Privacy & Tracking
Discover how websites and applications collect information, how online tracking works and what you can do to take greater control of your digital footprint.
What is online tracking?
Websites and applications collect information for many reasons, including functionality, analytics, advertising and personalisation.
Some tracking happens across multiple websites or applications, allowing companies to build profiles of people's activities.
It's about understanding what information you share and choosing who can access it.
What are tracking cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information that websites ask browsers to store.
Not every cookie is harmful. Some are essential for shopping baskets, security and account functionality.
Review cookie choices instead of automatically accepting everything. Consider blocking third-party cookies.
Tracking without cookies.
Websites can collect characteristics of your browser and device to help distinguish you from other visitors.
Combined, these characteristics can sometimes form a recognisable fingerprint.
Deleting cookies doesn't necessarily prevent browser fingerprinting. Some privacy-focused browsers provide additional fingerprinting protections.
What does Incognito actually do?
Private browsing primarily reduces information retained on your device after the private session ends.
What it helps with
Limiting locally saved browsing history, cookies and site data from that private session.
What it doesn't do
Make you anonymous or automatically hide your activity from websites, network operators or your employer.
Downloads, bookmarks and information saved outside the private session may remain on your device.
Your searches reveal information.
Search engines may process your queries, IP address and other information according to their services and privacy policies.
Some search engines prioritise privacy by limiting personalised tracking.
Review your search engine's privacy settings, search history controls and advertising preferences.
Switching search engines can reduce certain types of data collection, but it doesn't make your browsing anonymous.
Does that app really need access?
Applications may request access to your location, photographs, microphone, camera and contacts.
Both iOS and Android provide privacy settings for reviewing and changing application permissions.
Does a VPN stop tracking?
A VPN creates an encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server. It can conceal your internet traffic destinations from some observers on your local network.
Websites generally see the VPN server's IP address rather than your usual public IP address.
Websites can still recognise your accounts, cookies and potentially your browser fingerprint.
You also place trust in your VPN provider.
We'll explore VPNs and public Wi-Fi in more detail in the next lesson.
Think about what you publish.
Social media posts, photographs, public profiles and old accounts can reveal more than you intended.
Your five-minute privacy audit.
Choose your phone or browser and complete these five checks.
Make one meaningful improvement to your privacy settings today.
Public Wi-Fi & VPNs.
Next we'll explore the risks of unfamiliar networks, what HTTPS protects and when a VPN might be useful.