1. Browser plug-ins

One of the easiest things you can do to block third-party cookies is download an anti-tracking browser extension. ElectronicFrontierFoundation PrivacyBadger use algorithm, to make sure to stop the third party requests, and Disconnect user generated using the list. Ghostery allows users to choose whether to grant permissions to third-party trackers. All three are available for Chrome and Firefox.

If you are looking for a more powerful and advanced ad-blocking tool, we recommend you use AdBlockPlus or uBlockOrigin. This plug-in requires more user knowledge because they can block third-party scripts and applications. Doing so both protects your data and may make the page you are visiting unreadable unless you decide which scripts to run.

2. Clear and block third-party cookies

When a third party tags your cookie as you, it can track you for months unless you regularly clean your device. The Opera and MicrosoftEdgeChrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, MicrosoftEdge have cookie options let you clean up a third party. Both browsers also have other options to restrict third parties from providing cookies to your device, although they are generally not as effective as the browser extensions described above.

3. You will not be tracked

Web search engines are superhighways. They allow us to get what we want. Often, though, they record and sell your search history, which for many people is like selling their browsing history. Search engines like DuckDuckGo or Qwant don't track your IP address or your search history so you can access information in a private way.

4. Adjust your privacy Settings

Facebook and Google both have multiple ways to track and collect your data. It's the foundation of their business, so the privacy you get on these platforms is all relative. However, users do have control over what data can and cannot be collected. By making your Facebook profile private and visiting Facebook's AD preferences page, you can limit the amount of information the social network collects and shares.

Google allows users to control the data on their account pages. Users can decide how Google will target them with personalized ads and delete their search history. Although it helps to use a different search engine, keep in mind that Google can also access your data through Android devices, YouTube and Gmail.

5. Your email service will not be tracked

There's no point in protecting your online activities if you don't protect your email. While most technology companies have stopped scanning private emails for advertising data, recent news reports suggest the practice still exists. The best way to secure your email is with an end-to-end encryption service.

6. Stalker testing

A quick way to evaluate blocking third-party trackers is Panopticlick, or just visit EFF's Panopticlick. Such sites will show you a tracking system that still has access to your online activities and help you see your device's fingerprints.

7. Fingerprint protection

Fingerprinting is a new practice by using JavaScript and the CanvasAPI to access your device's graphics chip. That way, the site knows your language, time zone, which site you're visiting, and which site you're from. A third party makes the device produce a unique image that can be used to identify and track the device. Because the image is not stored in a cookie, fingerprint identification is difficult to erase. A browser extension, such as CanvasDefender, adds noise to the image, while a third party asks your device to draw, which helps you identify it.

8. Use VPN or Tor

To avoid tracking device IP addresses, use a VPN. This allows you to route your network traffic through the VPN server of your choice and replace your IP address with that VPN server's IP address. Be sure to use only trusted VPN services, because you can access and record your online activity when you connect to the company of your choice. Also, if speed and performance aren't a priority, you can use the Tor Anonymous Network to route your traffic to multiple servers around the world while encrypting it.

There is no absolute privacy on the Internet, but there are positive steps you can take to limit your exposure. Since there are many ways to track you online, you should combine these methods for maximum protection. But even if you use just a few of these tools, you will greatly limit the amount of information online trackers can collect from you, helping you regain control of your personal data.