Tech

5 ways you’re being tracked you must stop right now

By
KIM KOMANDO
Published April 14, 2023, 10:13 a.m. ET

Online privacy is an oxymoron. For example, there’s an advertiser ID on your phone that’s supposed to Are you surprised it doesn’t? Me neit🐬her.

It’s not always advertisersཧ and Big 🌠Tech spying. A stranger or someone you know your accounts.

Privacy isn’t a given. Here are five ways to take✨ as much as you can back.

1. Everyone’s least favorite kind of cookie

You collecꦑt cookies when you browse the web on your phone, computer, or tablet. These bits of data store information about the websites you visit. , personalization settings, advertising information, and other detai🔴ls.

The upside is that 💛cookies save images and files and stop you from having to log in every time you visit ✅a site. But these cookies contain a lot of your details. Fortunately, manually in a few steps.

Woman holding phone.
Cookies store information about you through the websites you visit. Using incognito mode will protect you from this data gathering. istock

Better yet, use Incognito Mode. When you surf the web Incognito, your browser doesn’t save your history, cookies, site data, or information you enter in forms. It does keep any downloaded files or bookmarks creaꦯted during the session.

Exclusive limited-time offer: As a special thank you to my readers, I’m giving you a free Windows or Mac guide full of tips, tricks, and great downloads.

Be warned:ဣ Your internet service provider can still see your activity, as can a school or employওer providing your internet access or computer.

or Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + N (or Command + Shift + N on Mac).

For even more privacy, fire up a VPN. A virtu꧙al private network, or VPN, is a layer of protection between your devices and the internet. It hides your IP address and your location. It also encrypts your data after leaving your device and traveling to whatever website you’re visiting.

Don’t even think about using a free VPN. At best, it will lack the necessary privacy features and slow you down. At worst, it’s hiding malware or tracking your information. My pick is ExpressVPN, the VPN I used before they became a sponsor of my national radio show. 

2. Your emails are a wealth of information

Just think about everything sitting in your inbox. In the wron𝓀g hands, those digita🉐l messages can do much damage.

Encryption is a method to protect your email from hackers, criminals, and prying eyes. It’s a process where your email messages are scrambled, so if hackers manage to intercept them, all they’ll see is gibberish.

Big-name email services like Gmail and Yahoo don’t provide end-to-end encryption. Encryption is tough to implement, and it generally requires all correspondents to participate. The process isn’t end-to-end if your email uses encryption, but mine doesn’t. At some point, your message will be vulnerable.

Man on computer
Encrypting your email will protect your messages from hackers and criminals. istock

If encrypting your emails is essential, you’ll need to switch to a secure service like StartMail, ProtonMail, Mailfence, Tutanota, or Hushmail.

Use Gmail? You can send a Confidential email. can’t be forwarded, and you can choose whether to require a recipient to use a passcode to read it.

3. Your apps are watching where you go

Your phone knows precisely where you’ve been over the past few days, weeks, and even months. If i▨t’s been a while since you looked at your phone’s location settings, do it now.

Check this hidden location setting on your iPhone:

  • Click Settings, then Privacy.
  • Select Location Services, then scroll down to System Services.
  • Choose Significant Locations to see the record of where you’ve been and toggle it off.

Here’s how to adjust location settings on an Android:

  • Open Settings, then scroll down and tap Location.
  • To stop all tracking, you can toggle Use location off.
  • If you don’t want to remove all permissions, tap App location permissions.
  • For each app, tap it to choose your preferred setting: Allow all the time, Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow. You can also decide whether an app sees your precise location or an approximate location.

4. Your TV is watching you right back

൲Sorry to break it to you. Your streaming services are tracking your activity, too. It makes sense. Netflix, Hulu and all the rest want to kno🃏w what shows you like so they can recommend content you’ll enjoy and don’t mind paying for.

The monitoring isn’t for your benefit, though. and the ads you watch or skip. Then, they share this data with advertisers. 

Kim Komando

Sound like a tech pro, even if you’re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. on 425+ radio stations or . And join over 400,000 people who

If you , you have essential settings to reꦑview there, too.

5. Stop sharing everything you buy and browse

Google always seems to know just what you want, and it’s not in your head. Google tracks every search, click, message, and request. Now and then, clear your search history and activity. Here’s how:

  • Go to and log in. Alternatively, go to google.com and click the circle icon in the upper right-hand corner with your image or initials inside. Then click Manage your Google Account.
  • Click Data & Privacy in the left-hand menu.
  • You will see checkmarks next to Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History. Click each one to adjust your settings. Toggle them off to stop further tracking if you choose.

On these pages, you can also set up Auto-delete for future activity. I highly suggest you enable this. You can choose from 3 mo🐠nths, 18 months, or 36 months.