read our list of the best no-tracking search engines

What If I Just Want To Keep Certain Websites From Being Saved?

Most browsers are equipped with a private browsing mode, which stops them from saving your search history or logging anything that you enter into online forms. This is useful if you're using a shared computer where you can't install new programs or extensions, but don't want your browsing history to be saved. You can read more about them here:

What Are Some Additional Ways To Get More Security Online?

Even though some websites will voluntarily put themselves on no-track lists, there are many unsavory people online looking to get at your information. One thing you can do is make sure you have good antivirus software to avoid any malicious activity. You can also use a VPN or a proxy server to hide your identity and location online. We've compiled a list of the best VPN services as well as created a tutorial on exactly what is a web proxy server.

In Depth

Have you ever wondered why some of the advertisements you see on the internet are eerily related to your recent online activity? For example, let's say that you recently looked at some shoes on Amazon. Later on, you'll notice that most of the ads you encounter are shoe-related. This is because companies track a lot of your information, such as browsing behavior and geographical location, in order to tailor their ads to your interests.

Usually, ads track you using cookies, which are small files saved on your computer, or by using subtle scripts that start running once you visit a webpage. There are a lot of things you can do to prevent ads from tracking you online, so let's go through each of them.

First of all, you can use one of the many private search engines online. One good example is DuckDuckGo. Using a private search engine like this will ensure that any website you access through it won't know anything about your previous searches. This helps keep all of your search results unbiased, and it prevents advertisers from using your history to personalize their ads.

First of all, you can use one of the many private search engines online.

Most private search engines won't be able to protect you once you've left their websites. What this means is that once you've chosen a link and navigated to a company's site, you'll still be subjected to whatever tracking methods they have.

A more effective way to stop advertisers from targeting you is by using an ad blocker extension that's compatible with your browser. One of the most popular is Adblock Plus, which is supported by most browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. Not only does it block ads, it also gives users the option to disable online tracking.

One thing to note is that Adblock Plus still displays non-intrusive "acceptable ads" by default. There is an option to turn this off, though some users may not be aware of it. If you want a less resource-intensive alternative that blocks all ads and trackers, regardless of how intrusive they are, you can try something like uBlock Origin or Ghostery's browser extension.

There is an option to turn this off, though some users may not be aware of it.

Another useful choice is Privacy Badger. This is mainly used to stop third-party domains from loading content that might be tracking you without your permission. It wasn't designed to block ads, though it will occasionally do so in order to prevent them from monitoring you.

You could also try using RedMorph, which is an add-on that has several features designed to help you protect your privacy online. Not only does it prevent ads from tracking you, it also shows you exactly what URLs are being blocked by the service.

RedMorph also has an optional paid subscription that unlocks more features, such as access to their built-in proxy. This proxy will mask your location and device information as you surf the web, which will help you stay anonymous online.

This proxy will mask your location and device information as you surf the web, which will help you stay anonymous online.

In addition to the aforementioned extensions, most browsers also have a "Do Not Track" feature in their privacy settings. What it does is send a signal to whatever website you're visiting, basically telling them that you don't want to be tracked. It isn't the most reliable solution, but it can be used in conjunction with any privacy-related browser extensions for extra security.

If you're a Firefox user, you'll also have access to their own "Tracking Protection" feature. This stops any third-party trackers which are included on their list. The block list they use is provided by Disconnect, which is another privacy tool and browser add-on available for Chrome and Safari as well as Firefox.

If you don't want to remove ads, but are uncomfortable with how they're tracking you, you can opt out of personalized ads through a few web tools available online. One such tool is found in aboutads.info. You can use this to opt out of behavioral tracking from its many participating companies.

One such tool is found in aboutads.info.

Since a lot of the targeted ads that you see on the web are served by Google, you can also opt out of ad personalization through your Google account.

All you have to do is login to your account and look for "Ads Settings" under the "Personal info and privacy" menu. From here, click on "Manage Ads Settings." In the next page, just click the blue slider button on the right. A window will pop up telling you what will happen if you turn off ad personalization. Once you choose the option to turn it off, you're done. You can switch it back on any time you want.

As you can see, there are many tools you can use to prevent advertisers from raiding your internet history. If you want to take your privacy to the next level, you should consider using a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN will not only render you anonymous online, it'll also make it harder for your internet service provider to see any of your activities, so you can rest easy knowing your personal information is safe.