3 things your browser is silently telling every website you visit — and how to stop each one

Your browser is always snitching on you, giving up your private information without really even telling you it’s happening. It’s frustrating because, given the chance, I’m sure you’d decide you didn’t want to share data that identifies you and lets advertisers profile you.

Unless you’re into that sort of thing, then in which case, we’re not judging.

But if that does bother you, as it does me, you’ll be exceedingly pleased to know that you don’t have to put up with it, and there are easy, free ways to stop your browser doing you dirty at every turn.

IP address

You’re constantly telling websites exactly where you are

Your IP address is the internet’s version of a home address. Every website you visit receives it automatically — it’s how the server knows where to send the page back to. But it also tells that site your approximate physical location, your ISP, and enough detail to link your activity across multiple visits.

When it comes to obscuring your IP address, there isn’t really a direct, built-in browser mechanism that blocks this behavior. Clearing your cookies, going Incognito, and changing your device do nothing at all. You’ll still broadcast an IP address because of how the internet works.

How you fix it

The real fix for this one is a VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) routes your traffic through a server elsewhere, so websites see that server’s IP instead of yours. VPNs have other benefits too; many block malware and other online nasties, and you can also unlock georestricted content/

Now, everyone says you shouldn’t use a free VPN, and I mostly agree. It’s a trade-off; do you want the websites and your ISP to see where you are and what you’re up to, or do you trust a free VPN provider that needs to monetize?

I’m not here to make that decision for you. Personally, I use no-log, paid services like Mullvad VPN or Proton VPN, but think that a free VPN is absolutely fine to use if that’s what works for you, and importantly, your budget.

Logging policy

No log

Mobile app

No

Number Of Servers

550+

Cookies and tracking pixels

The literal bane of our online existences

Do you remember the internet before every single website required a cookie consent pop-up? It wasn’t necessarily more private (it definitely wasn’t), but it was so much smoother and easier to navigate.

The thing with cookie consent forms is that they don’t always do what you assume. Saying no doesn’t mean you’re free of cookies completely, and as you’ll see in the next section, free of profiling!

Part of the confusion is the various types of tracking cookies.

• First-party cookies aren’t really a bother. They’re the ones that remember your login details, passwords, site preferences, shopping basket, and so on. We like first-party cookies; they’re actually useful and save you time.
• Third-party cookies are the ones we want to avoid. They’re the ones set by advertising networks that follow you around the internet, noting down every single thing you do to build a unique advertising profile. You know when you search for something you want to buy, and then suddenly, all of your adverts are filled with the same product? That’s why.

Tracking pixels are equally insidious. These are tiny, invisible images embedded in pages and emails that bypass cookie consent forms because guess what? They’re not cookies. When the image loads, the server logs your IP, device type, and the exact time you opened the page.

Email marketers use them constantly to see if you’ve opened the email, how long you view, where your mouse lingers, and whether you click.

How you fix it

Credit: Gavin Phillips / MakeUseOf

There are a few ways to deal with this problem, depending on how much effort you want to go to. For example, you could check out how to block email tracking pixels and shore up your email privacy. This is something I do across my various accounts.

Then, you could install an extension that automatically declines cookies for you, which makes your entire internet browsing experience feel so much nicer and smoother.

You could also go one step further and switch to a browser that prioritizes your privacy more. Some browsers block third-party cookies by default, while others have the option to block them.

For example, the little-known but excellent Helium browser is built on Ungoogled Chromium and really takes your privacy seriously, but doesn’t compromise your online experience. But if you want something closer to home and more familiar, Mozilla Firefox blocks third-party cookies by default under its Total Cookie Protection mode.

But we appreciate that some folks are locked into Google Chrome for various reasons. If that sounds like you, there are numerous ways to block third-party cookies and tracking pixels in Chrome, which will boost your privacy immeasurably.

Browser fingerprinting

Silently profiling you, even when you think you’ve locked it down

Browser fingerprints are always the last thought on the list, and one of the easiest tracking methods to overlook. In fairness, that’s because many folks don’t even know they exist, and how much information your browser is handing over to every website.

Even with cookies blocked and a VPN running, websites can still identify your browser using a technique called fingerprinting. Your browser silently broadcasts a combination of data points: your screen resolution, installed fonts, GPU rendering behavior, timezone, language settings, browser version, and more. Individually, none of these are unique. Combined, they create a profile that’s statistically unique to your device — like a fingerprint.

However, flicking Incognito mode on also does nothing to protect against this, because it doesn’t change the data points fingerprinting is designed to collect.

How you fix it

The fix for browser fingerprinting isn’t always easy to find. That’s because to truly hide your browser fingerprint, you need to blend into the noise, and that means making your browser as unremarkable as possible.

Most folks, me absolutely included, are cooked. My default browser has all kinds of extensions, weird settings, unique profile indicators, and more. If I scan my regular browser with the EFF’s Cover Your Tracks, I am always unique; it’s the same story with Am I Unique.

There are some options. You can try a Chrome extension that fights back against fingerprinting and helps you blend into the crowd. But this isn’t guaranteed to work on all sites due to the nature of fingerprinting.

Another option is to use a browser that obscures your fingerprint, like Brave Browser or Mullvad Browser, which also has built-in fingerprinting protection.

OS

Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

Developer(s)

Brave

Price model

Free

iOS compatible

Yes

Android compatible

Yes

Desktop compatible

Yes

No single fix will cover all the privacy gaps

The bad news is that you can’t fix privacy with a single switch. It just doesn’t work like that, as much as we’d like it to.

The good news is that with a bit of planning and a tiny amount of effort, you can create a layered privacy shield that keeps most of the bad stuff out and grants you a little more obscurity, without fundamentally changing how you use the internet.

The key is finding what works for you.