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Blokt - Privacy, Tech, Bitcoin, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

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In this post, we will look at one of the big privacy questions related to our smartphones and the apps that run on them. Are the apps that run on our smartphones stealing our personal data?

It is easy to get confused when talking about this stuff, so let's start at the beginning. What is data mining? According to Investopedia:

Here is a simple example. Upon analyzing sales data, a company might discover that most of their customers live in big, East Coast cities. Using that information, they might shift their marketing to cater to people who live in those cities.

Data Mining can be very powerful. In general, the more data used in the analysis, the better. So companies have large incentives to gather as much data as they can. This is where smartphones and smartphone apps come into the story.

If you want to learn about people, ask their smartphone. Our phones know so much about us that it is scary. These little devices are extremely powerful computers equipped with huge amounts of memory, an incredible set of sensors, and fast connections to the Internet.

It is sometimes hard to grasp the power of these little beauties.

According to Processing Power Compared, the computers that guided Apollo 11 to the moon in 1969 had a 2 MHz processor with 4 KB of memory.

In 1985, the new Cray-2 supercomputer was one of the most powerful computers in existence. It was capable of 1.9 GFLOPS (billion floating-point operations per second).

How do these numbers compare with our smartphones? I use a Samsung Galaxy S9+. According to AnandTech, the graphics processor alone on my phone has a theoretical maximum speed of 247 to 370 GFLOPS. That makes just the graphics processor in my phone close to 200 times faster than the Cray-2!

Then there is the memory. According to the original brochure, the Cray-2 featured 256 million, 64-bit words of memory (about 1 billion bytes of memory). My phone has 6 GB (6 billion bytes of memory) for apps and its operating system along with 256 GB of additional storage.

Modern smartphones are vastly more powerful than the world's most capable computers from a few decades ago.

But what makes smartphones even more interesting for data mining is the rest of the package.

Your smartphone's memory holds pretty much everything about our lives. We store our personal information in them: bank information, photos, private messages, everything.

Now throw in incredible sensors that didn't even exist a few years ago, like multiple HD-quality cameras, GPS, biometrics, and so on. With these, our phones can accumulate all sorts of additional information about us. In particular, our phones know where we are and where we have been. As someone once said, "We may not know where we were or what we did last night, but our phones do."

Since our phones know virtually everything about us, the big question becomes, "Who gets to see my personal data?" Of course, the apps that we enter data into get to see it, but who else does it go to. In many cases, the people who write the code libraries that app developers use to run ads on your phone (we'll call them "third-party developers" for simplicity) also get to see your data.

Yup. Code libraries are pre-built chunks of computer code that developers can use to do standard functions (run ads in this case) without having to write the code themselves. This is a great way to build apps since it allows you to get them written faster. But some of these libraries are problematic.

In a 2018 interview by the Chicago Tribune, Jason Hong of the Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University explained that many apps access sensitive personal data because the third-party developers won't let app developers use their code unless the app gathers that data and passes it along to the ad companies. As a result, your personal data gets shipped off to who knows where for use by the third-party developers and whoever they share it with.

Just last month, Burton Kelso, Technology Expert at Integral Computer Consultants, told MSN.com that:

And speaking of your phone knowing where you were last night...

According to the New York Times:

While this data is anonymized, it turns out to be pretty easy for companies to figure out who you are if they want to.

While it is easy to disable the location tracking features in our phones, doing so will cripple apps like Waze or Foursquare that need to know where you are to do their jobs.

Earlier this year, from this article in the Wall Street Journal, we learned that many apps take the personal data you enter into them and immediately send it to Facebook. This could happen even if you didn't have a Facebook account!

Two of the apps tested by the Journal were Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor, and Flo Health Inc.'s Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker. These apps used an analytics tool from Facebook, which, among other things, passed data back to Facebook for analysis and ad targeting. The following screen capture shows the Journal's diagram of how even a non-Facebook user's ovulation status could be entered into Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, but wind up in a Facebook ad targeting database.

We're not trying to accuse any of these companies of doing anything dishonest. Facebook says the companies were mistaken in sending such personal data to them and that everyone involved is taking steps to prevent such problems in the future.
What we are trying to do is show you how your personal data can find its way to places you would never expect it to go.

Okay. We're still not accusing anyone of anything. But according to the nonprofit research center International Computer Science Institute, thousands of Android apps have the ability to take data from your phone even when you don't give them permission to do so. So says this July 2019 report from Fox 2 News in Saint Louis.

Researchers at the Institute discovered 60 apps that were actively circumventing the permissions and a large number of apps that contain code that would allow them to do so.

One example dealt with permission to see the location of the phone. A user can turn off the Location permission, blocking that app from accessing that information directly.

The researchers who found the problem say that the activities might not be malicious or intentionally circumventing permissions. Indeed Google classified this problem as a bug and paid the researchers a bounty for finding the problem. A fix is supposed to be included in the upcoming Android Q update.

Now that you've seen what can happen to your personal data when apps have access to it, here are some things you can do to protect yourself.

While it is exciting to be the first one in your group to use a new app, it is also risky. If you are a computer industry old-timer like this author, you may remember a rule of thumb that went something like this, "Never install a new program from XXXXXXXX (name hidden to protect the guilty) until they have released their third update." That was way back in the early days of the personal computer, but it is still a good philosophy. Things just move a lot faster now.

If you wait 3 or 4 weeks to download a new app, you give other people the time to find any problems with the app. Not just any privacy violations, but bugs and other issues as well. There may even be an update or two (or more) that fixes any problems by the time you download the app.

If you wait a few weeks before installing a popular new app, you should be able to find some decent reviews. Sometimes there will be lots of word of mouth warnings about an app (see our story on FaceApp for a recent example), but that is the exception.

This is more of a philosophical approach than a universal solution. If an app is free, it is likely that the developers are making money by selling whatever personal data the app has access to.

If you pay for an app, the developers have a way to make money that doesn't involve stealing your personal data. This doesn't guarantee an app won't mine your data, and it doesn't prevent third-party library developers from doing so. But in theory, they won't have to.

Unless the app you are interested in does something totally unique, there are probably paid competitors available. If there are paid competitors, they are easy to find.

To find a competing paid app, simply:

Think of a word or short phrase that describes what the app does. For this example, I am interested in a VPN app for my Android phone.

Go to the app store or read our best vpn post

Enter the word or phrase into the search box.

The app store will return matching apps in a list.

Take a look at any paid competitors, and compare the personal data they request to that requested by the free app. If the free app requests additional data, the paid app may be the better option.

Finally, before installing an app, read the fine print. See what permissions the app wants you to give it. Do they make sense for this particular app? If not, they are probably mining and selling your data.

Since the app only turned the light on and off, I couldn't see a legitimate reason for it to have these additional permissions. I chose to install a different app that didn't ask for personal data unrelated to the problem at hand.

Also avoid apps in areas like casino, free vpns, torrenting etc as they are always full of weird stuff.

Besides taking the protective steps we've listed here, it may be time to think about exactly what data you store on your phone. Having everything at your fingertips (or in your pocket) is a great convenience, but the more apps you run, the bigger the target you are.

Do you really need access to your bank account from your phone? To record your ovulation status there? To carry those pictures of your significant other wherever you go? Do you really need to take your phone with you if you are going to a political rally or a medical clinic or some other sensitive location?

Like you, we love our smartphones. But we all need a little time away from those we love. Maybe it is time to apply that philosophy to our phones too.

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Are Smartphone Apps Stealing Your Personal Data?

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In this post, we will look at one of the big privacy questions related to our smartphones and the apps that run on them. Are the apps that run on our smartphones stealing our personal data? It is easy to get confused when talking about this stuff, so let's start at the beginning.

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Your Guide to creating an "Argument Infographic"

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Your Guide to creating an "Argument Infographic"

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Recipe for an Infographic, Abilock & Williams

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Information is very powerful but for the most bit it is bland and unimaginative. Infographics channel information in a visually pleasing, instantly understandable manner, making it not only powerful, but extremely beautiful. Once used predominantly to make maps more approachable, scientific charts less daunting and as key learning tools for children, inforgraphics have now permeated all aspects of the modern world.

I designed a couple of infographics back in college, the need arising especially around the time Soccer World Cup fever spiked. It was a fun process representing the different groups, predicting winners in each group at each stage and creating a mock pairing of teams that would clash all the way leading upto the finals. I was a devout Argentinian supporter at the time.

Infographics can appear daunting to some with the sheer amount of data they present, but designed in the right manner and step by step, they can actually be one of the most fun things you will ever create.

Today I am going to walk you through the anatomy of an infographic, its different levels and sub-levels and a 5-step process to ensure that your infographic is not only conceptually sound, but accurate and easily understood.

I have used a very simple infographic designed by Jane Genovese of Learning Fundamentals. It is an infographic about combating global warming

Anatomy Of An Infographic

The core infographic is composed of 3 very important parts.

A One-Level Deep Infographic is a simple infographic barely skimming and brushing through the 3 core parts. It has a visual which is usually common throughout the design. It has some content to compliment the visual. It imparts knowledge based on the visuals and content.The one-level design may incorporate one or two sub-parts from visuals and content but the representation is very basic.

A Two-Level Deep Infographic is a more advanced infographic. It encompasses the 3 core parts of the design but delves in deeper. Within the realm of Visuals, the infographic has the thematic defining graphics of the design. In addition it has reference icons to condense and compact a lot of data visually. Color coding becomes a must in this type of infographics because visually separating content via color becomes key in relaying information.

Within the realm of Content, the two-level infographic not only presents factual data, but also makes references and calls on statistics very regularly. There may be additional snippets of data in the form of notes. With the increase in the amount of data as the design goes two-level deep, it becomes very essential to utilize all the graphical resources available to you in the form of icons, image holders, shape groupings, color and time frame integration.

5 Essential Steps To A Good Infographic

1. Skeleton & Flowcharts

Approach an infographic as you would, any other form of design. Put together a skeleton of words and arrows, grouping relevant data together and visualizing the flow of information using flowcharts. Because infographics are usually complex, flowcharts will simplify the process and connect everything precisely for you.

2. Devising A Color Scheme

A color scheme is very important to convey a wide array of messages while keeping the reader confined inside the infographic. With huge and complex infographics, readers will become quickly confused and their perceptions will be scattered all over the place if they don't have colors tying down their thoughts visually. You can have 2, 3 or 10 colors but assigning them before you begin designing will be the most important thing you do.

3. Graphics

There are two kinds of graphics in an infographic. They are theme graphics and reference graphics.

Theme graphic is the defining visual of the design and is usually always included in the infographic, except when the infographic is more statistic based. Choosing the right theme graphic will tell you reader at a glance what knowledge you wish to share.

Reference graphics are not mandatory in the design. They are usually icons used as visual pointers to avoid cluttering up the design when a lot of content needs to be represented. They are brilliantly capable of making numerous references using the same instance. Sometimes words aren't even necessary if powerful reference icons are used, a practice more and more designers are using in a bid to make their infographics as word-free as possible.

4. Research And Data

It goes without saying that all infographics must be thoroughly researched and the data presented must be backed up by established facts. While doing that, you will inevitably end up with piles of data. Sifting through that you must condense and decide what data is the most relevant and how you are going to present it. The ratio of data to the graphics works best if it is 1:1.

Another extremely important point to remember is demographics. Who is going to be using your infographic? Are they regular office going people who are used to staring at suburban train line infographics or tourists from a non-English speaking country or 10 year old impressionable kids who are being taught to recognize bullying and raise a voice against it. Depending on the demographics, your infographics will accordingly reflect colors, icons, knowledge and complexity.

5. Knowledge

Highlighting important content to easily provoke deductions is an art. As I mentioned before, knowledge is powerful and the imparting of that knowledge must be powerful too.

If your infographic is concentric, having the most important content both visual and factual in the middle is a plus. If your infographic is horizontal, the extreme left and extreme right are the starting and ending points of a reader's deductions and thoughts, so having your say in those spots will be extremely beneficial. Choosing the right colors and imagery is vital because you cannot show child labor statistics in a subtle yet cheery shade of daffodil. That would just not be right, because sunny yellows are associated with joy and happiness, something that child labor is not.

In the end, an infographic can be as simple and as complicated as you want it to be. A good infographic will not confuse you and make you feel like an idiot, that is a true tribute to the designer designing it. Put yourself in the shoes of the people who are going to be using your infographics and you'll design a great one!

Within the realm of Content, the two-level infographic not only presents factual data, but also makes references and calls on statistics very regularly. There may be additional snippets of data in the form of notes. With the increase in the amount of data as the design goes two-level deep, it becomes very essential to utilize all the graphical resources available to you in the form of icons, image holders, shape groupings, color and time frame integration. This type of approach can prove quite time consuming and many people choose to get help from a developer, like quikclicks.com.au.

Your Turn To Talk

Have you ever designed an infographic? How did it go and what was your design process like? Please take a minute to share your stories with the rest of us, I'm sure we could all learn a thing or two. :)

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The Anatomy Of An Infographic: 5 Steps To Create A Powerful Visual - SpyreStudios

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Information is very powerful but for the most bit it is bland and unimaginative. Infographics channel information in a visually pleasing, instantly understandable manner, making it not only powerful, but extremely beautiful. Once used predominantly to make maps more approachable, scientific charts less daunting and as key learning tools for children, inforgraphics have now permeated [...]

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There are many websites that offer infographic templates-- Venngage is just one example !

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How to Make an Infographic in Under 1 Hour (2023 Guide) - Venngage

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Only have one hour to spare? No worries. Learn how to make an infographic in just under an hour with 5 easy steps, using Venngage.

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You probably don't think much about the keyboard on your smartphone. If you're using a third-party keyboard app, that may be a mistake.

Just try to keep track of all the times half of your iPhone's screen is taken up by a keyboard. Between texting, searching the web or typing out a tweet, there's a good chance that you're constantly using a keyboard on your device.

But while third-party keyboards apps may offer some features that the standard iOS keyboard doesn't, you still should think twice before downloading or using them. Not all third party keyboard apps are same!
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In fact, in 2020, we'd recommend that you avoid them entirely. Here's why.

Privacy and security risks of third-party keyboards

Most of the privacy and security risks of third-party keyboard apps come from something called "full access." Unfortunately, most third-party keyboards apps ask for said access.

But even if you've seen Apple's default warning message, you may still be confused about "full access" and what it means for you and your device.

What's so bad about Full Access?

When you grant a keyboard full access in iOS or iPadOS, you're giving them the ability to access, record and transmit anything you type using their keyboard app. That includes text that you've written before you enabled full access.

That may sound rather innocuous until you realize just how many sensitive things you type on a daily basis. Credit card numbers, addresses, social security numbers, etc. To be clear, the majority of keyboard apps aren't setting out to collect and use this data in a nefarious way.

But if their policy is to collect everything you type and store it on their servers, it's inevitable that something confidential or sensitive will be caught along with everything else.

And even if they aren't using that data in a nefarious way, there's still a chance that it would be leaked inadvertently. In 2016, SwiftKey users noticed other people's emails populating their apps. And in 2017, Ai.Type suffered a data breach that exposed nearly 31 million user records.

Why do keyboard apps ask for Full Access?

As for why most third-party keyboard apps ask for or require full access to function, it largely comes down to internet connectivity.

Without full access, third-party keyboard apps aren't allowed to use your iPhone's cellular or Wi-Fi connection. As such, they aren't able to send or receive any data from the company's servers.

Why a keyboard app needs access to the internet depends on its usage. Some keyboards will monitor your typing to give you predictive or personalized suggestions. More nefarious keyboards may spy on what you type.

That's not to say that granting an app full access means they're spying on you. But it's a possibility. If you're still a third-party keyboard aficionado, be sure to read up on the privacy policy of the company in question.

What about non-character keyboards?

There may be some exceptions to the rule above: third-party keyboards that don't have traditional characters. One popular app that comes to mind is Bitmoji.

Bitmoji allows users to create personalized emoji characters and use them as stickers in Messages and elsewhere in iOS. Bitmoji itself is actually a third-party keyboard app and it asks for full access.

The app requires full access so that it can connect to the internet and download your Bitmoji characters. The company also says that it can't read anything typed into the native iOS keyboard, or any other third-party keyboard. From what we can tell, that's true.

With that being said, it's likely that Bitmoji is still collecting some data from you. But no more than any other "free" app that you download to your phone.

Why to stick with the native iOS keyboard

Apple does have some safeguards to protect users from third-party keyboards. When it comes to typing passwords, for example, Apple forces the use of the native iOS keyboard.

But even beyond passwords, there are likely still plenty of data types that could be threatened by the use of third-party keyboard apps.

That's why we recommend avoiding them. If you have them on your device now, delete them and just stick with the native iOS keyboard. If you insist on having a third-party keyboard app, we'd recommend disabling Full Access at the very least.

Apple uses differential privacy. While Apple may collect data that you type using the iOS keyboard to improve predictive texting, the company also uses differential privacy to protect user data. Essentially, the technique adds "noise" to obscure a user's identity, allowing Apple to notice general trends among a large group of users without threatening any individual user's privacy.

You can switch off iPhone Analytics. If you still aren't comfortable with Apple collecting usage data to improve predictive suggestions, the company offers a way to disable that feature. Just go to Settings -> Privacy -> Analytics & Improvements and disable the toggle next to Share iPhone & Watch Analytics.

Apple regularly adds new features. One of the main reasons why some users opted for a third-party keyboard was swipe-to-text. That's now a feature in the iOS keyboard as of iOS 13. Apple's predictive text is also fairly top-notch. Expect the company to improve the keyboard and add new features as time goes on.

How to find third-party keyboards on your iPhone or iPad

If you need help finding the third-party keyboards on your iPhone, or you just want to figure out where they're located, here are a couple of quick tips.

To see the keyboards on your device, open the Settings app and navigate to General -> Keyboard -> Keyboards.

Here, you'll find some of the third-party keyboards available on your device. You'll also be able to disable or allow Full Access by tapping on a keyboard.

When it comes to actually using the third-party keyboards, they're accessible by tapping the Globe icon whenever the native iOS keyboard is displayed on the screen.

Note: If you tap Add New Keyboard, you'll find various other languages under "Other iPhone Keyboards. These are native iOS keyboards, so they'll protect your privacy and security just like whatever default language you went with.

We hope that you found this article helpful. Please let us know in the comments below if you have any questions.

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Here's why you should avoid third-party keyboards on your iPhone or iPad - AppleToolBox

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You probably don't think much about the keyboard on your smartphone. If you're using a third-party keyboard app, that may be a mistake. Just try to keep track of all the times half of your iPhone's screen is taken up by a keyboard.

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Businesses are trying to predict what will drive you away and what you're willing to pay for

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Businesses are trying to predict what will drive you away and what you're willing to pay for

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This article is written for businesses and refers to people who use "ad blockers" (because they don't want to be marketed to) as "ad blocker users."

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Ad blocker users represent mounting frustrations about invasive advertising. They desire more control over their experience browsing online, and will take steps to eliminate intrusive advertising, regardless of the impact on businesses.

Some web browsers like Mozilla have even shifted to paid, ad-free models, offering some relief for businesses that depend on advertising revenue.

Ad blocker users' frustration with advertising, however, also extends to how their data is collected to create targeted advertisements.

Businesses must be mindful of how they collect user data for their websites and advertising and adjust their strategy to adapt to users' concerns about online privacy.

Visual Objects surveyed 500 people who use ad blockers in the U.S. to learn how their feelings about online privacy affect businesses' bottom line.

This article helps companies understand consumer sentiment about data privacy and identify ways to build trust with an ad-fatigued audience.

Our Findings

Nearly two-thirds of ad blocker users (63%) say that targeted ads that incorporate personal data feel like an invasion of privacy, which contradicts the opinion of advertisers, who claim that data collection makes customers' ad experience feel more useful.

Almost half of people using ad blockers (45%) will avoid a company that targets them with ads. Older generations are more likely to avoid these companies because they are more concerned about data breaches and online security.

Almost half of Generation Xers surveyed (47%) are likely to pay for an ad-free internet experience. This generation is tech-savvy and unwilling to tolerate intrusive ads, according to experts.

Most baby boomers (72%) believe data collection for advertising purposes is an invasion of privacy. Older internet users are not digital natives and are more skeptical of online advertising.

Only 28% percent of ad blocker users plan to download privacy extensions in 2019 despite their strong feelings against data collection.

Most Ad Blocker Users Say Targeted Ads Invade Privacy

Online ads that are targeted based on user data, like browsing history and past purchases, are the subject of debate among internet users. Ad blocker users are uncomfortable with data collection, but many may not realize that ad blockers don't necessarily hide their personal data.

Some people believe that targeted advertisements make ad experiences more useful. Most people who use ad blockers (63%), however, feel that targeted ads are an invasion of privacy.

Only 20% of ad blocker users feel targeted ads make for a personalized and useful experience and 17% had no opinion.

Ad blocker users may think that blocking ads keeps their data safe. Ad blockers prevent users from seeing ads, but not every ad blocker extension stops data from being collected.

Ad blocker users who are concerned about online privacy should investigate if their data is actually being protected.

Ad blockers like AdBlock Plus include features that block companies from following online activity. Browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome also give users the option to disable tracking.

Google Chrome's privacy settings, shown below, allow users to send a "Do Not Track" request when they browse online, which signals to websites that they should not collect data on the specific user.

Source: Google Chrome

Opting not to be tracked gives users some control over their browsing experience, but according to MakeUseOf, an online publication that produces guides for software and apps around the web, Do Not Track features are not enforced by the independent Federal Trade Commission. Instead, they are enforced by a group of internet companies that have a vested interest in collecting data from users, so the features may not fully protect online privacy.

Russell Volk, a RE/MAX real estate agent in Bucks County, Penn., says his ad blocker lacks a feature for blocking cookies, which means the ad blocker doesn't prevent websites from tracking his activity across the web.

"I don't use my ad blocker to block cookies because I don't think that option exists in my ad blocker," Volk said. "I'm definitely concerned about the privacy issue and who my data is being shared with. I know I'm definitely taking a risk with using only an ad blocker, but I wish there was a better solution."

Despite using ad blockers, Volk remains concerned about who has access to his data.

Ad blockers can benefit anyone who wants to protect their privacy beyond their internet browsers' capabilities, but some ad blockers' privacy capabilities are limited.

Half of Ad-Blocker Users Will Avoid Websites that Target Them With Ads

Ad blocker users express discomfort with targeted ads, which can impact their purchasing decisions. Businesses should avoid creating ads that use highly specific personal information and offer users the option to edit or remove their data to build trust.

Almost half of people (45%) say they are likely to stop using a company's website that targets them with highly personalized ads.

More than one-third of ad blocker users (35%) say they are neither likely nor unlikely to stop using a company website after being targeted with ads, and 20% say they are unlikely to stop using a website that targets them.

Fewer ad blocker users will visit websites that target them with ads, which shows that highly-personalized ads are not providing a more useful experience for certain users.

Advertisers argue that targeted advertisements make for a more personalized and useful browsing experience. People who use ad blockers, however, disagree because of their desire for control and privacy in their browsing experience.

To avoid alienating ad blocker users, businesses must be mindful of how they collect user data on their websites and how they implement that data in their advertising.

Ads that reflect personal information about a user, such as age, marital status, or number of children, can be particularly invasive.

Tim Smith is director of communications and media planning at IPNY, an advertising and marketing agency in New York. He argues that data collection in advertising can cross a line if marketers aren't careful.

"I think if ads get too personal that's kind of taboo," Smith said. "For example, if some brand knows my age and sends me something that has my exact age in it, that's over the line unless I have a great relationship with that brand."

Companies could alienate users who are unfamiliar with their brand if they show an advertisement that reflects data collection, such as an ad for strollers to an expecting mother.

Businesses Should Give Users Access to Their Collected Data

Data collection results in personas, or a character representing a user type, that companies use to market to consumers. Businesses should give users access to these personas and allow them to remove information if desired.

Instagram collects users' ad interests based on the browsing activity, clicks, and engagements users have on the platform.

Source: Instagram

In the image above, Instagram lists the users' "Ads Interests." This particular user likely receives ads for clothing, travel, and fitness based on these interests Instagram has collected from likes, shares, and posts.

Instagram offers ways for users to download all of the information Instagram collects. According to CNBC, Instagram users can access their entire history on the platform in the Privacy and Security settings, shown below.

Source: CNBC

The image above shows a notification that Instagram has emailed the users' data download directly. Instagram gives users the option to delete their data, but only if they delete their account permanently.

Businesses that collect personal information can build trust with their users by allowing them to view their collected data and remove it if they desire.

Younger Generations Are More Likely to Pay for Ad-Free Browsing

Paying for ad-free browsing is one solution to off-putting, targeted advertising, but ad blocker users are divided on paying for an ad-free experience online. Millennials and Gen Xers are more likely to pay for an ad-free browsing experience than baby boomers.

Almost half of millennials (41%) and Generation Xers (47%) are likely to pay to browse without ads.

By contrast, only 29% of baby boomers say they are likely to pay for an ad-free browsing experience.

Younger users are digital natives who are more likely to be aware of ad-free browsing options. Experts say younger generations also have higher expectations for user experience when browsing online.

Kyle Deming, founder at Chicago web services firm Wojo Design, said that paid ad-free options might grow in popularity as people realize the cost of ad blockers on content creators. U.S. publishers reported losses of $15.8 billion in annual revenue in 2017 due to ad blockers, according to MediaPost.

This lost revenue has led some publishers and browsers to alter their advertising models and allow users to pay with their own funds instead of data.

Businesses will be able to redirect the money they might have lost from ad blocker users into premium subscriptions.

"It's helpful to have an alternative option that allows people to avoid ads when they've become a premium subscriber," Deming said. "You establish, in the client's mind, the value of having an ad-free experience. It helps them understand the natural consequence of using an ad blocker - creators will need to charge for the content."

Ad-free browsers provide an alternative option for people who use ad blockers for greater control over their browsing experience while still supporting their chosen businesses and publishers.

Web Browsers Are Pivoting Towards Paid, Ad-Free Experiences

Some web browsers place greater emphasis on online privacy than others.

Brave is an ad-free web browser created by Brendan Eich, former chief executive officer of Mozilla. Its technology blocks ads and cookie trackers for an optimized, private browsing experience.

The image below shows a sample of Brave's private browsing offerings.

Source: Brave

In the example above, Brave shows its privacy tool at work on Buzzfeed, breaking down the different cookie tracking tools the technology successfully blocks.

Duke Taber is the owner and managing editor of Easy Church Tech, a content website that helps churches set up their technology. He's used the Brave browser for two years.

Taber writes blog content on different topics and uses the Brave browser to avoid seeing retargeted ads on those topics. Brave blocks retargeting pixels, which track user behavior across the web after visiting a particular website.

"One benefit [of Brave] is that I don't have advertisements following me around because of retargeting pixels," Taber said. "That is why I use it when I am researching. Just because I am researching a topic, doesn't mean I am personally interested in that topic."

Taber wants to avoid ads based on his past research, so he invests in a Brave browser to block tracking online.

Alternative browsers like Brave exist for consumers willing to pay content creators to browse ad-free. Ad-free browsers can also satisfy consumers' desire for better privacy protections.

Baby Boomers Are More Concerned About Data Privacy and Advertising

Certain generations are more concerned about online privacy. Baby boomers who use ad blockers see online ads generated by data targeting as invasive, more so than younger generations.

Almost three-quarters of baby boomers (72%) say that data collection from ads feels like an invasion of privacy.

Almost two-thirds of Generation X ad blocker users (64%) and 58% of millennials find data collection for advertising invasive.

Many millennials grew up in the internet age, sharing personal information online. Therefore, they feel less of a need for privacy online.

"I think younger people tend to be less threatened by data collection because it's what they've known," Smith said. "They've grown up with data breaches and always being connected and online."

Baby boomers, on the other hand, are less inclined to exchange personal information with brands that they do not have a relationship with, according to Smith.

"Older generations have a lot more to lose if their privacy gets invaded and their data gets misused," Smith said.

To avoid alienating baby boomers, brands should build relationships with their audience by offering valuable content that doesn't require extreme levels of personalization.

Companies can add value for audiences by creating free, original content that doesn't require users to submit personal information to access.

SEO company Moz offers company blogs and video content without requiring users to exchange their email address or other personal information.

Source: Moz Blog

Readers can click on the "Read this post" button and navigate directly to Moz's content. The website may deploy a pop-up to prompt users to enter an email address and subscribe to more offerings, but that does not prevent users from accessing valuable content.

Rachel Cunningham is the content marketing director at Bop Design, a web design compan y in San Diego. She says that it is possible for businesses to collect data ethically from their users to better the overall website user experience.

"Be explicit about what data you are collecting, why, and what you plan to do with it," Cunningham said. "If you plan on using cookies to enhance the user's experience, tell them. If you are collecting their information to sign them up for an e-newsletter, make sure it's clear that you are doing so. It's always best to give the consumer the information they need to make an informed decision."

Cunningham said that as long as businesses communicate how users' data is being used and why, it can help businesses strike a balance between providing a personalized online experience and collecting data unethically.

By empowering users with information and transparency, companies can create authentic experiences based on user preference rather than invasive marketing tactics.

Only One-Quarter of Ad Blocker Users Plan to Download Privacy Extensions

Browser privacy extensions such as Privacy Badger and Ghostery are one way users can take ownership of their data, but many ad blocker users aren't taking advantage of them.

Despite strong feelings about targeted ads, only 28% of people who use ad blockers plan to download privacy extensions in the next year.

This could be because many users are unaware of the different privacy extension options.

Privacy Badger, a browser extension produced by digital privacy nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was designed to satisfy the need for a single extension that blocks trackers and ads that "violate user consent."

The image below shows the Privacy Badger extension at work on The White House's website. The extension uses colors to alert users to aspects of the website that track their behavior.

Source: Google Chrome Extension Store

Once Privacy Badger presents users with each tracker on a particular website, it gives users options for handling the trackers, including allowing or blocking them.

Volk plans to download privacy extensions in the near future to keep his browsing history safe from advertisers.

"I absolutely plan on downloading a privacy extension for my Chrome browser since I don't want to be secretly tracked around the internet," Volk said. "I'm currently looking into several extensions and prevention of cookie tracking is definitely the main functionality I'm focusing on."

In his privacy extension, Volk wants a toll that blocks cookie tracking and supplements his ad blocker's capabilities.

Privacy browser extensions fill in the functional gaps that some ad blockers have, but few ad blocker users plan to download these extensions in 2019.

Businesses Should Be Transparent About Data Collection to Combat Privacy Concerns

As ad blockers become more popular, businesses must understand how users interact with online advertising. A majority of people who use ad blockers say that targeted ads are an invasion of privacy.

Our survey shows that people who use ad blockers will act on this discomfort, with 45% of users saying they will avoid websites that target them with highly personalized ads.

Ad-free browsing is a potential solution to the privacy problem. Millennials and Generation Xers are more likely to pay for ad-free browsing than baby boomers, but baby boomers feel most threatened by targeted advertising.

Despite respondents' concerns about online privacy, only 28% plan to download browser extensions specifically focused on protecting privacy.

Businesses must adapt to using user data responsibly, or they risk alienating ad-fatigued consumers who are selective with their personal information.

About the Survey

Visual Objects surveyed 500 people from the U.S. who use ad blockers when browsing online.

Sixty-five percent (65%) are female, and 35% are male.

Survey respondents varied in age: 18% of respondents are 13-24; 30% are 25-34; 17% are 35-44; 15% are 45-54; 12% are 55-64; and 8% are 65 or older.

Respondents are from the Midwest (22%), Northeast (16%), South (36%), and West (23%).

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How Ad Blocker Users View Data Privacy | Visual Objects

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Ad blocker users represent mounting frustrations about invasive advertising. They desire more control over their experience browsing online, and will take steps to eliminate intrusive advertising, regardless of the impact on businesses. Some web browsers like Mozilla have even shifted to paid, ad-free models, offering some relief for businesses that depend on advertising revenue.

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Browser Cookies: The Definitive Guide For Developers & Users

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This in-depth guide provides everything you need to know about cookies both as a web user and as a web developer, includes lots of resources to learn more.

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Exhibit A

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Privacy Badger is a browser add-on that stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. If an advertiser seems to be tracking you across multiple websites without your permission, Privacy Badger automatically blocks that advertiser from loading any more content in your browser. To the advertiser, it's like you suddenly disappeared.

Privacy Badger was born out of our desire to be able to recommend a single extension that would automatically analyze and block any tracker or ad that violated the principle of user consent; which could function well without any settings, knowledge, or configuration by the user; which is produced by an organization that is unambiguously working for its users rather than for advertisers; and which uses algorithmic methods to decide what is and isn't tracking. Although we like Disconnect, Adblock Plus, Ghostery and similar products, none of them are exactly what we were looking for. In our testing, all of them required some custom configuration to block non-consensual trackers. Several of these extensions have business models that we weren't entirely comfortable with. And EFF hopes that by developing rigorous algorithmic and policy methods for detecting and preventing non-consensual tracking, we'll produce a codebase that could in fact be adopted by those other extensions, or by mainstream browsers, to give users maximal control over who does and doesn't get to know what they do online.

When you view a webpage, that page will often be made up of content from many different sources. (For example, a news webpage might load the actual article from the news company, ads from an ad company, and the comments section from a different company that's been contracted out to provide that service.) Privacy Badger keeps track of all of this. If as you browse the web, the same source seems to be tracking your browser across different websites, then Privacy Badger springs into action, telling your browser not to load any more content from that source. And when your browser stops loading content from a source, that source can no longer track you. Voila!

At a more technical level, Privacy Badger keeps note of the "third party" domains that embed images, scripts and advertising in the pages you visit. Privacy Badger looks for tracking techniques like uniquely identifying cookies, local storage "supercookies," first to third party cookie sharing via image pixels, and canvas fingerprinting. If it observes a single third-party host tracking you on three separate sites, Privacy Badger will automatically disallow content from that third-party tracker.

In some cases a third-party domain provides some important aspect of a page's functionality, such as embedded maps, images, or stylesheets. In those cases Privacy Badger will allow connections to the third party but will screen out its tracking cookies and referrers (these hosts have their sliders set to the middle, "cookie block" position).

When you visit a webpage parts of the page may come from domains and servers other than the one you asked to visit. This is an essential feature of hypertext. On the modern Web, embedded images and code often use cookies and other methods to track your browsing habits - often to display advertisements. The domains that do this are called "third party trackers", and you can read more about how they work here.

The colors mean the following:

Green means there's a third party domain, but it hasn't yet been observed tracking you across multiple sites, so it might be unobjectionable. When you first install Privacy Badger every domain will be in this green state but as you browse, domains will quickly be classified as trackers.

Yellow means that the third party domain appears to be trying to track you, but it is on Privacy Badger's cookie-blocking "yellowlist" of third party domains that, when analyzed, seemed to be necessary for Web functionality. In that case, Privacy Badger will load content from the domain but will try to screen out third party cookies and referrers from it.

Red means that content from this third party tracker has been completely disallowed.

Privacy Badger analyzes each third party's behavior over time, and picks what it thinks is the right setting for each domain, but you can adjust the sliders if you wish.

Actually, nothing in the Privacy Badger code is specifically written to block ads. Rather, it focuses on disallowing any visible or invisible "third party" scripts or images that appear to be tracking you even though you specifically denied consent by sending a Do Not Track header. It just so happens that most (but not all) of these third party trackers are advertisements. When you see an ad, the ad sees you, and can track you. Privacy Badger is here to stop that.

Because Privacy Badger is primarily a privacy tool, not an ad blocker. Our aim is not to block ads, but to prevent non-consensual invasions of people's privacy because we believe they are inherently objectionable. We also want to create incentives for advertising companies to do the right thing. Of course, if you really dislike ads, you can also install a traditional ad blocker.

At present, Privacy Badger primarily protects you against tracking by third party sites. As far as privacy protections for "first party" sites (sites that you visit directly), Privacy Badger removes outgoing link click tracking on Facebook and Google. We plan on adding more first party privacy protections in the future.

We are doing things in this order because the most scandalous, intrusive and objectionable form of online tracking is that conducted by companies you've often never heard of and have no relationship with. First and foremost, Privacy Badger is there to enforce Do Not Track against these domains by providing the technical means to restrict access to their tracking scripts and images. The right policy for whether nytimes.com, facebook.com or google.com can track you when you visit that site - and the technical task of preventing it - is more complicated because often (though not always) tracking is interwoven with the features the site offers, and sometimes (though not always) users may understand that the price of an excellent free tool like Google's search engine is measured in privacy, not money.

Unlike other blocking tools like AdBlock Plus, we have not made decisions about which sites to block, but rather about which behavior is objectionable. Domains will only be blocked or screened if the Privacy Badger code inside your browser actually observes the domain collecting unique identifiers after it was sent a Do Not Track message.

Privacy Badger does contain a " yellowlist" of some sites that are known to provide essential third party resources; those sites show up as yellow and have their cookies blocked rather than being blocked entirely. This is a compromise with practicality, and in the long term we hope to phase out the yellowlist as these third parties begin to explicitly commit to respecting Do Not Track. The criteria for including a domain on the yellowlist can be found here.

The initial list of domains that should be cookie blocked rather than blocked entirely was derived from a research project on classifying third party domains as trackers and non-trackers. We will make occasional adjustments to it as necessary. If you find domains that are under- or over-blocked, please file a bug on Github.

Browser fingerprinting is an extremely subtle and problematic method of tracking, which we documented with the Panopticlick project. Privacy Badger can detect canvas based fingerprinting, and will block third party domains that use it. Detection of other forms of fingerprinting and protections against first-party fingerprinting are ongoing projects. Of course, once a domain is blocked by Privacy Badger, it will no longer be able to fingerprint you.

No. Privacy Badger analyzes the cookies from each site; unique cookies that contain tracking IDs are disallowed, while "low entropy" cookies that perform other functions are allowed. For instance a cookie like LANG=fr that encodes the user's language preference, or a cookie that preserves a very small amount of information about ads the user has been shown, would be allowed provided that individual or small groups of users' reading habits could not be collected with them.

Yes. Privacy Badger keeps track of cookies that could be used to track you and where they came from, even if you frequently clear your browser's cookies.

When you tell your browser to deny third-party cookies, Privacy Badger still gets to learn from third parties trying to set cookies via HTTP headers (as well as from other tracking techniques such as pixel cookie sharing and canvas fingerprinting). Privacy Badger no longer gets to learn from cookies or HTML5 local storage being set via JavaScript, however. So, Privacy Badger still works, it'll just learn to block fewer trackers. Clearing history or already-set cookies shouldn't have any effect on Privacy Badger.

Safari/iOS: Safari seems to lack certain extension capabilities required by Privacy Badger to function properly.

Chrome on Android does not support extensions. To use Privacy Badger on Android, install Firefox for Android.

Privacy Badger does not work with Microsoft Edge Legacy. Please switch to the new Microsoft Edge browser.

You can use the following links to get the latest version of Privacy Badger from eff.org:

One way is to stop tracking third party users who have turned on the Do Not Track header (i.e., stop collecting cookies, supercookies or fingerprints from them). That will work for new Privacy Badger installs.

If copies of Privacy Badger have already blocked your domain, you can unblock yourself by promising to respect the Do Not Track header in a way that conforms with the user's privacy policy. You can do that by posting a specific compliant DNT policy to the URL https://example.com/.well-known/dnt-policy.txt, where "example.com" is all of your DNT-compliant domains. Note that the domain must support HTTPS, to protect against tampering by network attackers. The path contains ".well-known" per RFC 5785.

Privacy Badger currently checks for this specific verbatim policy document, though in the future Privacy Badger may allow content from sites that post different versions of a compliant DNT Policy, and that there may be ways for users to specify their own acceptable DNT policies if they wish to.

Please see our enterprise deployment and configuration document.

Glad you asked! Check out this downloadable press kit that we've put together.

Privacy Badger is GPLv3 code. You can find Privacy Badger on GitHub. There is a development mailing list. Privacy Badger is governed by EFF's Privacy Policy for Software.

Thanks for asking! Individual donations make up about half of EFF's support, which gives us the freedom to work on user-focused projects. If you want to support the development of Privacy Badger and other projects like it, helping build a more secure Internet ecosystem, you can throw us a few dollars here. Thank you.

If you want to help directly with the project, we appreciate that as well. Please see Privacy Badger's CONTRIBUTING document for ways to get started.

Social media widgets (such as the Facebook Like button) often track your reading habits. Even if you don't click them, the social media companies often see exactly which pages you're seeing the widget on. When blocking social buttons and other potentially useful (video, audio, comments) widgets, Privacy Badger can replace them with click-to-activate placeholders. You will not be tracked by these replacements unless you explicitly choose to click them.

Note that Privacy Badger will not replace social media widgets unless it has blocked the associated tracker. If you're seeing real social media widgets, it generally means that Privacy Badger hasn't detected tracking from that variant of the widget, or that the site you're looking at has implemented its own version of the widget.

Firefox: See the Disable or remove Add-ons Mozilla help page.

Chrome: See the Install and manage extensions Chrome Web Store help page.

Edge: See the Add or remove browser add-ons, extensions, and toolbars Microsoft help page.

Opera: Click the menu button in the top left of the window, and then click "Extensions" and then "Manage Extensions." Scroll until you see Privacy Badger, move your mouse over it, and then click the "X" icon in the upper right. Click "OK" to confirm removal. You can then safely close the Extensions tab.

Privacy Badger should be compatible with other extensions.

While there is likely to be overlap between the various advertising/tracker lists and Privacy Badger, Privacy Badger can automatically discover new trackers that list-based blockers don't know about.

Besides automatic learning, Privacy Badger comes with other advantages like cookie blocking, widget replacement, and Facebook/Google link cleaning.

Some extension-specific notes:

Adblock Plus does not block invisible trackers by default.

uBlock Origin is an excellent privacy tool. uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger should work well together. Similarly to adblockers, uBlock Origin protects using manually curated blocklists. Privacy Badger protects by automatically learning about trackers as you browse. This means Privacy Badger might catch things that uBlock Origin doesn't know about. (Privacy Badger will learn about far fewer trackers when used together with uBlock Origin, but that's OK.)

It's fine to use Firefox's native content blocking and Privacy Badger together.

While there is overlap between Firefox's tracker lists and Privacy Badger's protections, unlike list-based blockers, Privacy Badger automatically discovers trackers as you browse the Web. This means your Privacy Badger can learn to block tracking that list-based blockers don't know about.

See also the following FAQ entries:
Is Privacy Badger compatible with other extensions, including adblockers? Does Privacy Badger still work when blocking third-party cookies in the browser?
EFF uses Fastly to host EFF's Web resources: Fastly is EFF's CDN. Privacy Badger pings the CDN for the following resources to ensure that the information in them is fresh even if there hasn't been a new Privacy Badger release in a while:

https://www.eff.org/files/dnt-policies.json https://www.eff.org/files/cookieblocklist_new.txt

EFF does not set cookies or retain IP addresses for these queries.

When you install Privacy Badger, your browser warns that Privacy Badger can "access your data for all websites" (in Firefox, or "read and change all your data on the websites you visit" in Chrome). You are right to be alarmed. You should only install extensions made by organizations you trust.

Privacy Badger requires these permissions to do its job of automatically detecting and blocking trackers on all websites you visit. We are not ironically (or unironically) spying on you. For more information, see our Privacy Badger extension permissions explainer.

Note that the extension permissions warnings only cover what the extension has access to, not what the extension actually does with what it has access to (such as whether the extension secretly uploads your browsing data to its servers). Privacy Badger will never share data about your browsing unless you choose to share it (by filing a broken site report). For more information, see EFF's Privacy Policy for Software.

To get help or to report bugs, please email extension-devs@eff.org. If you have a GitHub account, you can use our GitHub issue tracker.

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Privacy Badger is a browser add-on that stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. If an advertiser seems to be tracking you across multiple websites without your permission, Privacy Badger automatically blocks that advertiser from loading any more content in your browser.

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Exhibit B

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Browse the web safer, faster & with less annoying ads GET STARTED Ghostery Browser Extension Ghostery Insights Detailed database about trackers and ad businesses Subscribe › Ghostery Glow Subscribe › Ghostery Dawn GET STARTED Subscribe to get access to Ghostery Privacy Suite See how it works

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Psst... let us tell you a secret: Incognito mode is just not enough to keep your browsing activity really, really private and secure.

But there's one thing that can make sure that no-one tracks what you do online: a VPN.

But First: What is Incognito Mode?

Google Chrome is currently the most popular browser in the world. It's easy to use, and it loads quickly.

Chrome also stores information about you, like your browser and search history. If you enable auto-fill, it will also keep track of your name, address, phone number, and passwords.

This can seem like a great convenience. However, if you're on a public computer or other people have access to your device, you might not want all this information available for them to see - e specially if you're searching for particularly private or sensitive content online.

That's why Google Chrome developed Incognito mode. When you use Incognito mode, Chrome won't save your activity once you finish a browsing session. This includes the websites you've visited and the information you may have entered, including passwords.

Incognito mode also prevents cookies being stored on your computer. This means websites can't use your browsing activity to send you targeted ads.

Is Incognito Mode Really Private?
Well, no.
Incognito mode offers some privacy, but it doesn't provide total anonymity. In fact, when you open an Incognito window, it explicitly states that your browsing activity might still be visible to websites you visit, your employer or school, and your internet service provider.

Additionally, it provides no protection against hackers or government surveillance.

A VPN is the Answer

A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that encrypts your data and creates a private and secure tunnel for your information to pass through. If a hacker gains access to encrypted data, they will not be able to decode it. So, even if they intercept your data, your details will still be hidden.

Most VPN providers have a network of servers all over the world. When you connect to a VPN, your data is routed through one of these servers.

Once connected, your device acquires the IP address of the VPN server you use. This way, the websites you visit can't see your real IP address. In essence, your details are protected from not only your ISP and hackers, but also from websites that want to see your IP details.

VPNs have many practical advantages, which you can read about here.

Not sure which VPN to use? Check out our recommendations.

All our top VPNs can be downloaded directly from their websites and are really easy to install. After installing your VPN, it will stay on your computer, ready to use whenever you need it.

Why You Should Use a VPN with Incognito Mode

Incognito mode prevents other users on your device seeing your browsing history and personal information.

A VPN stops hackers, trackers, and online spies from seeing your browsing activity and data.

When combined, they create the ultimate online security tool that makes sure nobody, anywhere, can access your private information.

How to Go Into Incognito Mode on Chrome with a VPN

1. Find and open the VPN app on your device. ( ExpressVPN is our top choice to use with Incognito mode because it is super-fast and uses high-end security features to protect your privacy.)

2. Choose the server you want to connect to, or click 'Smart Location' to connect to the best available server.

3. Success! You are connected to the VPN network.

4. Next, open Google Chrome.

5. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of your browser and select New Incognito Window.

You can also click Ctrl-Shift-N if using a PC, or Command-Shift-N if using a Mac, to open your Incognito window.

This will open a new window that you can use just as you would a regular Chrome window. The difference is it will not remember any details you enter into it, including URLs. This means that if someone accesses your computer, they will not be able to see your browsing activity.

If you want to make Incognito mode your default setting, right click the Chrome icon and select Properties. Go to the Shortcut window and find the Target field. At the end of the text add a space, a hyphen, and the word incognito. Then click OK.

That's it!

Now you know how to hide your browsing details from people who have access to your device while protecting yourself from hackers, trackers and internet surveillance.

Further Reading

Is your VPN safe? Here are the Best VPN Services Reviewed and Compared.

Want to save some of your hard-earned cash? Our budget-savvy experts have compiled a list of the best VPN deals currently available.

Looking for the best VPN extensions for Chrome? These top VPNs can help!

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How to Make Chrome Incognito REALLY Private in 2020

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Psst... let us tell you a secret: Incognito mode is just not enough to keep your browsing activity really, really private and secure. But there's one thing that can make sure that no-one tracks what you do online: a VPN. Google Chrome is currently the most popular browser in the world.

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Free versions may be of little value

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A VPN is like a private tunnel that safeguards your online activities and keeps your sensitive data secure. Using a VPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your information from others who may try to snoop on you or track your online behavior.

In this article, you'll learn more about what a VPN is, how to use it to protect your online activities, and how to bypass geo-restrictions enforced by online services when using a virtual private network.

A trusted VPN service like NordVPN has thousands of IP addresses available that let you conceal your real IP. Combined with military-grade 256-bit encryption, NordVPN will keep you anonymous and secure online, plus let you unblock Netflix libraries all over the world.

What is a VPN?

We'll now give you a briefVPN explanation. A virtual private network (VPN) is a security tool used for browsing the internet anonymously. It accomplishes this by doing the following:

Encrypting your data, which would otherwise be visible to third parties like the websites you visit, your internet service provider, and cybercriminals

Hiding your IP address, which is connected to your real-life location and which can be used to identify you or show you targeted ads

A VPN works on most devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. All you need to do is download the app from the VPN's official website, the Google Play Store, or the Apple App Store.

How a VPN Works

A VPN connection reroutes your traffic through a remote server. This will change your public IP to the remote server's IP address, thus hiding your real IP address and giving you more anonymity.

Hiding your IP address offers several benefits. Your IP address is linked to your online identity and tells snooping parties where in the world you're located. Hiding your real IP prevents anyone from finding out your real location.

Moreover, connecting to a server in another country lets you access videos, websites, and streaming libraries from that country. For example, if you connect to a UK server, you'll be able to watch UK-exclusive Netflix movies.

A VPN uses an encryption protocol to make your data illegible while it's in transit from your device to the VPN server. This means your data can't be read by people who intercept it during this part of its journey. This is why a VPN is crucial when using public WiFi, which is normally unsafe.

Do All VPNs Ensure Anonymity Online?

Internet service providers (ISPs), online advertisers, governments, and other entities can collect plenty of data on you. For instance, your ISP can see basically everything you do online, including:

Unfortunately, like other kinds of software, some VPNs provide a better service than others. Free VPNs and low-tier VPNs usually can't conceal your data properly or will collect and store your information.

For instance, the low-tier Hola VPN doesn't actually encrypt your traffic, instead logging tons of user data and even selling user bandwidth. In short, your privacy will be compromised rather than improved with this VPN.

A trusted VPN makes it virtually impossible for ISPs, advertisers, and other third parties to get a hold of your data. We recommend getting our top-rated VPN, NordVPN, because it consistently scores highest on our extensive speed, security, and privacy testing.

Why Use a VPN?

There are major advantages to using a VPN. A good VPN can be used not just for protecting your identity but also for improving your connection speed, overcoming government censorship, and more.

Below, we've listed a few of the main benefits of using a VPN.

Have complete anonymity online

When you use a virtual private network, your internet traffic can only be traced back to the IP of the VPN server, not to you and your real IP address. This will greatly improve your privacy, as your real location and online identity will remain hidden.

Reliable VPN providers have strict no-log policies, meaning they don't keep logs on what you do online, further increasing your privacy. If you're looking for the best anonymity a VPN can offer, we recommend our number 1 VPN: NordVPN.

Browse securely on public networks

Using a public Wi-Fi network, like at an airport, hotel, or cafe, can be risky. Other users on the same network, such as hackers and other cybercriminals, can easily tap into your data and personal information.

Since you don't want others to have access to your email login, files, or credit card information, it's wise to use a VPN connection when on these hotspots.

A virtual private network like NordVPN, our highest-ranked provider, encrypts all of your data while you use a public Wi-Fi network. A hacker won't be able to see or use your personal information.

Get secure access to your company's network

We've seen more and more companies accept remote work. In such instances, a remote-access virtual private network can be very beneficial, as it safely and efficiently lets employees connect to a company's internal network from anywhere.

There are many VPNs for business use. While they might not serve to unblock streaming services abroad, they are certainly useful in protecting private and sensitive company data.

Overcome online censorship

Governments heavily censor the internet in many countries. For example, there is strict online censorship in China and Russia.

Countries that impose heavy censorship block access to certain internet services and websites. Examples of apps and websites that are often banned are WhatsApp, Google, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Skype, Spotify, Facebook, and news websites that the government considers a threat to their regime.

NordVPN, a top VPN provider, can help you bypass censorship and restrictions by allowing you to connect to a server in a different country. This way, you can gain access to websites, services, and apps that are not available in your own country.

Bypass geographical restrictions

It's not just countries that impose restrictions on the internet. Some online services also restrict access to their content in certain regions. This happens with streaming services like Netflix or Peacock TV, which have broadcasting or licensing rights in certain countries and not others.

If you are on holiday or have moved to a different country, you might be unable to view your usual streams. A VPN will enable you to connect to the internet via its servers in your home country, so you can watch your favorite show from abroad and access blocked websites like you never left.

It also works the other way around: if you want to gain access to websites or streaming services from a different country (for example, to watch a different version of Netflix), you can do so with a virtual private network.

Download torrents anonymously

You can upload and download files anonymously using a VPN. A VPN encrypts your online traffic. This is useful in cases where your ISP is preventing you from downloading torrents, even when it's legal in your jurisdiction.

You can use a virtual private network, such as NordVPN, to make sure nobody knows what you' re downloading. Because of the encrypted traffic and the rerouted IP address, NordVPN will help you download the files you want to access anonymously.

Our Best VPN Picks of 2024

We've already tested dozens of virtual private networks to find the best VPN providers for you. Below, we'll give a summary of our top five picks.

1. NordVPN: Best overall VPN

Features:

NordVPN is our highest-ranked virtual private network. During our tests, we discovered that it offers great security and privacy without compromising on speed. It allows up to six simultaneous connections on a single subscription. This means you can also share the subscription with family and friends.

Its apps are incredibly user-friendly; it only takes us one click to connect to a server. We were also very pleased to see that NordVPN offers advanced options like dedicated IP addresses that are only used by you, as well as obfuscated servers that hide the fact that you're using a VPN. These features made it easier for us to circumvent geo-restrictions.

NordVPN is currently offering a 67% discount. If you want to get a VPN that offers outstanding security and internet freedom at a reasonable price, NordVPN is your best bet!

If you're interested, you can read our full NordVPN review to learn more about its many benefits. NordVPN offers a free trial in the form of a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can try out the service and get a refund if you're not satisfied.

2. Surfshark: An affordable VPN provider for an unlimited number of devices

Features:

Surfshark is the second-best virtual private network we've tested. It's fast, secure, and offers 3200+ servers in 100 countries. This provided us with ample options for bypassing censorship and restrictions on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and more.

This VPN provider is available on all major devices and is easy to use. Moreover, Surfshark allows you to connect to unlimited devices under one subscription. We were able to use Surfshark on all our devices and share the subscription with others at no extra cost.

Furthermore, Surfshark has a browser extension that offers plenty of additional features. In our tests, Surfshark enabled us to browse the internet ad-free, and the extension automatically blocked malicious sites. Overall, it's a great choice for beginners and experienced users alike.

The best part is that it is incredibly affordable. If you want a top-tier VPN at a low price point, Surfshark is the option for you!

Check out our Surfshark review for a deep dive into this provider. You can also give Surfshark's free trial a try using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

3. ExpressVPN: A VPN service with dedicated firmware for routers

Features:

Although pricier than NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPNis one of the world's largest and most popular VPN services. It offers almost everything you could want in a VPN provider, such as thousands of stable servers in 105 countries, great speeds, and top-notch security.

You can stream and torrent anonymously with ExpressVPN and use it on various devices and operating systems, including Android, Windows, iPhone, Mac, and Linux. Another major plus is that the app is available in over 10 languages. Moreover, ExpressVPN stood out in our tests for its dedicated firmware for routers. It was easy to install it on our router and protect all our devices at once!

To test ExpressVPN's speeds, we installed it on a PS5 and played GTA 5 online without lag thanks to its incredible 5 to 11 ms ping. It's also one of our best VPNs for Minecraft.

To learn more about ExpressVPN, check out our in-depth ExpressVPN review. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test the service before committing to it.

4. CyberGhost: A great unblocking VPN thanks to dedicated streaming servers

CyberGhost is another outstanding VPN that resides comfortably in our top 5. This VPN is a streamer's dream, thanks to its great streaming speeds, dedicated IP addresses for bypassing streaming services' VPN blocks, and special streaming servers.

CyberGhost's streaming servers are actually optimized for specific streaming pages, such as Netflix US, Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, and many others. Using these servers, you'll access your favorite streams hassle-free! Overall, CyberGhost offers more than 9440 servers in 100 countries.

You can use CyberGhost on virtually any device. The VPN is compatible with Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux, SmartTVs, Xbox, PlayStation, and other devices.

On top of all of this, CyberGhost is one of the cheapest VPNs around.

For more information on this great streaming VPN, check out our complete CyberGhost review. The provider also offers the most generous money-back guarantee of all the VPNs we've tested: 45 days!

5. PIA: The best VPN for those on a low budget

Don't let PIA's incredibly low price of $ 2.03 per month fool you. This provider is among the very best VPNs right now. We're talking about a VPN that supports unlimited users on a single subscription, has decent speeds, offers military-grade encryption, and has servers in 91 countries.

PIA is a suitable option for any user, thanks to its user-friendly interface, strong encryption protocols with 256-bit encryption, and the fact that it supports virtually any device. You can use PIA on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and more.

PIA also offers dedicated IP addresses, which can help you get around VPN blocks by streaming services and other IP-based restrictions. This way, PIA doesn't just protect your privacy but also your internet freedom!

Be sure to check out our in-depth PIA review for more information on this great VPN! PIA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and isthe cheapest option in this high-calibre VPN segment.

What We Look for in a Reliable VPN Provider

When trying to find the best VPN for you, there are several factors you must consider like the security features it offers, whether it is fast, and if it keeps any logs. Here is what we pay attention to when considering the quality of a virtual private network:

Server network: A global network of servers allows you to browse without restrictions.

Privacy and security: VPN security features are important. A VPN should use secure AES 256-bit encryption to protect your data. Moreover, it should include features like a kill switch to prevent you from accessing the internet if the VPN malfunctions.

Speeds: A good VPN should offer your top speeds even when you are trying to access distant servers to stream content from another country, for example.

No-logs policy: Good virtual private networks are independently verified to ensure they don't store your data.

Jurisdiction: The virtual private network should be based in countries with strong privacy laws and away from the 5/9/14 Eye countries.

A Brief History of VPNs

The VPN was originally born purely asa security solution; the idea was that internet users should be able to communicate securely and safely work from home or from anywhere else.

Most consider Microsoft's Gurdeep Singh-Pall's development of the PPTP protocol as the birth of VPN technology. However, since PPTP is now considered obsolete as a security solution, many other VPN protocols have been developed over the years.

OpenVPN is perhaps the most notable development. Experts believe the latter offers the best balance between security and performance. This protocol is used by many popular VPNs, including NordVPN and all the other VPNs on our top 5 list.

Companies began offering commercial VPNs in the 2000s. And in doing so, they brought VPN technology to consumers, empowering individuals and their online privacy.

How to Set Up a VPN on Different Devices

Setting up a virtual private network is usually quite straightforward. Below, we discuss how to install a virtual private network on the most common operating systems and devices.

How to use a VPN on Windows

Installing a VPN and privatizing your online activities on Windows is super easy. The majority of VPNs have an app for Windows since it's the most popular operating system on the planet.

We recommend NordVPN for its ease of use, fast speeds that cater to all Windows users' needs, and cutting-edge security features.

Here's how to install NordVPN on Windows:

1. Navigate to NordVPN's website and get a subscription.

2. Surf the internet securely and anonymously!

If you're interested in installing a virtual private network manually, our comprehensive guide on how to set up a VPN connection on Windows 10 will give you step-by-step instructions on how to do it.

How to use a VPN on a Mac

Mac computers are generally secure. However, Apple and other tech companies collect your data for marketing and other purposes. We recommend NordVPN for a Mac to keep your data private.

Here's how to download and install NordVPN on a Mac:

1. Go to NordVPN's website and get a subscription.

2. Run NordVPN after the installation is finished and tap "Quick Connect." Or you can search for a server of your choice, as shown below.

3. Browse the internet with peace of mind!

How to use a VPN on iPhone and iPad

You can find apps for the top-rated VPNs in the Apple App Store. We recommend NordVPN for its seamless compatibility with iOS, blazing-fast speeds, and security for your iOS device.

Here's how to install NordVPN on iPhone:

1. Navigate to NordVPN's website and get a subscription.

2. Open NordVPN and sign in with the credentials from step 1, then tap on any country or location on the map to connect to a server.

3. Use your iPhone to surf the web fully protected!

You can also manually install a VPN on iOS using our detailed guide on installing a VPN on iPhone or iPad.

How to use a VPN on Android

Android is the most popular mobile phone operating system in the world. For this reason, Android devices are a prime target for hackers, advertisers, and big technology companies like Facebook and Google.

To protect your data, we recommend using an Android VPN. We tested dozens of VPNs to come up with the best in terms of privacy and security, high speeds, compatibility with Android, affordability, and user-friendliness.

NordVPN checked all these boxes, which is why we recommend it to Android users. Here's how to install NordVPN on Android:

1. Visit NordVPN's website and get a subscription.

2. Continue your online activities, as you are now protected from prying eyes.

You can learn more about installing a VPN on Android by checking out our complete VPN set-up guide for Android.

VPN Limitations: Is a VPN Worth It?

A virtual private network has a lot to offer when it comes to privacy and security. However, there are limitations on what a virtual private network can do to protect you.

Below, we've listed five possible limitations to consider when opting for a VPN.

Big tech profiling

Let's say you're logged into your Google account. You could be connected to a virtual private network on the other side of the world, and Google will still be able to create a profile of you as an internet user.

After all, it'll simply correlate your search history with your account information, regardless of whether you change your IP address or not. The same is true for services like Facebook.

The above doesn't mean using a VPN is futile; however, you can use many profile-based services without actually logging into an account. For instance, Google Search will work just fine without logging in, and you can even watch unlimited videos on a service like TikTok without an account.

The above merely means you should take extra precautions on top of VPN use. In this case, that means not logging into any service that gathers tons of user data.

GPS tracking

There are more ways to determine your identity that a VPN doesn't protect you from. When using Google Maps, for instance, you're often required to turn on your GPS.

This means Google Maps can see exactly where you are. There are also more advanced ways that are used to identify internet users, such as browser fingerprinting. This method uses your browser's and device's settings to distinguish you from other internet users.

Fortunately, some VPNs have expanded their portfolio of tools to deal with non-IP-based privacy violations. For instance, Surfshark offers a GPS override function to not only change your IP but also your GPS location.

Slower internet speed

Your internet speed may decrease if you use a virtual private network. Your data has to be sent through the VPN server, which means it can take slightly longer to end up where it needs to be.

However, there are several effective ways to increase internet speeds while connected to a VPN, like choosing a server closer to you or closing background apps you don't need.

What's more, premium VPNs like NordVPN only have minimal speed decreases. During our speed tests, we were able to retain as much as 96% of our original download speed.

VPN blockades

Some countries regulate or outright ban virtual private networks. For example, Iran was planning to restrict the sale of VPNs at the beginning of 2024. There are also websites, apps, and services that will deny you access if they detect that you are using a virtual private network.

Fortunately, a VPN with obfuscation technology will often do the trick in this case and allow you to access the site you want. That's because obfuscated servers remove the metadata that identifies your traffic as a VPN connection.

Our number one VPN, NordVPN, offers outstanding obfuscated servers to help you stay one step ahead of oppressive governments!

Poor service providers

You should be especially cautious about free VPNs. These are notorious for compromising your security and selling your data to third parties, which can be even worse than not using a virtual private network at all.

You should always do your own research and never just pick a virtual private network at random. Our list of the top five best VPNs of the year is an excellent start.

Collection of your data

Some VPNs, like Hola VPN and Tuxler VPN, log your data and sell it to third parties. These low-quality VPNs will put your privacy at risk instead of protecting it.

To ensure your cybersecurity, only use a VPN that's been tested and that has a good reputation for upholding user privacy. We have a list of the best VPNs with airtight no-logs policies for your reference.

Do VPNs Keep You Safe Online?

Modern VPNs play a crucial role in keeping you and your data safe online. As far as security goes, a VPN's most important feature is itsencryption, which makes your data illegible to third parties that want to steal or abuse it.

Of course, you might ask, "But don't most websites already offer encryption thanks to the HTTPS protocol?" You're right, most do, but not all of them. Therefore, the real question is: Do you want to have to rely on what websites do, or do you want to take your security into your own hands?

Perhaps even more importantly, a website's HTTPS protocol won't keep you safe from man-in-the-middle attacks on public Wi-Fi networks. That's because the first part of your traffic's journey, up until it reaches the web server that will submit your web request to the final website, is still unencrypted.

Because of the above, a hacker on the same network as you can intercept your traffic and steal your data. As such, a good VPN with military-grade encryption, such as NordVPN, is indispensable to staying safe online.

Types of VPNs

Below, we'll discuss some of the most common types of VPNs.

Personal or commercial VPN

These VPNs are the most common commercially available VPN type. They are geared towards individual users or families who want to protect their data, improve their privacy, and access blocked pages or streams.

These VPNs allow you to connect to one of many remote servers. These are generally spread out over many different countries. For instance, NordVPN boasts 6139 servers in 67 countries. The user's public IP will change to the VPN server's IP, thus hiding their real IP and increasing their privacy.

Because of the IP change, users will also be able to access streams and pages that are only accessible in a certain country. For instance, you'll be able to access the US Netflix even when you're abroad or to unblock free NFL playoff streams.

The best remote personal VPN right now is NordVPN.

Remote access VPN

These VPNs are similar to personal VPNs in the sense that you'll connect to a remote server. However, these VPNs are mainly used by businesses to connect remote employees to a private network.

The private network will generally contain digital resources that the employees need, such as files, applications, tools, or internal systems. By using a VPN, employees can get secure access to these resources, and employers don't need to worry about company documents or systems getting compromised.

One of our favorite remote access VPNs is NordLayer. This outstanding business VPN supports thousands of users, offers great extra security features like malware blocking and two-factor authentication, and features 24/7 customer support.

Feel free to check out our article on the best business VPNs if you're looking for other remote access VPN suggestions.

Site-to-site VPN

Site-to-site VPNs are used to form a so-called "intranet." This means they're generally employed by larger companies to connect the networks of different branches or locations, allowing for seamless communication.

All of these different connected networks also have their own local area network ( LAN). Traffic between all of the LANs is secured and encrypted. As a result, interception of sensitive data between the LANs becomes virtually impossible.

Some examples of site-to-site VPN applications include sharing documents between different departments, company-wide shift management, and giving all employees insight into when people in other departments, whom they might need for a project, will be on leave.

Final Thoughts: What is a VPN and Why Do You Need One?

A VPN is a cybersecurity tool that hides your real IP and protects your data, keeping you safe and anonymous online. It can also be used to unblock websites and streaming services.

For the most part, VPN usage is safe and legal as long as you avoid sketchy and untested VPNs. Be careful when choosing your VPN, as there arelow-quality VPNs that can actually harm your privacy instead of improving it.

If you want all-around protection for your online activities, we recommend NordVPN. It has excellent security features, offers outstanding speeds, is very user-friendly, and unblocks popular streaming platforms like Netflix US.

Want to learn more about VPNs and why you should use one? Check out our other articles below.

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What is a VPN and Why Do You Need One in 2024?

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Wondering what a VPN is, how it works, and what its advantages are? This article will tell you all you need to know about VPNs.

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So Useful !!!! Seriously: spend some quality time inside this resource and then celebrate the progress you've made toward your security & privacy goals !

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Your Snapchat stories give your friends short but sweet glimpses of what you've done over the past 24 hours. Unlike sending snaps to specific friends, stories are posted to your My Story section, which show up in the stories feed of other users depending on your settings.

For brands, celebrities and public figures with large followings, enabling everyone to be able to view their stories helps them stay connected with their followers. You, however, may just want to your friends (the people you added) to be able to see your stories. You also have the option to build a custom list of users to be able to view your stories.

Again, this can all be done from the settings tab. Tap the ghost icon > gear icon, scroll down to the Who Can... section and tap View My Story. From there, you can select Everyone, My Friends or Custom to build your custom list.

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10 Privacy Tips You Should Know If You Love Snapchat

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Your Snapchat stories give your friends short but sweet glimpses of what you've done over the past 24 hours. Unlike sending snaps to specific friends, stories are posted to your My Story section, which show up in the stories feed of other users depending on your settings.

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Even if you don't use Facebook that much, it can still be a security risk

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Even if you don't use Facebook that much, it can still be a security risk

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How to make your Facebook profile secure

Facebook mines your personal data. Huge amounts of it. This is easy to do as people are now spending an average of an hour on day on the site sharing personal photos, having private conversations and playing popular games such as Candy Crush Saga.

However, Facebook contains powerful tools to prevent your data being mined by third parties or from unauthorised people seeing your photos and private messages, however most people do not make use of the built-in privacy tools.
Read more: 000webhost
We will show you how to secure your Facebook account as well as some best practices to prevent any breach of your privacy.

2. Facebook privacy settings

Facebook has made a number of recent changes to make its privacy settings easy to access. To view them, click the padlock on the top-right and a drop-down list of the most popular privacy settings is displayed.

You can also click 'See More Settings' for more privacy tools.

Go to Settings > Privacy on the desktop version of Facebook or choose "Privacy Shortcuts" from your mobile Facebook app.

Under "Who can see my stuff" you can change the audience for future posts e.g Friends Only. You can also limit the visibility of past posts to make sure only your confirmed friends can see them.

Under "Who can look me up?" change the settings for your e-mail and address and phone number to "Friends" to make sure only people you know can find your Facebook account by searching your e-mail address or phone number.

Finally choose "No" for the search engines option.

15. Review App Settings

If you play games like Farmville or Candy Crush Saga on the desktop version of Facebook, choose Settings > Apps.

Click the edit button next to each app to see what information you provide. Uncheck the blue tick next to each piece of information to remove it e.g your e-mail address.

Try to avoid adding friends on Facebook just for the sake of playing games with them. Although it's technically a breach of Facebook Terms and Conditions, some users have a separate account just for playing games, so no personal information is shared with their real account.

19. Hide your Location

By default new posts on Facebook Mobile, your current location will be displayed. Disable this by clicking Privacy Shortcuts > More Settings > Location > Turn off Location Settings.

Mobile devices can usually also disable Location Services for the Facebook app from within the device settings, check with your manufacturer for more information.

If you don't want anyone to know where you are including Facebook, consider using Facebook's anonymous address. To use this you will need a tor-enabled browser.

Android users can use OrFox while desktop users can use the Tor Browser Bundle.

20. You're now completely secure

Now you've followed these steps, you can breathe a sigh of relief - your Facebook account is as secure as possible.

Make sure you pay attention to any notices telling you someone has logged in to your account - if you don't recognise the device, change your password!

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Advanced Facebook privacy and security tips

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Facebook mines your personal data. Huge amounts of it. This is easy to do as people are now spending an average of an hour on day on the site sharing personal photos, having private conversations and playing popular games such as Candy Crush Saga.

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As we surf from website to website, we are being tracked - that's not news. What is news, revealed in a recent paper by researchers at Princeton University, is that the tracking is no longer just about the "cookies" that record our tastes. The researchers surveyed a million websites and found that state-of-the-art tracking is a lot more sophisticated, allowing websites to track the fingerprints left by our devices.

Princeton's Arvind Narayanan and Steven Englehardt studied how all the things we do not see as users are valuable to someone on our digital trail, as our presence may be authenticated and tracked through such minutia as personalized browser settings or even our laptops' battery levels.

Fingerprinting "allows a tracker to put an identifier on your entire history of online activity," Narayanan, assistant professor of computer science, tells NPR's Robert Siegel. "They've been collecting those histories, that's not new - that's a given. But what the technological sophistication is for, is for linking all of your online breadcrumbs together, even if you're not necessarily putting your real name or email address into all your online interactions."

Interview Highlights

On how fingerprinting techniques work

It turns out that websites as well as the hidden so-called third parties that track us online can ask your browser for the entire list of fonts or extensions that you've ever installed. And that list could be different from almost anybody else on planet Earth. And so that might present a nearly unique or completely unique fingerprint of your device that can help a website or a third-party tracker recognize you when you come back. ...

These fingerprinting techniques are not directly getting at what sort of person you are; they're merely trying to develop some sort of recognizable pseudo identity of you. ... If you have this pseudo identity based on the fingerprint of your device, then what the website is going to be able to do is piece together all of the online breadcrumbs that you've left in different places and compile that into a profile, into a dossier of you. And using that, they can apply algorithms and infer your interests and preferences and so on.

On how fingerprinting can follow you across devices

This is best seen if you think about you as a traveler with two different devices, let's say your laptop and your mobile phone. What some website or tracker is going to observe is that there are two different devices over and over again connecting from the same networks, from the same set of IP addresses. ... Over time, that allows this online tracker to put together a profile of the behavior of those two devices and infer statistically, with a very high degree of confidence, that this pattern of coincidences could not have happened by chance - it must be because these two devices belong to the same individuals. ...

For the most part, these are very new and interesting technologies, but also creepy from a privacy perspective and more-or-less unregulated.

On the uses of online tracking

The most obvious consequences are certainly going to be online ads that you see and targeted offers that you get. Occasionally, we know that websites have been experimenting with price discrimination based on your online activities and trying to infer if you're a more affluent or less affluent type of consumer online. That's not so widespread yet, but there are a few studies that have revealed that it does happen from time to time. ...

Increasingly, people are discovering new uses for all of this online tracking information. For example, there are concerns that political campaigns might be using this data to specifically, individually target political messages to us. To the point where someone else might be getting a slightly different message that is tuned to their tastes or political proclivities or whatever. This has implications for democracy, and we need to have the societal conversation about this.

On ways to combat tracking technologies

There are many extensions that you can install in your browser that are going to block all of these online tracking technologies. One of them is Ghostery that we studied in our paper. There are a variety of others. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released one called Privacy Badger. And these are tools - some of which I use myself and my colleagues employ - that are going to cut down on tracking. Although they come with some trade-offs. Occasionally one of the websites you're visiting might break, might not work exactly as you wanted it to. ...

These measures are a sort of Band-Aids. We do need systemic solutions, but that conversation is not happening yet.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

As we surf from website to website, we are being tracked. That's not news. What is news - and we learn it from researchers at Princeton University - is that the tracking is no longer just about cookies that aim to record our tastes. The researchers surveyed a million websites and found that state-of-the-art tracking is a lot more sophisticated than cookies.

They write about websites tracking the fingerprints that our devices leave. Joining us now is Princeton's Arvind Narayanan. Welcome to the program.

ARVIND NARAYANAN: It's great to be here.

SIEGEL: And what are my fingerprints or the fingerprints that my devices leave?

NARAYANAN: These things can be hard to visualize. But let's say you have a new computer that as far as you know is identical to the computer of the person sitting next to you. But over time you browse different websites, and you might install different fonts and extensions on your web browser.

It turns out that websites as well as the hidden so-called third parties that track us online can ask your browser for the entire list of fonts or extensions that you've ever installed. And that list could be different from almost anybody else on planet Earth. And so that might presents a fingerprint off your device that can help a website or a third-party tracker recognize you when you come back.

SIEGEL: To what end? They can - I understand if I'm hacking into someplace where I'm unwelcome, it would be useful for them to recognize me. But what else would they do with all of that information, the fonts that I've added and the like?

NARAYANAN: Primarily this is being driven by online advertising technology. Being able to recognize you as you browse from site to site allows these online ad tech companies to build up a profile of your interests and things that you've done in the past and so on.

So if you've ever encountered, for example, adding a pair of shoes to your shopping cart and then you find that an ad for those shoes follows you around the web, all of that is driven by these types of fingerprinting and other online tracking technologies.

SIEGEL: If fingerprinting is that effective, that should mean that when I am working on my personal laptop computer at home and when I'm working on the laptop that I work on here at the office, something about what I'm doing would make it evident to some third party that I'm the same person.

NARAYANAN: That can indeed happen sometimes. So this is best seen if you think about you as a traveler with two different devices, let's say your laptop and your mobile phone. And so what some website or tracker is going to observe is that there are two different devices over and over again connecting from the same networks.

And so over time that allows this online tracker to put together a profile of the behavior of those two devices and infer statistically with a very high degree of confidence that this pattern of coincidences could not have happened by chance. It must be because these two devices belong to the same individuals.

SIEGEL: Is there something that I can do when I go online that would make me harder to track any countermeasures that I as a consumer or a reader can take?

NARAYANAN: Certainly there are many extensions that you can install in your browser that are going to block all of these online tracking technologies. One of them is Ghostery that we studied in our paper. There are a variety of others. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released one called Privacy Badger.

And these are tools, some of which I use myself and my colleagues imply that are going to cut down on tracking. Although they come when some tradeoffs. Occasionally one of the websites that you're visiting might break, might not work exactly as you wanted it to.

SIEGEL: Arvind Narayanan, thank you very much for talking with us today. This was great. Thank you very much.

NARAYANAN: Arvind Narayanan is an assistant professor at Princeton's department of computer science. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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Online Trackers Follow Our Digital Shadow By 'Fingerprinting' Browsers, Devices

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As we surf from website to website, we are being tracked - that's not news. What is news, revealed in a recent paper by researchers at Princeton University, is that the tracking is no longer just about the "cookies" that record our tastes.

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We Are Social: Annual Report on Digital Trends & Social Media

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We Are Social: Annual Report on Digital Trends & Social Media

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Digital 2020: The United States is released today, our annual report on social media and digital trends in America.

The US now has 230 million active social media users and 288.1 million internet users, both up year-on-year.

Key findings include that Snapchat has outperformed all other major social media platforms for growth in its advertising audience in the last quarter. The platform saw 3.8% growth compared to Instagram's 3.4%, Twitter's 0.6%, and Facebook and LinkedIn's 0%.

We can also see that TikTok is now one of the US's most downloaded apps. The short-form video platform, which appeared in sixth place in last year's list, is second only to Facebook Messenger in the US's most downloaded apps of 2019, although it still trails like of Tumblr, Twitch and Reddit for usage.
For more on trends on social media, the internet, gaming, smart homes and ecommerce, read the full report here.

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Digital 2020: The United States - what you need to know - We Are Social USA

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Digital 2020: The United States is released today, our annual report on social media and digital trends in America. The US now has 230 million active social media users and 288.1 million internet users, both up year-on-year. Key findings include that Snapchat has outperformed all other major social media platforms for growth in its advertising audience in the last quarter.

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Statista: Variety of Statistics on Media & Advertising 

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Statista: Variety of Statistics on Media & Advertising 

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Statistics and market data on Media & Advertising

Statista offers a comprehensive range of statistics on the media and marketing market. To enable effortless navigation, the sector has been divided into six subsectors.

Marketing and advertising. This subsector offers a broad range of data detailing marketing and advertising activities employed by companies of various sizes, as well as non-governmental organizations. It contains general marketing data and figures for specific marketing channels, such as content, mobile or trade fair marketing. This sector also presents insights into the consumer perception of marketing efforts. Additionally, a strong focus is placed on advertising spending figures, across all (offline and online) media as well as across all industries.

Books and publishing. Here our users can find a thorough overview of the publishing market: data on the largest publishing companies, industry revenues and employment information. The sector is divided into its three most important topics: books, newspapers and magazines, with subindustry specific figures for each branch provided. Among the topics covered are: readership and circulation figures, bestsellers lists, the position of digital publications, such as e-books and online magazines and newspapers, and the development of the bookstore retail sector.

Media usage. From reading or watching to listening and gaming, this particular part of the Statista database contains figures describing the usage of everything from traditional to online media. Beginning with the most significant market indicators, such as penetration rates and time spent consuming media, this subcategory additionally provides statistics and facts about social media usage. Also covered are special topics, such as media exposure in everyday situations like shopping or commuting.

Music. This sector of Statista's aggregated media industry data consists of key music industry figures (revenue, employment, number of companies active in the sector, largest players) alongside music consumption data. Users can access information on genre preferences among various audiences and demographics, concert-going data, as well as annually updated bestseller lists. Special attention is paid to developments in the digital music market, especially digital music sales and methods of music consumption, including the usage of online music services like online radio and streaming. Additionally, the platform offers selected data regarding music celebrities, such as artists' earnings and popularity scores.

Radio, TV & film. This category contains data on the audio-visual and broadcast industries, including production, broadcast and consumption figures for the radio, TV, and film subcategories. Beside key industry figures, comprehensive data on key industry players - among them revenues and market shares - are provided. Reach and penetration data for various television and radio technologies, as well as 3D cinema, are also collected. Data describing the consumer side of the industry, such as genre preference, movie-going behavior, and TV or radio device usage, can also be found here.

Video games & gaming. Statista tracks the latest shifts in this quickly developing segment of the media industry, with special emphasis paid to games industry market data. Statistics and facts about gaming across all devices - from consoles and PCs, to mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and handhelds - have been collected here. Games software sales figures illustrate the development of the digital gaming market. Attention has been paid to games market monoliths, such as Nintendo and Microsoft, as well as to user profiles and consumption patterns among various demographics, including children.

While our main focus is U.S. market data, Statista also offers global figures and a range of figures on various markets around the world (such as China, the United Kingdom or Latin America).

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Statista offers a comprehensive range of statistics on the media and marketing market. To enable effortless navigation, the sector has been divided into six subsectors. Marketing and advertising. This subsector offers a broad range of data detailing marketing and advertising activities employed by companies of various sizes, as well as non-governmental organizations.

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