If you’ve watched the news for the past decade or so, you likely know about the privacy concerns that come with being on the internet. Whether you’re on a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone, if you’re searching the internet, chances are the search engine you’re using or the website you’re going to be tracking you in some way.
Cookies
Whenever you browse the internet on your phone, computer, or tablet, the websites you go to collect cookies. Cookies are bits of information about the websites you visit. These bits of information can include logins, ad information, personalized settings, and other details you might not want to share. They do tend to make it easier to get into your accounts faster, but these cookies also contain quite a bit of your information.
Luckily, there are ways to manually delete cookies to stop websites from having your information. Simply go into your browser settings and delete them. Or, if you want to avoid cookies altogether, use the Incognito Mode in your browser. When in Incognito Mode, your browser won’t save your cookies, history, or site data. The only thing it does keep is images or files you download or bookmarks you create.
For even more privacy, you can use a virtual private network (VPN). It hides your IP address and your location and encrypts all your data.
Emails
Emails can also be a privacy concern as well but encryption can come in handy here as well. It protects your emails from hackers and criminals looking for your information and data. Encryption scrambles your email messages so they are completely unreadable.
Gmail and Yahoo already have end-to-end encryption but unfortunately, if your recipient or the person sending you an email doesn’t also have encryption, it doesn’t work.
For all-around encryption, you’ll need to switch to a more secure service like Mailfence or Hushmail.
If you must use Gmail, you can send your emails in Confidential mode. It’s up to you whether you want to require the recipient to use a passcode to read your message.
Apps
Apps can also track your location for days, weeks, or even months. If it’s been a while since you’ve checked your settings for your apps, make sure to check what the location settings are and turn them off if they are on.
Smart TVs
Your smart TV and your streaming services may be tracking you as well. They want to know what shows you’re watching so they can recommend more content you may like. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, or MAX (formerly HBO MAX), they all do this.
But they don’t collect your viewing history just to show you more shows. They also collect data on which ads you watch and skip and then share that data with their advertisers.
For Netflix at least, you can opt out of behavioral advertising so they don’t track your viewing choices.
Search History
Ever wonder why Google always seems to know just what you want or what you’re searching for? It’s because they track every search, click, and message. To help limit this tracking system, you can clear your search history and your activity every couple of weeks.
To do so, log in to your Google account and then click Data & Privacy in the left-hand menu. You will see checkmarks for Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History. Click each one to adjust the settings. You can turn them off to stop tracking altogether. You can also set up auto-delete for any future activity.
Privacy With AD Solutions
You don’t need to worry about privacy and tracking with AD Solutions. All our printer and copier services are equipped with safety features to ensure all your information is safe from hackers looking to steal your data. Your company’s privacy is just as important to us as it is to you.
To set up an appointment with AD Solutions today, call one of our Florida locations or request a quote using our online form.
