Open a news website and dozens of companies may start collecting data about you before you finish the first paragraph. They note your device, your rough location, the pages you read, and how long you stay. Most of this happens behind a cookie pop-up that few people have time to read.
Good internet privacy tips do not ask you to disappear from the web. They help you decide who gets to watch and how much they can learn. This guide covers the places where trackers hide and the settings that shut them out, starting with the changes that matter most.
The advice follows guidance from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and public regulator cases, so you can check the facts yourself. If you are new to online safety in general, read our cybersecurity for beginners guide first and then come back for the privacy side.
Why Privacy Matters Even If You Have Nothing to Hide
Your Data Is the Product
Free apps and websites earn money by selling attention. Advertisers pay to reach people with certain habits, so companies build detailed profiles from what you click, search, and buy. We explain how this ad economy works in our guide to digital media marketing.
The Cambridge Analytica case in 2018 showed how far this can go. A personality quiz app collected data from up to 87 million Facebook users, and most of those people never took the quiz. Their friends did, and that was enough to pull their information in too.
Small Leaks Can Cause Real Harm
In 2018, the fitness app Strava published a global heatmap of user activity. Analysts noticed that it exposed the locations and routines of staff at sensitive military sites because soldiers had logged their runs. Nobody hacked anything. The data was simply shared by default.
Health data is even more sensitive. In 2021, the US Federal Trade Commission said the period tracking app Flo Health had shared user health information with analytics and advertising firms despite promising not to. In 2023, the same regulator fined GoodRx 1.5 million dollars for sharing prescription details with advertisers.
Where Hidden Trackers Actually Hide
Websites: Cookies, Pixels, and Fingerprinting
Cookies are small files that remember you between visits. Some are useful, such as keeping items in your basket. Third-party cookies follow you across different sites so advertisers can link your visits together.
Tracking pixels are tiny invisible images that report your visit back to another company. In 2022, The Markup found the Meta Pixel on 33 of the top 100 hospital websites in the United States, and in some cases it passed on details about appointment searches. The site owners often had no idea what the code did.
Fingerprinting is harder to see. Sites combine your screen size, fonts, language, and browser settings into a profile that works even without cookies. Browsers that randomize or limit this data make it much less accurate.
Phones and Apps
Every phone has an advertising ID that apps use to link your activity. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, introduced in 2021, made apps ask before using it. Android lets you delete the ID entirely in its privacy settings.
Location is the biggest prize. In 2022, Google agreed to pay 391.5 million dollars to settle claims by US state attorneys general that it misled users about location tracking. Switching off a setting did not always stop collection, and that is why you should review all location controls, not just one.
Email, Smart Devices, and Data Brokers
Marketing emails often contain tracking pixels that tell the sender when you open a message and roughly where you are. Smart TVs and speakers log viewing and voice data too. Data brokers then collect public records, loyalty cards, and app data and sell the combined profile.
The Trackers at a Glance
| Tracker | What It Learns | Best Way to Block It |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party cookies | Sites you visit | Browser tracking protection |
| Tracking pixels | Page views and email opens | Block remote images in email. |
| Fingerprinting | Device and browser traits | Privacy-focused browser |
| Advertising ID | App activity across your phone | Delete or reset the ID. |
| Location history | Where you go each day | Set permissions to “while using.” |
| Data brokers | Your name, address, and habits | Opt-out requests |
Browser Settings That Make the Biggest Difference
Choose a Privacy-Friendly Browser
Your browser is the front line, so start there. Firefox, Brave, and Safari block many trackers by default. Chrome and Edge work fine too, but you will need to adjust their privacy settings yourself.
Add a reputable content blocker such as uBlock Origin, where your browser supports it. Install only a few extensions, because each one can see your browsing. Remove any you have not used in months.
Block Third-Party Cookies and Say No at the Banner
Set your browser to block third-party cookies. Then, when a cookie banner appears, choose “Reject all” instead of “Accept.” Under UK and EU rules, refusing should be as easy as accepting, so use that option every time.
You can also turn on Global Privacy Control, a setting that tells websites not to sell or share your data. Several browsers support it, and under some laws sites must respect it.
Pick a Search Engine With Fewer Strings Attached
Search history reveals your health worries, money problems, and plans. Engines such as DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, and Startpage do not build a profile of you. If you stay with Google, review your activity controls and set old history to delete automatically.
Lock Down Your Phone
Review Permissions in Five Minutes
Go through your app list and check who can use location, microphone, camera, and contacts. A torch or game app has no reason to ask for any of them. Set location to “while using” or “never” for most apps.
Our Android tips and tricks article shows where these menus sit on your handset. If you are buying a new device, our smartphone buying guide explains why long update support also protects your privacy.
Deal With Ad IDs and Fun Apps
Delete your advertising ID on Android, or switch off tracking requests on iPhone. Be wary of photo filters and novelty apps that ask for broad access to your gallery. We covered this risk in our warning about why FaceApp can be dangerous.
Turn on a strong screen lock and remote wipe too, because a lost phone exposes everything inside it. Follow our steps to find your lost mobile using Google before you ever need them.
Protect Your Accounts and Email
Use Email Aliases
Giving your real address to every shop and newsletter makes it easy for companies to link your activity. Aliases solve that. Services such as Apple’s Hide My Email, Firefox Relay and SimpleLogin create a throwaway address that forwards to your inbox.
If one alias starts receiving spam, you know who sold or leaked it, and you can switch it off. Your main address stays clean for banks and important accounts.
Stop Email Tracking
In your mail app, turn off automatic loading of remote images. This blocks most tracking pixels, and some mail apps now do it by default. You lose a few pictures until you click to show them, which is a small price.
Treat unexpected emails with suspicion as well. Privacy and phishing often overlap, so our guide on how to prevent phishing attacks is worth a read.
Use Strong Logins and Careful Storage
Privacy tools mean little if someone can simply log in as you. Use a password manager and multi-factor authentication on every important account. Keep private notes and scanned documents in an encrypted place, and our list of the best note taking apps can help you choose one.
Share Less and Remove Yourself From Brokers
Be Careful What You Post
Birthdays, school names, holiday dates and photos of house numbers all feed profiles and scams. Set your accounts to private and wait until you are home before posting trips. Our piece on avoiding sharing personal information on the internet offers a practical checklist.
Social platforms also shape what you see and buy, as we describe in how social media is transforming daily life. The more you understand that, the easier it is to question what you share.
Use Your Legal Rights
Under UK GDPR, you can ask any company what data it holds on you with a subject access request. You can also ask it to delete your data or stop using it for marketing. Companies generally have one month to reply, and you can complain to the ICO if they do not.
Data brokers are harder, but many have opt-out forms. Search your name, find people-search sites that list you and submit removal requests. Repeat every few months, since profiles often reappear.
Be Careful With Money Apps
Payment apps and wallets record where and when you spend. Read what they collect before you sign up, and our overview of the Paytm mobile wallet benefits shows the kind of features worth weighing against privacy. Crypto is not fully anonymous either, so check our Bitcoin investor guide before assuming transactions are hidden.
Be Careful With “Free” Privacy Tools
Not every privacy product protects you. In 2024, the FTC ordered Avast to pay 16.5 million dollars after finding that its browser extension sold detailed browsing data through its Jumpshot subsidiary. The software was marketed as protection while it collected the very data users wanted to keep private.
Pick VPNs, antivirus, and browser add-ons from companies with clear privacy policies and independent audits. A VPN hides your activity from the Wi-Fi owner, but it moves trust to the VPN company. For malware protection, a suite such as Panda Dome antivirus can sit alongside the habits in this guide.
Families need to think about this too. Children leave a long digital trail from an early age, so our article on how much technology children should be allowed can help you set limits that protect their privacy.
A Privacy Tune-Up You Can Finish in 30 Minutes
- Switch to a browser with built-in tracker blocking
- Block third-party cookies and choose “Reject all” on banners
- Delete your advertising ID and review location permissions
- Turn off remote image loading in your email app
- Create an alias for newsletters and shopping sites
- Set social profiles to private and remove unused apps
- Submit one subject access request or broker opt-out
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best internet privacy tips for beginners?
Use a tracker-blocking browser, reject cookies, review app permissions and set your social profiles to private.
Does a VPN make me completely private?
No. It hides your traffic from the local network, but the VPN company and the websites you log in to can still see activity.
Is incognito mode private?
Only partly. It stops your device saving history, but websites and your internet provider can still see what you do.
How do I stop websites tracking me?
Block third-party cookies, use a content blocker, reject cookie banners and enable Global Privacy Control.
Can I ask companies to delete my data?
Yes. Under UK GDPR you can request deletion and access to your data, and they usually have one month to respond.
Conclusion
Privacy is built from small decisions, not one big switch. Start with your browser, your phone permissions and your email, then work through the rest of the list when you have time. Each tracker you block means less data to leak, sell or misuse. Spend 30 minutes on it today and you will browse with far more control.
