Internet Service Providers will now be able to treat you like a cash cow, much like Facebook and Google have been doing for years. Maybe it's just me, but I've never been a fan of big soulless multi-national corporations with no regard for real people. Thanks to new leadership at the agency that was created to protect you, the consumer, Internet Service Providers can mine your private browsing information for profit. So I felt compelled to offer some tips to make it harder for them to use that information against you or to profit from it.
Whether it is Google, Facebook, an ISP, or the government, it really isn’t anyone else’s business what you do online. We can outsmart them. Here are some ideas:
Random Browsing
Since Facebook, Google, ISPs, etc. can all sell your data to marketers and whomever else might want it, why not make your browsing habits less relevant and therefore less valuable? They are keeping track of your searches, purchases, and other online activities, so why not throw in something that you are not interested in occasionally? Every now and then, do a search for giant tweezers, miniature lawn mowers, robot farms, or spaghetti snow-shoes. If you're a vegetarian, do a search for how to process a steer. If you eat meat, do some searches for tofu recipes.
Random Shopping
Do some searches and go to some online shops, the bigger the better. Put random, various things into your shopping cart. Again, the further these items are from your own shopping habits the better. Why not make it fun, do a bunch of fantasy shopping. Search for that new Maserati or Ferrari convertible. Put it in your shopping cart and leave it there. And then do some more random shopping. How about a dump truck? I heard that the London Bridge was for sale! Do a search for buying that. The idea is to throw off all the algorithms that Google pays so much money to figure out and relies on to make money from you.
Random Searching
If you really want to make a statement, use Google to search for random and misleading but sensitive subjects. For instance, you could type in “I think I am...”, and then choose from the Google auto-fill options to complete the sentence. Try other random phrases like, “There is a growth on my...”, “I am the...”, of course choosing the silliest option from the autofill list, or even create your own sentence. Search for weird phrases like, “There is an alien inside me” or “I think I am a robot from the 23rd century.” or “The Flying Spaghetti Monster is coming to get me.” The possibilities are endless. The idea is to search for things outside your realm of interest, so as to make sure the profile “Big Data” is building about you doesn’t show who you really are. Give them as much random and incorrect information as you can as often as you can.
Make It a Game
Make a game of inventing random searches. This activity could even become a fun party game. Everyone suggests a bizarre search, and the one with the strangest results is the winner. Who knows, you might learn something you never thought you would know.
Misleading Groups
Join a lot of random groups on Facebook, like the “Wayne Porter Global Fan Club”, the “I am a Robot” group or the “I am not a Robot” group, or maybe one of the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” groups. Believe it or not, all of these groups actually exist on Facebook. There are actually several “I am not a Robot” groups and quite a few “Flying Spaghetti Monster” groups.
Pretty Pictures
If you want to see more pictures of mountains, do a search for “mountain getaways.” Then Google and Facebook will start showing you ads for mountain vacations. Every so often, do a few searches for whatever you want to see in your ad feed. Want to see pictures of the beach? Search for “islands for sale.” Like cute animals? Search “buy fuzzy baby animals.”
You can even click on the ads (since that will cost the advertisers some money). This is a double-edged sword since that also puts money into the pocket of the ISP, Google, or Facebook, those "mega-corporations" that are doing the pillaging of your private information. But if enough people do it, it could make the info they are selling worthless, or at least "worth-less".
Duck Duck Go
The search engine, Duck Duck Go is pretty much the anti-Google. The search engine itself emphasizes protecting searchers privacy. Duck Duck Go gives all searchers the same results and looks to provide the best sources of information. It doesn’t try to figure out what searches you want to see like other unnamed search engines, it just gives you the results you asked for. Although the search engine is supported by advertising, users do have the option of turning off ads. It does not collect, store or share user’s personal information.
Log Out
When you are doing your "real" web surfing, log out of Facebook and your Google account. Use a different browser than the one that you normally use for any sensitive Internet activities.
Privacy Settings
Many websites, Facebook and Google specifically, take great liberties with user’s personal information. People freely divulge their information to these sites. You do have some options with regard to what your privacy settings are. It is recommended that you learn and monitor the privacy policy of each website you visit and make sure you understand and agree with them.
Facebook and Google both have widgets or apps that are on many of the other websites you visit. Does the site have a “Like us on Facebook” badge? Does the website have Google Analytics installed? If so Facebook and Google are tracking you and collecting data on your browsing behavior. Check the privacy settings on these two sites at least.
Delete History
Browsers, Facebook and Google in particular keep track of your usage history. You can delete info and change the settings on your browser to make sure it keeps the minimum data required for your needs.
Google has a page https://myactivity.google.com/ where you can go and see some of the information it has amassed about you and delete some of it. If you have an Android phone it will probably have recordings from your phone! If you use voice commands with Google it will have recordings of that. You can delete these.
Facebook also has some of the data they have collected about you available for your inspection. It is interesting to see the profile that Facebook has built around who they think you are. While you are logged in, go to “settings” then “ads.” You have some management options with regard to this profile. You can see what Facebook has deemed important to you under “Your Interests.”
Browser Add Ons
Most browsers have add-ons that you can install that give you more control over what advertisers can track, and what cookies they can install. It is a good idea to learn about these. Check out the ratings for the add ons before installing them to make sure they don’t slow your browsing down or create other problems.
Browsers usually have a “Private” or “Incognito” mode which helps protect your data. Go with open source and nonprofit software if possible. A “Free” product often has a catch. I ran across this saying the other day: “If you don’t pay for the product, then you are the product.”
Tor
TOR or The Onion Router is free software that enables anonymous communication on the World Wide Web. It routes Internet traffic through a worldwide network consisting of more than 7,000 relays. It makes it very difficult to track a user’s activities.
TOR was originally developed under DARPA, an agency of the Defense Department. DARPA actually was instrumental in the creation of the Internet itself. Tor has its own browser you can use to add a bit more privacy.
VPNs
Using a VPN is a good way to protect your browsing and Internet usage history from an ISP, malicious hackers, or casual governmental snooping. Basically, a VPN connects you to another server so it looks like you are browsing the Internet from a different location than where you actually are. I recently wrote an article about using VPNs to help protect your online information, which I hope you will read as well.
HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS Everywhere is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Opera that encrypts your communications with many major websites, making your browsing more secure. It is produced through a collaboration between the Electronic Freedom Foundation and the Tor Project.
Privacy Badger
In response to intrusive advertising practices, the nonprofit group Electronic Frontier Foundation developed the Privacy Badger to block tracking cookies and advertisements from advertisers that do not respect the “Do Not Track” setting in the user’s browsers. It is a free extension with versions for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera.
The more of these tools you use, the harder it will be for “Big Data” to collect and use your personal information to deprive you of your hard earned money (or worse). Consider yourself warned. Now you at least have some tools with which you can protect yourself. Whether you decide to use them or not is up to you.
- By Wayne Porter