Christmas is just around the corner and many people have turned to the internet as an easy and convenient way to order gifts. But, once I've been to a webshop, why exactly do the advertising banners all over the internet show me precisely the shoes or toys I just looked at? The answer is webtracking. Trackers follow users across different platforms to enable personalized advertising.
Tiptoeing through the internet unnoticed.
However, with a few simple tips, we can show you how to optimize your privacy and data security settings so you cannot be tracked quite so easily any more.
Tip 1: Surf in private mode
The advantage of surfing in private mode is that your browser does not store your history, cookies and website data or information entered in forms.
Good to know: Your online activities are not anonymous even if you surf in private mode. For example, your activities are visible to the website operators and your internet provider. Furthermore, any files you download or bookmarks you create won't just disappear once you leave a page. Whenever you do an online search or visit a website, your IP address is sent and stored by the operator of the page you are visiting.
Note: The steps may vary slightly depending on your browser version.
How it works
Open the browser
Click on the cog in the top right-hand corner
Select "Security" from the menu
Then select the "Private Browsing" option
You can also activate private mode with this key combination: [Control]+[Shift]+[P]
Open the browser
Click on the "File" menu
Select the "New private window" option
You can also activate private mode with this key combination: [cmd]+[Shift]+[N]
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three bars)
Select the "Private window" option
You can also activate private mode with this key combination: [Control]+[Shift]+[P]
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three dots)
Select "New Incognito Window" from the menu
You can also activate private mode with this key combination: [Control]+[Shift]+[N]
Tip 2: Delete your browser history
If you forget to use private mode when surfing or prefer not to use the function, you can still delete the browser history with the following steps:
Open the browser
Click on the cog in the top right-hand corner
Select "Security" from the menu
Select "Delete browser history..." from the menu
You can also delete your history with this key combination: [Control]+[Shift]+[Delete]
You can also delete other stored information such as cookies and website data, download history, passwords, etc.
Open the browser
Select the "History" menu
Select the "Delete history..." option
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three bars)
Select the "History" option
Click "Clear recent history"
You can also delete your history with this key combination: [Control]+[Shift]+[Delete]
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three dots)
Select "History" from the menu
Click on "Clear browser data"
You can also delete your history with this key combination: [Control]+[H]
You can also delete other stored information such as cookies and website data, download history, passwords, etc.
Tip 3: Block pop-ups
Pop-ups can be notifications, advertisements or other messages. They appear in a new tab, above or below your browser window, or in your current window.
Good to know: Certain websites require pop-ups for important functions. You can, however, enable the display of pop-ups for selected web pages.
How it works
Open the browser
Click on the cog in the top right-hand corner
Select "Internet Options" from the menu
Click on the "Privacy" tab and select the pop-up blocker box
Open the browser
Click on "Apple Safari" in the menu and select "Preferences"
Go to the "Websites" tab
Then select the "Pop-up window" to adjust the settings
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three bars)
Select "Settings" in the menu
Click on "Contents" and enable the option "Block pop-ups"
Open the browser
Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner (three dots)
Select "Settings" from the menu
Scroll down and click on "Advanced"
You can now block pop-ups under "Content settings"
Information You can find more tips on web browsers and other exciting topics relating to data protection and data security at Sicherdigital.de.
