Often, companies justify this practice with services that users may not even want or use. However, most of this data is collected by tracking scripts and cookies without people’s knowledge or consent. There’s nothing wrong with allowing a company to access your data to perform a service. While it’s well-known that your data is bought and sold by hundreds of secretive companies, it’s less clear to the average user exactly who these organisations are, what information they store, and who they share it with.
The Problem With ‘Normal’ Web BrowsersĪdvertisers, governments, tech companies, and even criminals can collect a range of sensitive data from an unprotected browser over time. If you apply for a job at Apple, it may even impact your employability. It’s incredibly easy for authorities to get their hands on this data if they want to. This information is used to build a digital fingerprint which advertisers and authorities can use to track your movements.Īll this information is sold to advertising companies, and used to build a personalized profile of you, your interests, and your behavior. Even if you’ve blocked third-party trackers and hidden your IP address with a VPN, most browsers can still reveal information about your unique settings to every page you visit. These cookies can be used to follow you and record your behavior as you travel from site to site. Cookies and tracking scripts are another risk which most standard browsers won’t protect you from.
WebRTC is enabled in most browsers by default. WebRTC - a browser-based technology used for real-time communication like audio, video, and live streaming - can also leak your IP address if not configured properly. Even when your VPN is active, your browser could be sending your activity data straight into the hands of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and hundreds of third-party advertisers.
Despite the claims from some VPN companies, your IP address is not the only way you are tracked online. Using the wrong browser will put you at risk of: Your choice of browser will have a huge impact on your online privacy and anonymity.
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