Every time you open a browser and visit a website, you’re likely being tracked or monitored in one way or another. Not in a dramatic, conspiratorial sense but in a quiet, algorithmic one.
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This is because most web pages are embedded with trackers from different companies that log all sorts of details about you: what you read, how long you linger at each part of the page, where you scroll, and even where you go next.
Most people are not aware of this happening.
But is it possible to read online without being tracked? The short answer is: no, not entirely.
However, there are still ways to significantly limit how much you are tracked. Here’s what you need to know about online tracking and how to limit it.
How Pervasive Is Online Tracking?
While most people have some idea of how online tracking works, few understand just how ubiquitous it is.
According to data from Ghostery, Google trackers are present on 74% of all web traffic.
These trackers take various forms.
First-party cookies are set by the site you’re visiting. For the most part, these are harmless and only track, for example, your logins or shopping baskets.
Third-party trackers, on the other hand, are more dubious. These are scripts loaded by advertisers, analytics platforms, and data brokers that follow you from site to site. Their goal is to build a detailed picture of your interests, habits, and identity, which is then used for advertising or sold for a profit.
More recently, advertisers have also turned to a technique called browser fingerprinting. While originally used for security purposes, fingerprinting identifies your device by combining data points such as your browser version, screen resolution, installed fonts, and time zone. The resulting combination is often enough to uniquely identify you as an individual.
What Private Browsing Actually Does (And Doesn’t)
Many people, therefore, turn to the “incognito” or “private mode” offered by most browsers today, assuming that they provide anonymity and cover from these trackers.
Unfortunately, they do not. While private browsing prevents your browser from saving your history and cookies locally, it doesn’t hide you from fingerprinting. Nor does it hide your activity from websites, your internet service provider, or even your employer if you are on a work network.
It’s useful for keeping searches off your own device, but not for hiding them from the wider internet.
Tools That Actually Help
So, what can be done to limit how much data you surrender to trackers? Several tools offer more meaningful protection.
For example, by using privacy-focused browsers such as Firefox or Brave, combined with browser extensions like uBlock Origin, users already block a significant fraction of third-party trackers by default.
As for search engines, Startpage and DuckDuckGo (which also has a browser) offer more private search experiences that collect far less data than Google.
Lastly, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can add another layer of protection by masking your IP address. Doing so hides your physical location from trackers, in addition to preventing your internet service provider from seeing which sites you visit.
Read here to learn how to get a UK VPN.
The Limits of Privacy Tools
Still, the truth is that no combination of tools can make you completely invisible online.
Many popular logged-in services (which many people deem essential), such as Google, Meta, and Amazon, track you through your account regardless of which browser or VPN you use.
Add this to the fact that today’s web infrastructure is endlessly complex, with layers upon layers of advertising networks and data partnerships, and it becomes clear that some data will inevitably slip through.
Fortunately, the UK has data protection laws. These are overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and require websites to obtain meaningful consent before deploying non-essential tracking cookies.
However, enforcement has been inconsistent at best, and many cookie banners are deliberately designed to make refusal cumbersome.
A Reasonable Middle Ground
While it’s virtually impossible to achieve complete privacy when browsing the web, there are still several ways to limit how much you are tracked, at least down to a degree that is acceptable as a tradeoff.
Simply ensure that you don’t settle for the default (which hands over maximum data to the tracking parties).
It’s worth considering using more privacy-focused browsers, search engine alternatives, and other tools. Furthermore, be selective about which accounts you stay logged into and always take the time to read sites’ cookie banners and privacy policies.
These allow you to read online as privately and with as much peace of mind as possible.
