Overview
This article will show you how to disable ad tracking on all your devices.
In 2019, a Washington Post author made it known how his iPhone apps collected, stored, and uploaded his activities. We all might be familiar with ad tracking methods on our devices. However, the big question is: How to Disable Ad tracking on all your devices?
Today, we might be paranoid about who can steal our data. It is common knowledge that tech companies and advertisers collect data from our devices. Collecting our data is becoming typical in the past few years. We contribute to this worldwide practice, whether we use a smartphone, laptop, or OTT platform.
Some of us might not even be aware that this is happening. Suppose you wonder who gains from it, then advertisers and businesses use this method to learn things that interest us. After learning about our online activities, they will know which products or services to advertise. It is why many pop-up ads appear in apps that support them. Not everything is free, and some free apps rely on ads to continue operating for us.
Fortunately for people who want to ensure being private, there are some methods to stop ad tracking. Refer to our guide below for device users wondering how to do this.
How to Disable Ad Tracking on All Your Devices
First, let us show you how to disable ad tracking on all our devices. Later on, we will teach you what ad tracking is all about.
How to Disable Ad Tracking on Android
1. Go to the Home screen of your Android.
2. Navigate to the screen showing you the Settings button. Click the Settings button.
3. Scroll down your Settings menu and click the Google tab.
4. Press the Ads option.
5. Tap the Reset Advertising ID option.
6. Press Confirm when the Reset Advertising ID message appears.
7. Return to your Settings Menu and open Privacy.
8. Press the Advanced tab.
9. Select Usage and Diagnostics menu.
10. Deactivate Usage and Diagnostics with its switch: Toggle the Usage and Diagnostics switch to OFF.
11. Return to your Advanced settings menu and open Google Location History.
12. Deactivate your Google Location History.
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How to Disable Ad Tracking on iOS
1. Open the Settings menu of your iOS device.
2. Click the Privacy tab on your Settings menu.
3. Scroll down and open the Advertising tab.
4. You will see the Limit Ad Tracking switch option.
5. Activate the Limit Ad Tracking switch: (If ON, the button will appear light green)
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How to Limit Ad Tracking on Windows
1. Open your Settings menu either from your Windows Start Menu or by typing Settings on your task bar’s Search box.
2. Navigate to your Privacy menu inside your Settings menu.
3. Toggle the Change Privacy Options switch to OFF.
How to Disable Ad Tracking on MacOS
1. Open your System Preferences app. Go to Security and Privacy page and click the Privacy tab.
2. To change your MacOS settings, input your Username and password.
3. Select the Apple Advertising option, and deactivate the Personalized Ads checkbox.
4. Go to Analytics and disable the Share Mac Analytics checkbox.
5. Open Location Services, find the System Services item and click on Details: Disable Location-Based Suggestions, Significant Locations, Location-Based Apple Ads, and Wi-Fi Networking.
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How to Disable Ad Tracking on Firestick
1. Go to your Firestick’s Home screen.
2. Navigate to your Settings (Gear Wheel Icon)
3. Select Preferences from the dropdown.
4. Tap on Privacy Settings from the list.
5. Press the Internet Based Ads option.
6. Tap the Turn Off button when the prompt appears.
7. You can see that the Internet Based Ads option is OFF.
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YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITY IS BEING WATCHED
What is Ad Tracking?
Some modern apps we can download and use on our devices use ad tracking. New and big companies analyze how their products and services impact their users. They also perform ad tracking to learn how their ads affect their target audience.
The Purpose of Ad Tracking
Ad tracking is also famous for effectiveness tracking and post-testing. Overall, many companies use ad tracking to measure the following points:
Brand Recognition
Imagine you are developing a new product with unique features. How will you let your audience and potential customers know about its existence? It is a situation where ad tracking comes into play. Ad tracking will help you determine people looking for a product with traits similar to your new product.
Different ads will also let your past customers recognize your new product. You can also attract potential customers with the help of ad tracking techniques.
Increase Product Visibility
For new businesses to gain revenue, their products must be visible to potential customers. Today’s market contains products nearly similar to each other. By using ad tracking, many merchants will be able to track how their ads are performing. Aside from that, it allows them to advertise their products and services.
Popularity
To achieve a steady income stream from a new product, it should gain popularity. The higher that people praise your product, the more other potential customers will flock to purchase it. Popularity also raises the value of any product. Some examples are new apps, tools, and media content.
Reception
How will your customers react after using your product or service? Do they like using the product? Are they sending messages and comments about possible improvements? Tracking all the ads you send allows you to determine people’s interests concerning your products and services.
Impression
Sending ads showing your customers your product’s positive traits raises its overall impression. Once you attain a positive image of your product, more people are likely to buy it. Word of mouth also helps you gather more potential customers and turn them into buyers.
Number of Clicks
Ad tracking helps a company determine people’s interest in purchasing their products. When the number of clicks increases, many people desire to buy their product. All they need to do is guide a potential customer into purchasing their products.
The Desire of People to Buy the Brand
By performing ad tracking, companies can measure the number of people that like to buy their products. It can also act as a tool to gauge the interest of potential customers. Ad tracking methods also help companies determine if their products receive attention from their target audience.
How does Ad Tracking Work?
Ad tracking is crucial to allow a business to determine how its ads are performing on the market. Posting ads help them increase the visibility of their product to potential customers.
Ad tracking works by collecting small parts of every activity you perform online. In some examples, they use cookies, web trackers, and fingerprinting your device.
By using ad tracking, companies will determine which products interest you the most. It will be easier for them to send you ads similar to your preferences.
Many companies peek into your search history to learn more about their users. Sometimes, they do this to collect crucial user data they can sell to other parties. It is an effective method that earns them revenue. They can also use ad tracking methods to build a profile about a particular user.
How do they Perform Ad tracking?
Let us show you how companies complete ad tracking methods:
Cookies
Online advertisers use third-party cookies. Cookies are text files that contain small pieces of data. When you click an ad and visit their website, cookies will infiltrate your device. As a result, these cookies will occupy space on your device. They will then send data about your online activities to advertisers. It is how ads continue to appear after you leave a website.
Web Trackers
Web tracking is a common practice of website operators. It is a process helping them collect, store, and share the data about visitors to their website. Web Trackers are scripts that learn about your preferences and send this info to advertisers. Once they learn about your interests, they will know what kind of products interest you.
Browser Fingerprinting
Browser Fingerprinting is also famous for device fingerprinting. In device fingerprinting, it refers to collecting data about a device or remote computing hardware. They perform browser fingerprinting to know about the identity of your device and its user. They will learn about your online habits and search queries by browser fingerprinting methods.
What Information does Ad Tracking Collect?
While ad tracking help companies improve their advertising techniques. As a result, online advertisers will learn about your information. Many people consider these methods a privacy breach. But what type of information will they get from you?
Details About You:
- Age Group
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Approximate Location
- Level of Education
- Preferences (Likes and Dislikes)
- Interests
- Browsing Habits
- Present Location (Approximate)
- Nature of Your Work
- Downloads and Uploads
- Websites you Frequent
Technical Details of your Device:
- Search History
- ISP (Internet Service Provider)
- IP Address
- Search Queries
- Online Activities
- Products of Interest
- Device OS (Operating System)
- Time Zone
- Device Model and Type
- Ads Identifier
Use a VPN to Prevent Ad Tracking!
Today, many online companies resort to ad tracking techniques. You might be browsing the internet casually. Later on, you discover pop-up ads suddenly appearing on your screen. Most of these ads showcase products you like to buy.
Sound familiar? If this happens, you might be a victim of ad tracking. Advertisers and third parties can now see everything you do online.
Fortunately, there is a solution. We suggest using the powerful Surfshark!
Here are some benefits of using Surfshark:
- Surfshark hides everything you do online.
- It conceals your browser history from prying eyes.
- Surfshark encrypts your entire internet traffic with military-grade protocols.
- It will assign you an anonymous IP address.
- Surfshark will help you bypass geo-blocks.
- It prevents buffering and stuttering on all your devices.
- Surfshark will hide your presence from ad trackers.
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How to Install Surfshark VPN on Firestick
If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.
You can download Surfshark directly from the Amazon App store. It will be easy for you to find Surfshark with your Firestick’s Find feature. Refer to our screenshots below.
1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.
2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.
3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.
4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.
5. Press the Download (You own it) button.
6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.
7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.
8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.
9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.
10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.
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FAQs
Is Ad Tracking bad?
Not entirely. Ad tracking benefits both online companies and their customers. They can help people find items they want to purchase. Ad tracking also helps companies determine how their ads and products perform online. They can use the information they collect to improve their products and gain more customers.
When is Ad Tracking bad for you?
Ad Tracking becomes a lousy practice if companies use it to collect data about their users. They can then sell your information to parties with malicious intent. As a result, hackers and cybercriminals gain access to all your devices. They can use this to get your bank information and credentials. Ad tracking can also assist identity thieves.
Why do they track their ads?
Online companies and merchants track their ads to determine the total number of clicks. They can also use ad tracking to measure how their products and services are sought by people online. It will help them improve their services and make product upgrades.
Conclusion
The online market today allows companies to track their ads. Aside from that, some of the free apps and services we use support ads. It is how they earn their income. On the other hand, ad targeting is also common amongst hackers, adware, and cyber threats. Third parties can also use ad tracking to collect information from almost anyone on the internet. Fortunately, our modern devices let us deactivate ad tracking features.
We hope this article teaches you how to disable ad tracking on all your devices.
