Whether we like it or not, online tracking is part of using the internet. Most people only notice it when they start seeing targeted ads or eerily familiar product suggestions. What’s a lot less obvious is how much data gets collected in the background.
The good news is you don’t need advanced tools or deep tech knowledge to improve your privacy. In this guide, we’ll break down how tracking actually works and what you can do to browse with more control over your data. Small, consistent changes can reduce exposure and risk without breaking websites or noticeably slowing your browsing.
By The Numbers (Why This Matters)
- 81% of Americans say they’re very or somewhat concerned about how companies use the data they collect about them.
- 56% of Americans are uncomfortable with companies using online behavior to personalize ads.
- One analysis of popular sites found Amazon had 26 trackers, and in the same dataset, a top UK news site showed 125 unique trackers.
- DuckDuckGo says hidden trackers show up on 85% of popular websites.
How Websites Track You Online
Websites use a few common methods to track visitors.
Cookies store information like preferences and session details. Some cookies are helpful (like keeping you logged in), while others are used to track activity across different sites.
Your IP address helps identify your connection. It can reveal rough location and internet provider details, which sites may use for things like regional content, security checks, and advertising.
Browser fingerprinting goes a step further. It gathers details such as your operating system, installed fonts, screen size, browser version, and plugins. When combined, those signals can sometimes identify a device even when cookies are blocked or cleared.
Tracking isn’t always handled by the site you’re visiting, either. Many pages load third-party scripts (like analytics or ad tools) that can observe your behavior across multiple sites.
What Information Is Collected While You Browse
Most tracking focuses on patterns over time. Websites (and their third-party partners) can collect which pages you visited, which links or ads you interacted with, and the searches you’ve run. Over time, that data can help build a profile of you as an internet user.
Location data often comes from IP addresses and device settings. In many cases, it’s a rough estimate rather than an exact address, but it’s still enough to shape ads, content, and pricing experiments on some platforms.
Importantly, this information doesn’t always stay in one place. It can be shared, combined, reused, and sold through data brokers and ad networks. That’s why some regions have begun taking more serious actions. For example, in California, a state-run tool (DROP) can send a single deletion request to over 500 registered data brokers, with processing starting August 1, 2026.
Simple Browser Settings That Reduce Tracking
A lot of privacy improvement comes from settings you can toggle in a minute or two. Most modern browsers have a setting to block or limit cross-site (third-party) cookies. That won’t stop every form of tracking, but it can cut down on the “follow you from site to site” behavior that fuels a lot of ad targeting.
Clearing site data can also help, especially if you’ve been browsing for a while without ever resetting anything. Just keep in mind that clearing cookies often signs you out of sites and resets preferences.
Private browsing can reduce what’s stored on your own device after you close the window. It’s useful for limiting local history and saved cookies, but it doesn’t make you invisible while you’re actively browsing. Websites, ad platforms, and internet providers can still see activity during the session.
If you’re open to it, privacy-focused browsers can make these protections easier, since many of them block common trackers by default. The tradeoff is that some sites may load oddly until you allow certain scripts.
Tools That Help Limit Tracking
A few tools can reduce tracking even further without changing how you browse day to day. Tracker-blocking extensions can stop many third-party scripts before they load. That can reduce the amount of data collected in the background, especially on news sites and blogs that load a lot of ad tech.
Encrypted connections also matter. Standard HTTPS helps protect data in transit, especially on shared networks like coffee shop Wi-Fi. Some people add a VPN on top of that, which can encrypt more of your traffic and help hide IP information from websites that rely on location-based signals.
Privacy tools do come with tradeoffs. You may see more “verify you’re human” checks, and some sites can break until you whitelist what they need. Used together, though, these tools can reduce tracking without turning the internet into a frustrating experience.
Disabling Location Tracking and Targeted Ads
Location tracking often comes from device and browser permissions. Most browsers and operating systems let you control when a site can access your location, which gives you more control over location access requests.
If you’re not using something that truly needs your location (like maps, ride-share, or local delivery), keeping location access off can reduce how much location data gets shared.
Ad personalization settings can also help. Many major platforms allow you to reduce targeted ads or limit how data is used for personalization. While it won’t remove ads entirely, it can make them less tied to your browsing behavior over time.
Building Privacy Habits Without Breaking the Web
Strong privacy habits don’t require drastic changes. They tend to work best as small, consistent adjustments to how you already browse. Blocking everything all at once can lead to broken pages, login issues, and sites that don’t load properly. That frustration is often what causes people to give up.
A more realistic approach is gradual. Keeping a small set of tools enabled, letting them stay updated, and revisiting permissions every so often can make a bigger difference than one big privacy overhaul. It also helps to periodically review what sites can access things like your location, camera, microphone, or notifications, especially if those permissions were granted months ago and forgotten.
Browsing With Fewer Eyes Watching
It’s not possible or practical to stop all tracking. What you can do is reduce it with consistent habits and a few privacy-friendly settings. Over time, those small changes can give you more control over your data, without forcing you to change how you browse.
You May Also Like:
- How to Protect Client Data in a Remote Environment
- Cross-Border Deals (US–Canada): Data Room Security and Access Control
Sources:
- https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/10/18/views-of-data-privacy-risks-personal-data-and-digital-privacy-laws/
- https://commercial.yougov.com/rs/464-VHH-988/images/WP-2025-03-US-personalized-advertising-report.pdf
- https://www.datawrapper.de/blog/web-trackers
- https://duckduckgo.com/
- https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/
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This content is from a contributor and may not represent the views of Tech Help Canada. All articles are reviewed by our editorial team for clarity and accuracy.
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