Tackle Trackers on Your Phone: Regain Privacy

By now, you’ve probably realized that your phone uses your location to deliver some services to you. Apps like Google Maps wouldn’t work at all if they didn’t track your location. And while you may be comfortable with some location tracking, it’s doubtful you’re okay with advertisers using your phone’s location to send you targeted ads. Even more worrisome than advertisers are hackers who install tracking software on your phone without your knowing to possibly stalk you. Since you understand what a big deal location tracking is on your smartphone or mobile device, you can take steps to prevent unwanted trackers from following you around. Blocking these trackers isn’t just about privacy from snooping advertisers, it’s about protecting your personal safety. All it takes is changing a few settings in your phone to keep companies from getting your location data. Follow these tips for keeping your location data private: 1. Turn off your device’s location services You can stop your device from tracking your location at all by turning off location services in the settings. This will restrict all apps from accessing your location, including maps. If you need to use a GPS app to get directions, you can simply switch your location services back on for your trip, then switch them off again. Both Android and iOS also allow you to toggle off the “Significant Locations” feature, which keeps track of the places you visit the most. 2. Limit personalized ads If you don’t want to completely switch off your location services, you can limit personalized ad targeting. On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising > toggle Personalized Ads to off. On Android, go to Settings > Google > Ads > toggle on Opt out of ads personalization. 3. Limit ad tracking in all your accounts Any online account you’ve created and subsequently signed into on your phone will have certain permissions and preferences. While not a blanket fix like turning off location services, going through each app’s settings and opting out of personalized ad tracking can help cut down on tracking. Also, when you download a new app and it asks for certain permissions, don’t allow it access to your location. 4. Use a private browser When you use a web browser on your phone, launch a private window , or incognito mode as it’s called on Chrome. Private modes erase browsing history and passwords after you close them. You can also use search engines that don’t track your activity as heavily, such as DuckDuckGo. 5. iPhone tips If you have an iPhone, there are a few iOS-specific tips that will help you avoid ad tracking. The first thing you can do is block cookies in Safari by going to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > turn on Block All Cookies. While you’re at it, toggle on Prevent Cross-Site Tracking as well. You can also turn off background app refresh, a feature which allows apps to collect marketable data even when you’re not using them. Although advertisers are a big concern when it comes to location tracking, hackers may also be interested in knowing your smartphone’s location as well. It’s much easier than you think for someone to start clandestinely tracking your phone’s location. But you can also detect if your phone has a tracking app installed, and take steps to remove it. How might someone download a tracking app on your phone? The person keeping tabs on you could easily be someone you know — a parent, an ex, or a friend that may have had physical access to your phone. If you’ve spotted any of the above signs on your smartphone and have reason to believe you’re being tracked, consider taking some of the following steps. Location tracking is annoying, a privacy invasion, and can even put your personal safety in danger. Keep advertisers and hackers from spying on you by following these tips for tackling trackers on your phone.