I was setting up a new computer for a client last night and they were asking questions about cookies and other web browser issues. I explained that I don’t worry about cookies too much, but that a subset of cookies – called tracking cookies can be a problem. From what I know, tracking cookies report back to their originating web site and inform them where we visit with our web browsers. Then advertising can be tailored to our interests and sent to us via email and other web means. My client asked more questions and I proceeded to show them how to increase the privacy on their web browsers.
In Firefox, on the far upper right, click on the 3-line “open menu” icon. From the menu, select Preferences (or Options) icon and then Privacy. In Privacy, your History of where you visit can be altered and I usually have this set to “Never remember” or Custom (“Always use private..). This is just for the local computer if someone accesses your firefox web browser and looks for where you’ve visited. I also leave “Accept cookies from sites” checked and change Accept third-party cookies to Never. If you turn off cookies, you’ll have problems with web browsing. Usually, sites will insist they be turned on.
In Chrome, click on the three vertical dots on the far upper-right to open the settings. Click on Settings and then scroll to the bottom and click “Advanced settings” Under Privacy there are content settings for Cookies and many others. There’s a button for clearing browsing data which is nice and I do this periodically.
If you want a more secure browser, then use the Tor browser which hides your location from the sites you visit and your ISP. It bounces your internet connection to three places around the world before landing on your destination. It doesn’t remember your history or other information about your web habits.
What do you do for privacy on the Web?