What started as a service, internet has transformed itself into a necessity over time. With the internet being deeply embedded in our lives the job of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has become crucial. Along with providing internet services, ISPs are constantly monitoring ones data and browsing activity. This can make many people uneasy so it’s always best to find out ways to avoid being tracked by your ISP.
How and Why do ISPs track your data?
An ISPs responsibility is to give one access to the internet, so why do they go through the hassle of saving all of one’s browsing activity? The answer is simple, all ISPs are businesses and they profit off of you by doing so. They keep track of your active IP addresses and collect all the data. This can include the pages you visit most frequently and how much time is spent on certain web pages. Along with this they also monitor how your daily activity by noting times when you log on and off. This can get much worse if you willingly share your information with some websites online. Then your ISPs have access to much more personal data such as your email, phone numbers and social media data.
By using your ISPs services to read your emails, watch videos, use apps and do online research, your ISP has a thorough record of where you go and what you do. Using this information for profit they partner up with advertisers and put you in a specific demographic for targeted advertisements. If you’ve ever been spooked by being approached by specific advertisements after you have just been reading about that very product, this is the reason.
How to prevent being tracked by your ISP
There are a number of ways to browse anonymously and if you feel uncomfortable with your personal data being used online then it is essential to adhere to these ways.
First and foremost you can keep every website you visit to use HTTPS protocol. HTTPS is a useful browser extension which can be installed which turns any website secure. All visited HTTP pages are automatically converted to HTTPS while browsing them. By using HTTPS all traffic is encrypted and due to this your ISP, or any third party website for that matter, cannot track it.
Another effective way it to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Many people confuse virtualization and VPNs with each other and that is not the case. Read here more to clearly distinguish between the two. A VPN operates as a private internet connection for the device you are using and it operates over any internet connection. Your connection becomes private and all the data is sent in an encrypted tunnel. This tunnel works in a two way access allowing for annonyminity. When using a VPN, you’re relying on your device’s power and you need a strong internet connection. Check out the best cable internet providers to find a reliable option to use alongside a VPN.
Then there are other ways by using Tor browser for complete privacy and by adjusting your DNS server.
Verdict – Importance of Understanding Your ISPs Mindset
It’s obvious that all ISPs are running a business and they incentivize all means of profit, even if that means tracking all of their users data. A huge chunk of their profit comes from advertisers being given access to use the data mined from users browsing experiences to target them with product information.
Even though it’s not possible to stay completely invisible online, there are certain ways to make it more difficult for your ISP to track every move you make and help keep privacy.
