Your Online Information is Fodder …

Animal tracks in the frozen ground, found all ... — Your tracks are everywhere by mlhradio via Flickr

“It is a great art to saunter.” – Henry David Thoreau

As we move on the web, the Trackers saunter … picking up our leads, following our cookie crumbs with a sly grin. Creepy, huh?

In my last post, I reminded you about being tracked (can you say Spied On?) by a host of companies. If you downloaded Ghostery (free software) like I did, you can see what company is tracking you on every website you visit.

Network Advertising is a website that allows you to Opt Out of Member Companies so they won’t track you. It’s like the DO NOT CALL LIST to eliminate unwanted sales calls.

At Networkadvertising.org, scroll down to the bottom of the page where the list of Member Companies are listed. I chose the Select All button and Opted Out of all of them.
While I was writing this column, I went back to review the opt out list and realized a whole new list of Member Companies were listed today that were not there yesterday.
Select All – Opt Out – AGAIN! Opting out of a network does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. It does mean that the network from which you opted out will no longer deliver ads tailored to your Web preferences and usage patterns.

Bookmark the page and check back often to wash, rinse, repeat … You need several types of software and several applications to get the bugs, spies and cookies out.

Another thing to do on a regular basis is to unplug your modem. When you plug it back in after a minute, the IP address will change. That’s like throwing a hunting dog off the scent for a short while.

The debate around online privacy has largely centered around advertising that is targeted at people depending on where they have been online.

Network Advertising

Ad Industry Addresses Online Privacy in New Ethics Code

Is online privacy an oxymoron?

Tracking Protection Lists

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