Over the last decade, internet users have observed the creation and expansion of the best, most convenient tools offered by information technologies. However, without consent, the benefits provided by advanced hardware and software come at a cost of privacy. The days of private internet are long gone, and the only way to avoid tracking by tech companies and government agencies is to stay off the grid. For the majority of people around the world, completely avoiding the use of tech devices is unreasonable, if not impossible.
Modern websites, software, games, and other digital parts of technology are structured in such a way that the consumer leaves strong digital footprints every step of the way. While there is no way to get rid of the tracks completely, in this article we will talk about tools and techniques that help us avoid tracking and minimize footprints online. By using the most popular and versatile privacy tools, you can join the fight for internet privacy and only share the necessary information about yourself and your connections. With our tips, you will learn to use and alter your browsing experience and find the perfect ratio of privacy and convenience. Last, but not least, we will offer recommendations of legitimate providers, where you can buy HTTP proxy for your browsing sessions. Proxies are intermediary servers that change your IP address, a key element of your network identity. Once you buy HTTP proxy, you can use different identities, which is especially useful if you want to visit a local website. As internet users, we sometimes encounter pages that are not available in our country. In addition to increased privacy, you also get access to geo-blocked websites when you buy HTTP proxy from a reliable provider. For now, let’s discuss the most common tools and techniques to avoid tracking on the internet.
Use multiple browsers
Browsers are the main tool for accessing the internet and rendering pages written in HTML code. However, to create a convenient browsing experience, visited websites use HTTP cookies to store information about visitors, either to increase the loading time for recurrent visits or to collect user information. Some pages do not grant access to pages if the visitor does not agree to the usage of cookies.
While this decision should be up to the user, web server owners still enforce essential cookies on their users. To make matters worse, tech companies cooperate with advertisers to set up third-party cookies on frequently visited pages to enforce tracking and follow users with personalized ads.
Using different browsers for separate browsing sessions may help you avoid tracking online. If you separate social media visits from online purchases and other data-sensitive interactions, you will diminish your digital footprint by not putting all of your eggs in one basket.
Cover your tracks with user agents
A significant portion of online surveillance depends on keeping track of the visitor’s user agent. As part of an HTTP header, user agents inform recipients about your browser type, version, and operating system.
This information is useful for web server owners because they can offer the most convenient version of a website to visitors. A page is capable of distinguishing mobile phone visitors from PC users and presenting information most comfortably. However, as modern businesses are always hungry for valuable user information, by recognizing the same user agent during repeated visits, they can profile a visitor and keep track of their decisions online.
By changing browsers or applying extensions that change user agents, we remove another piece of valuable information, often used to track visitors. However, we do not recommend using old versions of browsers, as it may handicap your access to the desired website. You can also use user-agent switchers for automated bots to protect them from recognition and blocking.
Swap your IP address
Every digital device has a unique IP address supplied by internet providers, which acts as a digital identification code. Not only does it distinguish a user from other web surfers, but IP addresses also show approximate locations of devices, and with each connection, web server owners or worse — cybercriminals can use this information to sabotage internet connection and even blackmail you.
The information displayed in IPs is very convenient when used properly: website owners can present content on their page in their native language and automatically determine your location to accelerate the use of their services. However, while it makes the visit much more comfortable, it is an obvious case of online tracking, and every user should have the right to choose between privacy and convenience.
You can avoid these dilemmas and even take up an entirely different network identity by accessing the internet through a proxy server. When supplied by a legitimate provider, proxies are a lawful way to use a different IP address for your browsing sessions and even change the location of your access point. With an extra stop traveling data packets adopt this new identity, and the recipient treats the intermediary server as the sender. You can even use rotating proxies to constantly swap identities at predetermined intervals and prevent similarities in transmitted information and avoid profiling — an essential aspect of successful, continuous user tracking.
Because the days of private internet are long gone, a user rarely knows when they are being tracked. To minimize the likelihood of online surveillance, we have to change as many things as possible and avoid logging into accounts of massive social media networks. While complete anonymity is no longer possible, it should be up to the user to decide and change the balance of privacy and convenience.
