Are you ok with apps that collect or share your personal data? According to a recent poll, probably not. Four out of five people said they do not want their personal data collected or shared without permission. Still, chances are you’re installing mobile apps that do just that.
PCMag associate editor Jason Cohen recently shared a Surfshark study comparing the data collection activities of 200 apps. In most cases, the most popular apps collect the most information from their users.
The study looked at 18 categories, from period trackers to dating sites, and identified apps that collect information such as contact details, search history, purchases, location, and more. Why does a weather app need your health and fitness information? Ask the people behind WeatherBug, as this is one of the data points the weather tracking app collects. Should a cryptocurrency app have access to your search history? eToro requires this information from its users.
Choose apps that don’t ask for your data in the first place. For example, while Mint is a handy money manager with lots of nifty perks, it also collects a lot of information about you. Try Mvelopes instead. Similarly, YouTube Kids is a handy site for entertaining toddlers, but it collects data in the location and search history categories. Disney Coloring World and Duolingo ABC are kid-friendly alternatives that don’t collect a lot of information.
Here’s a chart with 18 privacy-focused alternatives to popular, information-hungry apps:
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Are you traceable?
Chances are you also use a browser that tracks your every move online. Whether through cookies or a browser fingerprint, advertisers can keep track of your online purchases and searches.
As Michael Muchmore, chief software analyst at PCMag, writes, you can delete your cookies, but the biggest threat to your online privacy is browser fingerprinting. Your browser fingerprint may contain your browser type and version, operating system, plugins, time zone, language, screen resolution, installed fonts and others credentials.
Want to see your fingerprint? The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Cover Your Tracks webpage lets you put your browser’s privacy to the test.
How to prevent web tracking
To prevent or minimize tracking, start by using a private browser. Apple’s Safari and Microsoft Edge are the two options with high ratings from EFF.
If you can’t quit Chrome or another browser that doesn’t offer much tracking protection, use a plugin that hinders tracking, such as Decentraleyes, DuckDuckGo, PrivacyBadger, or uBlock Origin.
And don’t be fooled by private browsing modes (known as Incognito mode on Google Chrome). They don’t protect you from prying eyes online. They simply hide your activity in the history of your local machine.
There’s no complete privacy or perfect security in an online space, but using these tips can make it harder for anyone to track your activity.
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