Is Your Favorite Website Spying On You?

Ted

FYI: Today’s infographic is from StudyWeb, and it goes over how different websites engage in tracking users.

These trackers are intended to allow websites to tailor their experience to each user. This way, you’ll see more relevant ads, and your individual preferences will be remembered. While many people appreciate these benefits, others do not believe the trade-off with their privacy is worth it.

If you are a privacy-oriented person and want to take action, the bottom of the infographic gives you step-by-step instructions on how to change your browser preferences on a number of devices to avoid such extensive tracking.
Regards,
Ted
http://www.visualcapitalist.com/favorite-website-spying/

bee

Thanks @Ted,

Would like to hear from others with regard to device maintenance and security.

I try to back up personal files once a month on external HD.

I run system tools such as Disk Defrag and Disk Cleanup every few months.

Security Essential is sent up to auto updates.

I run third party software CCleaner monthly (wipes out cookies and browser History though some sites are sticky)

Browser is Mozilla Firefox (glad to see Firefox mentioned in article). I back up bookmarks to a laptop personal folder and then to external HD every other month.

Search Engine is Duck Duck Go

Still running Windows 7 (with GWX Control panel which stops Win10 from upgrading my system to Win10...my last machine died running XP before I jump to Win7).

PRESSmUP

Good question Bee, considering recent events.

I am currently running Windows 10, but have it configured to more or less look like Windows 7 since I don't care for the tiling. As for other items:

-A good anti-virus program is a given, I use ESET

-I have an external backup drive which automatically does it's thing daily

-Weekly running of System Mechanic which is a clean-up utility which handles all normal and customary tasks, including managing start-up programs

-Weekly scan using Malware Bytes. This is a free download. Pretty funny how many corporate IT departments have you run this first if your machine is acting up.

VintageFreak

I second Malware Bytes. If anyone wants to charge you for antivirus, ran far away. On Windows between Microsoft Defender and Malware Bytes Free, you are covered.

On Mac OS I use Sophos. I used to use Avira, but I found it slowed down the machine a bit.

However, most important, use different emails for different purposes. And especially don't conduct financial business using Internet Email. Use your ISPs email using fat email client.

Just my 2 cents. From a person who has been the victim of identity theft and who continues to believe these are 99% insider jobs and not anything the customer did. Which does not mean we have to be stupid.

PS @bee - I just found out Malware Bytes has version for Mac. Doh! I'm going to scan right now. If it finds anything I'm going to be pissed. I'm also going to be thankful to you. For the life of me I can't imagine why I thought one company wouldn't have malware detection for two different OS.

bee

@VintageFreak, I'll always accept misplaced gratitude, but will also send along your accolades to @PRESSmUP.

Ted

@MFO: I use Zone Alarm from Check Point Systems.
Regards,
Ted

VintageFreak

@PRESSmUP. Malware bytes has nothing to report on my MAC For some reason it always has something to report on my Windows. However, I still prefer Windows. Mac is limiting...oh well

@bee. Honesty is a dying virtue. I got the posts mixed up. CCleaner helps speed up browsing, but not sure it helps protect.

@Ted. I have PeerBlock on my kid's machines. When they use to yell "Daddy!", I used to go check the website and enable it. Now they are smart, and they "enable for 15 minutes". It is a good thing. Almost everything on the internet is evil is the assumption PeerBlock makes. For instance, it will allow you to visit Google but not Dell website.

rforno

If you're worried about tracking, also run something like NoScript that prevents tracking scripts and ad networks from following you. It'll take a while to learn/configure (sometimes annoys me even today when a site doesn't work as expected b/c it's not on my approved list yet) but it's a huuuuuge plus to your browsing privacy.

Also suggest blocking cookies except for sites you visit regularly.

I use Firefox (still, and "for now") but don't run any antivirus software on my Mac. If I need to log into Google for any reason, it's done in a different browser -- what I consider my 'dirty' browser that isn't as locked-down as my main Firefox one.

(yes, cybersecurity is my career field both in industry and now as a professor)

PRESSmUP

VF...if Malware Bytes is often picking something up in a scan on your Windows machine, that would indicate that Microsoft Defender is missing it. A PC mag review indicates malware identification is a weak spot for the MS app.

Just as an FYI.

VintageFreak

PRESSmUP said:

VF...if Malware Bytes is often picking something up in a scan on your Windows machine, that would indicate that Microsoft Defender is missing it. A PC mag review indicates malware identification is a weak spot for the MS app.

Just as an FYI.

No i didn't mean it that way. Defender catches it too. What I mean is typically when I see things popping up all over the place, it finds it.

Actually ADAware helps too. Slows down browsing, but I haven't found anything on my machine for months now.

PRESSmUP

Sorry if I misinterpreted your note.

This conversation prompted me to conclude I need a pop-up blocker too...

Old_Joe

@PRESSmUP- I'm using "NoScript" on my antique Mac (using Firefox variant browser), and it's very effective, but sometimes a nuisance to fiddle with on a new url site. For sites that you visit consistently, you can use permanent settings and it's not at all intrusive.

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Old_Joe

@Maurice- An excellent summary of what's going on, and of some of the things that you can do to limit the damage. Thanks very much for the time you spent on this.

Another recommendation: Get rid of Google anything. For search, use "DuckDuckGo". They don't track at all, and the results are every bit as good as Google or Bing. Check it out: DuckDuckGo

Of course Judge Bork knows infinitely more about the law than I ever will, but it does seem to me that the fourth amendment arguably attempts to provide some degree of privacy:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

If the intrusiveness of various internet actors doesn't add up to "unreasonable searches and seizures" I certainly don't know how else to describe it.

Regards- OJ

hank

Ditto

OJ beat me to the punch (again). But what a wonderfully detailed and thoughtful piece by Maurice.
Thank you!

Afraid I'm not following 10% of those excellent suggestions, but will study them and strive to improve. Have to say - haven't touched a device running Microsoft in over a decade due to every one I owned becoming corrupted. Apple does its best to keep us "dummies" out of trouble. But User Beware.

Mona

Maurice said:

As a Firefox user for browsing, for all the good it does or rather doesn't, I always open a private window for browsing. I set the third party cookies to "NEVER". Why do you need to accept them? Any content I lose, is small compared to the reassurance I have that those advertisers cannot track me that way.

Another thing I do is to have my browser delete all first party cookies when I close down the browser, which I do several times a day. I also never store passwords. I know some of you will not accept doing this, as you like the convenience of not logging into your favorite websites. But it is a price you pay for, by allowing some sophisticated and unscrupulous sites to track you across the web. Some of those cookies are from very well known and "trusted" companies. Also by storing passwords in a browser, you run a risk of someone out there, being able to capture them.

Maurice,

I too use Firefox and am using Windows 10. In Options > Privacy, I have checked "Always use private browsing mode" and "Accept cookies from sites". Next to "Accept third-party cookies" I populate "Never". Once I do that it greys our any option next to "Keep until", so I do not have the option of checking the box ":Clear history when Firefox closes". It seems that the only way I can configure it that way is if I uncheck "Always use private browsing mode".

In other words, I do not understand how you can have third party cookies set to "NEVER" and "delete all first party cookies when I close down the browser" simultaneously.

Mona

chip

More safety related than privacy related, but ...

Keep all of your software updated with the latest security patches! The recent widespread ransomware was enabled by a security flaw that was patched in March.

This applies to your OS, anti-virus, browsers, plugins, office applications, and anything else you're running. For most people, if you can set an application to auto-update, you should.

VintageFreak

FWIW. Don't use Chrome on Mac OS. Opera works best if you need another browser on Mac OS. By the way never mix browsers. Always conduct financial transactions in one browser, every thing else in another.

Let each and every one of us suffer from their own paranoia and pass it to others. It's all good

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Anna

I bet Ted's portfolio that my favorite website, MFO, doesn't spy on me.

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