So, you want to opt out of all forms of tracking software, whether it be advertising or data collection. You’re in luck – today’s article will cover your tracks. While it’s not possible to entirely hide your online presence, you can definitely mitigate your risks and shrink the data portfolio collected on you as an individual.
One should realize there are two forms of opting out. First, do not use a particular service,but this is difficult when Facebook/Google/Microsoft/Yahoo have advertising monopolies on the entire Internet. This option, therefore, is for people who wish to minimize information collected about them. Please note, as the Internet evolves, so too does advertising. This means there is no kill-all solution. The options are to either be hyper-vigilant or not care at all.
You should also know a privacy lie has been told to all people over the last three years. This lie involves Do Not Track, which as described is supposed to tell the website and third parties to not track the requester. However, this idea is little more than a magician’s trick.
Nobody in the industry has come to agreement over Do Not Track. When it was proposed,
Google ignored its existence and equally ignored any user request to Do Not Track. Yahoo
similarly has given up on listening to the user requests of Do Not Track settings.
Enabling Do Not Track
What are Cookies
First are the service opt out forms, which you can find here.
If you have a Google account, Gmail, etc., it is advisable to go to these sites and act
appropriately by following instructions.
Google+ Opt Out
https://plus.google.com/settings/endorsements
Google’s DoubleClick Advertising
https://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin
Google’s Ads Preferences
https://www.google.com/settings/ads/
Google Search History
https://history.google.com/history/
Facebook Ad Settings
https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads&view
Twitter Ad Settings
https://twitter.com/settings/security
Bing/Microsoft Search History
https://ssl.bing.com/profile/history?oma=toggle_off
Yahoo Search History
https://search.yahoo.com/preferences/preferences?pref_done=&.bcrumb=ZeGd5J1Gitj
Yahoo Ad Preferences
https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/opt_out/targeting/details.html
Evidon (Multiple Advertisers)
http://www.evidon.com/consumers-privacy/opt-out
Network Associates
http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
As for browser settings, you can go here:
Firefox
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences?
redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=Enabling+and+disabling+cookies
Internet Explorer
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/196955
Chrome
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
For Mobile Location Tracking
http://www.smartstoreprivacy.org/
Theoretically, you should select all of these, although it generally will only apply to your signed-in account or the machine on which you’re working. This is why browser add-ons like
Ghostery HTTPS Everywhere, Disconnect are effective tools at nullifying data retention.
Disconnect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGPipkJKSb0&feature=youtu.be
Ghostery
Advanced users can use the hosts file, which blocks ads from showing on the entire computer and/or network. As a side note, this is NOT for those who work in the IT arena.
Which is the best choice for the casual Internet user? If you’re not the technical type, it is best to use the plug-ins/extensions listed. They are updated regularly and well-maintained by passionate technologists who believe in your right to privacy. If you are an advanced techie, the solution is the nuclear one. Block it in the Hosts file with the above link to MSMVPS. Some data will still be collected, but it will be significantly smaller in scope, if all solutions are used together.
