How Advertisers Track You Without Cookies and How to Block Them

From the social media pages you follow and your online shopping purchases to your preferred online news source, advertisers track your digital activity to analyze your online behavior and target you with their campaigns. For decades, tracking cookies have been used as an effective tool for advertisers. However, as the general public becomes increasingly concerned about their digital privacy protections and recent laws help us to control certain types of online data collection, websites and advertisers are finding new ways to practice tracking without cookies. Targeted tracking and online data collection aren’t all negative — they can help tailor the user experience and allow you to easily find desired products or websites. Nevertheless, it’s important to understand how your data can be tracked so that you can maintain some control over your privacy protection. A tracking cookie is an online tool that monitors Internet user browsing activity. This tool tracks user behavior, interactions, and preferences which advertisers then collect. A cookie allows advertisers to send personalized and targeted ads to websites that you visit to influence your clicks and online purchases. Tracking cookies can also improve the user experience by tailoring the content that you see based on your past activity and preferences. Here’s a look at the two general types of tracking cookies: There’s also another, more nefarious form of a tracking cookie known as the “zombie cookie.” Zombie cookies (or evercookies) don’t want your brains, thankfully. However, they’re unrelenting in data collection. This type of tracking file can be stored in multiple locations and will regenerate even after you’ve deleted it. Zombie cookies continue to track you, even without your consent. When you visit a website, a first-party cookie is stored on your browser. If you revisit the website or a related site (via embedded links or ads), the cookie is used to uniquely identify you as a repeat visitor and track your activity. A first-party cookie can benefit you as it tailors an efficient, personalized user experience and improves website performance. For example, if you’re shopping online and have saved items to your cart, a first-party cookie can automatically log you in and remember your shopping cart items. Third-party cookies can be added to your browser from third-party content like ads, links, and videos. These cookies track your activity and browsing habits to target you with relevant, personalized ads. Zombie cookies are a form of third-party cookie that utilizes locations like a flash drive or HTML5 local storage after you’ve deleted them from your browser. They’re used to create user profiles, bypass privacy controls, and for ad tracking. According to the Pew Research Center , 42% of American consumers are extremely concerned about companies that sell their personal information without consent. This concern has led to many states implementing privacy laws. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives consumers more control over their online data and gives Internet users the “right to opt out.” Other states, including Colorado, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, have adapted similar laws. Internet users in these states will often see a cookie notification pop up on websites that allows them to opt out of all or unnecessary tracking cookies. Third-party cookies might be considered especially invasive, and are often blocked by browsers and users alike. Thus, advertisers may turn to cookieless tracking methods to collect consumer data. Common techniques for tracking without cookies include the following: Cookieless tracking is actually a proactive shift toward upholding digital privacy protections, and may help to completely phase out third-party cookies. There’s a heavy focus on first-party data collection, which means that advertisers and platforms collect the data used by the websites you visit and apps you use. This allows for more transparent online data collection and a less invasive approach to tracking. Recent cookieless tracking tools, like the Google Privacy Sandbox , attempt to anonymize collected user data so that advertisers will not have access to your personal details. Although you can’t completely block cookieless tracking, there are steps you can take to mitigate the collection of your personal data. For example, you can use privacy-focused web browsers like Firefox or the Tor Browser , privacy tools like a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or data deletion services, and adjust your browser settings to offer more protection. Here are some examples of VPNs and data deletion services that can help prevent tracking without cookies: You can adjust your browser settings to block third-party cookies, limit website and app permissions, and prohibit plug-ins. Consider disabling location services and regularly clearing your browsing data. You can also use anti-tracking browser extensions like Ghostery or Privacy Badger that block ads, prevent hidden tracking, and allow you to utilize a private Internet search. Although advertisers can implement tracking without cookies, there are proactive steps that you can take to block their tracking ability. Protecting your digital privacy requires intentional measures, but regardless of your background or lack of tech prowess, you can learn to protect yourself online. For more on cookieless tracking and cybersecurity tips, visit the What Is My IP Address blog or listen to the Easy Prey Podcast available to stream on your favorite podcast platforms.