Your Unique ID is created by gathering information about your device and combining it into a single string. This is called "fingerprinting," and it is very difficult to avoid. Fingerprinting works by taking information about a user's computer hardware, browser information, location, and more. You might think, why should I care if a website can see if I am using an addblocker? This does not reveal much information about me. This is correct. Although each individual data point on its own does not seem to reveal much information about you, when you put all of the information together to create a unique ID like the one above, websites can identify you.
They may not know your real identity, but it is an extremely useful way to track your online activity. This is because it is very unlikely that someone else's browser is reporting all of the exact same information as yours.
Because of the way fingerprinting works, it is very difficult to avoid it. Say you were to turn off cookies or use a VPN. You might think that you are safe. However, websites can see that you have cookies turned off and are using a VPN. This will be used as a variable in the fingerprinting process, and a unique ID will still be made. In order to effectively stop fingerprinting, you must use a web browser that spoofs information or blocks websites from accessing it.
Another way to avoid fingerprinting is to try to blend in by using a common device and browser combination. However, this is not recommended as most common browsers, such as Chrome, do not have good tracking or ad blocking. The sad truth is that other than using the Tor browser or blending in, fingerprinting is almost unavoidable.
Cookies are small pieces of information that websites can store on your computer. This information is generally used to store settings and login details, so the next time you visit the website, you are logged in and your settings are saved. However, sometimes a special type of cookie that is shared across multiple different websites will be used. These are called tracking cookies," also known as third-party cookies. Tracking cookies contain information about your online activity, such as which websites you have visited and how you interact with these sites.
Advertisers usually use tracking cookies to monitor your browsing activity in order to show you personalized ads. Luckily, tracking cookies is much easier than fingerprinting. On most modern browsers, you can simply go into your settings and change your cookie preferences. However, it is recommended that you do not completely block all cookies, as some websites require them to work. Instead, you should select "Block third-party cookies." This will ensure that tracking cookies are blocked while most websites still work correctly.
A tracking pixel is a small graphic, usually with a size of 1 x 1, that collects information about a user when it is loaded. They are commonly used in websites and emails. The information collected by tracking pixels is used by advertisers to show you personalized ads or used to provide analytics.
Tracking pixels can collect information such as IP addresses, geolocation, type of device, and much more. Unlike cookies, tracking pixels can not simply be turned off in your browser's settings. However, they can be blocked with an ad or script blocker.
Tracking URLs are URLs with added parameters to track a link's effectiveness. They are commonly used by companies to find where a user came from and to provide analytics for URLs.
Here is our normal URL: https://personaldata.info
Here is a tracking URL: https://personaldata.info/?utm_campaign=tracking-test&utm_source=twitter&utm_custom [email]=
As you can see, the tracking URL has much more information added, but it leads to the same place as the normal URL. The easiest way to avoid tracking URLs is to not click on the link if it looks like it has a lot of unnecessary added information, or you can use our URL cleaner. Take me to the cleaner.
Bounce tracking is a tracking method that attempts to circumvent browser tracking prevention. It works by injecting a tracking website between you and the website you want to visit.
Say you are browsing the web and click on a link to example.com. A site that wants to track you could load first, fingerprint your device, and then redirect you back to example.com. All of this can occur without your knowledge.To avoid this, use a browser that blocks bounce tracking, such as Brave.
Many websites collect data on how visitors interact with their site, such as which buttons they click, how long they stay on a page, where they move their mouse, and more. This data can be used by website owners to gain insights into how visitors are using their site and to provide targeted advertising.
For example, if a visitor spends a lot of time on a particular page, the website owner might show them ads related to that page or product.