Adblock Plus and (a little) more
Ad Trackers: What to Know and How to Protect Your Privacy · 2025-01-30 20:29 by Rean Marie Thomas
Do you ever feel like an ad is following you around online? Sometimes you look at a product on a website and it keeps popping up in ads everywhere else you browse. Online tracking methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, allowing advertisers and websites to collect detailed data about you and your online behavior.
Not all trackers are collecting top-secret information and some are attempting to personalize content and products. Even so, the more we are aware of what data is being collected, the more control we have over who has access to our personal information.
Common tracking techniques
- Pixel Tracking: Invisible 1×1 pixel images embedded in ads, emails, social media site, or web pages that collect data when you view or interact with content.
- Cookies: Cookies are small data files stored locally on your device that can be temporary or permanent, first-party (directly from the website) or third-party (set from a different domain, usually an external advertiser or analytics provider).
- Browser Fingerprinting: Your browser fingerprint identifies you based on unique browser and device characteristics.
- Cross-Device Tracking: Trackers are deployed, often in the form of unique identifiers, cookies, and account credentials (and more) to build your profile across multiple devices, such as smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and smart TVs.
Data Collected by Ad and Social Media Trackers
Data allows advertisers and social media sites to create detailed user profiles, personalize ads, and measure campaign effectiveness. However, trackers used to collect this data also raise privacy concerns, leading to increased scrutiny and regulations of online tracking practices and how data is shared with third parties.Various studies highlight the “advertising paradox” which is that the majority of people generally want personalized ads, but they also want to protect their privacy.
Here’s a short list of what ad trackers can collect about you:- IP address and location
- Browsing history and preferences
- Behavior across websites including viewing times, user preferences, clicks, and ad interactions
- Device information like data on operating systems, language, time zone, and browser version
- Conversion data (purchases, sign-ups)
How to Take Control of Your Data
So what can be done? In a perfect world, advertisers would use personalization in a way that balances privacy and consumer benefit while brands and social media sites would be transparent about data collection. In the meantime, you should be aware of the privacy risks associated with personalized advertising and how your data is being used and shared.Ad blocking and ad filtering are great tools as a first line of defense in blocking unwanted trackers while maintaining website functionality. Ad blockers help prevent data collection and disrupt profile building by blocking tracking scripts and pixels while limiting cookie access. Adblock Plus utilizes comprehensive filter lists to block a wide range of ads and trackers.
Enhance Your Privacy and Security with Adblock Plus
There are several settings you can use in Adblock Plus that offer you additional protection against trackers.General Settings in Adblock Plus
Only Allow Ads without Third-Party Tracking
Please note, you must have both the ‘Allow Acceptable Ads’ option in Adblock Plus and ‘Do Not Track’ (DNT) from your browser turned on. For more help turning DNT on in your selected browser, see your general settings in Adblock Plus.
Ensure Adblock Plus Works in Private or Incognito Mode in Your Browser
Adblock Plus Premium for Better, Safer Browsing
Beyond blocking trackers or browsing incognito, blocking cookies is another great method to increase your privacy and security. Adblock Plus Premium includes:- Block cookie consent pop-ups and third-party trackers by default
For more information on Adblock Plus Premium or to subscribe today, visit https://accounts.adblockplus.org/premium.
At Adblock Plus, we take your privacy seriously and want you to understand exactly what information we collect and how we process it. Adblock Plus collects some limited personal data, but only to provide you with its services. Specifically, we collect anonymized and very little personal data to improve and evaluate products. We never track your browsing history or sell your data to third parties. Read more in our Privacy Policy FAQ and full Privacy Policy here.
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