Do not track me
- 1. Do not track me Vikrant Kamble Jamnalal Institute of Management Studies MIM 17-I-109 (2017-2020)
- 2. Definition of Internet Privacy Internet Privacy is the ability of individuals to control the flow of information and have reasonable access to data generated during a browsing session. Internet privacy is the privacy and security level of personal data published via the Internet.
- 3. Social Media Social media are Internet-based applications. User-generated content (UGC) is the lifeblood of the social media organism. Users create service-specific profiles for the site or app that are designed and maintained by the social media organization. Social media facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting a user's profile with those of other individuals or groups.
- 4. Common social media sites The term social media is usually used to describe social networking sites such as: 1. Facebook 2. Twitter 3. LinkedIn 4. Instagram 5. Snapchat 6. Pinterest
- 5. IP Addresses Your privacy extends to your IP address. Every time you visit a website your IP address is logged. Your IP address tells the website (and the people that run it) approximately where you are. They know your city or state based on your IP address. To protect your IP address you can use a proxy browser like TOR Browser.
- 6. Cookies A web cookie is just a text file placed on your computer, usually by a website. Sometimes cookies are 'session' based meaning they only work while you are on a site. Other cookies are 'persistent' meaning they continue to exist long after you have left a site. Normally, it tracks your visits so the website knows you are a returning visitor, or what ads to show you.
- 7. Benefit from data This accessible data along with data mining technology, users' information can be used in different ways to improve customer service. According to what you retweet, what you like and the hashtag, Twitter can recommend some topics and advertisements. Twitter's suggestions for who to follow is done by this recommendation system. Commerce, such as Amazon, make use of users' information to recommend items for users. Recommendations are based on at least prior purchases, shopping cart, and wishlist. Affinity analysis is a data mining technique that used to understand the purchase behavior of customers.
- 8. More than 1,000 companies are waiting in line to get access to millions of tweets from users that are using the popular social networking website. Companies believe that by using data mining technologies they would be able to gather important information that can be used for marketing and advertising.
- 9. Facebook Advertisement A leaked document from Facebook has revealed that the company was able to identify "insecure, worthless, stressed or defeated" emotions, especially in teenagers, and then proceeded to inform advertisers. While similar issues have arisen in the past, this continues to make individuals’ emotional states seem more like a commodity. They are able to target certain age groups depending on the time that their advertisements appear. Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/05/01/facebook-can-tell-when-teens-feel- insecure-advertiser-target/101158752/
- 10. The illusion of anonymity Many people, believe that while using the web, little can be done to invade their privacy. This is called illusion of anonymity.
- 11. How to browse web w/o being tracked Browse web using Incognito mode Third-party cookies – small text files that track your movement between various sites – are blocked, and first-party cookies (which track your movement within a site in order to keep track of, say, your shopping basket or preferences) are deleted at the end of the session, so that the next time someone visits that site, it won't be clear that you'd been there too.
- 12. Kill all cookies Download the free CCleaner to clear both Flash and regular cookies, but be warned – some sites use third- party cookies to track you within the site, so you may find yourself having to sign in repeatedly.
- 13. Stop your browser sending location data Chrome – Preferences > Settings > Advanced > Content settings, and choose to either disallow any site to track your physical location, or ask when a site wants to track. Safari – Preferences > Privacy, where you can disable location services, or let each website make a request. Firefox – Type “about:config” in the URL bar, then “geo.enabled”. Double-click to disable location entirely. Otherwise, Firefox always asks before sending your location to a website. Microsoft Edge – You don't set this using the Edge browser. You'll need to turn off location tracking using your computer's main Settings > Privacy and then scroll down to Choose apps that can use your precise location and toggle Microsoft Edge to Off.
- 14. Search anonymously To prevent your searches being tracked – and affecting the ads you're shown – switch to a private search engine such as DuckDuckGo.
- 15. Stop Google tracking you Download the Google Analytics Browser Add-on to stop Google Analytics using data on your movements to create profiles for its ad partners. Opt out of “shared endorsement” in ads and turn off ad personalization (you'll still be shown ads, but they won't be targeted).
- 16. Stop social sites figuring you out Head to Facebook's Settings / Adverts to control whether ads are targeted based on your clicks in and out of Facebook; for Twitter, Settings / Security and Privacy, then uncheck the box for “Tailor ads...”; for LinkedIn, Privacy & Settings / Account / Manage Advertising Preferences. In each of these cases, you won't receive ads based on your browsing, but you'll still be tracked for security reasons. (However, some sites, including Twitter, honor the Do Not Track setting found in your browser's privacy settings, which means they will not log your presence at their site.)
- 17. Block all trackers Download an anti-tracker plugin which blocks tracking cookies to prevent ad analytics companies from building a grand profile of just where you like to go on the internet. 1. Privacy Badger 2. Ublock Origin 3. Ghostery 4. Https everywhere
- 18. Apps on mobile devices Opera VPN blocks ad trackers and lets you change your virtual location. Unblock more content and access your favorite websites and apps from anywhere - completely free. Browse like no one’s watching. The new Firefox Focus automatically blocks a wide range of ads and online trackers Easily erase your history, passwords and cookies, so you won’t get followed by things like unwanted ads.
- 19. Conclusion There are more ways to go all anonymous, like using VPN and Tor Browser along with the add-ons mentioned today in this presentation. Browsing the web anonymously is good but it comes with some limitations, you will have slower internet speed as your traffic is relayed from another country, TOR does not allow resizing the browser window, download files etc. Browse securely with apps and add-ons mentioned. Don't share addresses, contacts with anyone online. Make use of privacy settings on social media so only people you choose and trust, relatives, friends can see your data.
- 20. Thank you.