Online Tracking

As we navigate the Internet we create trends by viewing pages and inputting information. The patterns of websites and online services that we visit can say quite a bit about ourselves such as our interests, our age and gender, where we live, and most importantly, where and how we like to spend our money.

Advertising companies have created a way to track our online movements revealing all of this information. They then create profiles of us describing our interests. This is a form of behavioral targeting.

Using the gathered information, these third party companies will tailor ads that we see to coincide with the profile that they have built on us. Ever wonder why the ads in the side bars of your email are applied to you in some way? Depending on the location and demographics that are on file about us, we may even be given different prices for certain products.

The legalities of this type of tracking are still in dispute.  Not everyone may be bothered by this because it can be very convenient to see advertisements that apply to us. On the other hand, some people may view this as a violation of privacy. The good news is that there are ways in which we can view these third party websites as they track us. We can even block ourselves from being tracked.

There are many programs available to do this. For example, Firefox has several add-on programs for this purpose. One of these programs is called Collusion, which is very well designed and is an aesthetically pleasing addition to a web browser. As a user starts to browse web pages and as third party companies start to track their movements, Collusion will create a map showing who is doing the tracking along with a brief description of the company and at what point they were picked up. Collusion also offers the option to block this tracking. Regardless of whether or not we mind having our online lives tracked, there are resources available to put a stop to it if desired.