Companies are learning more and more about us through the data they collect from our online activity. Stuff like what we’re buying online, the pages we like or follow on social media, the media channels we use and the personal information we include on our social profiles—there’s a lot of data to collect! The good news is, our latest research shows 68% of young people on social media are incredibly woke and have tried to manage their online privacy through privacy settings in the last year.
No matter how on your game you are, data is still likely to be collected as long as you’re online. And sometimes that data will be used by advertisers to target us. For example, you’ve been shopping online and suddenly the exact item you were looking at appears on your Facebook. Or you regularly watch AFL online then Google reminds you that your favourite team has a game starting soon. Sound familiar? This might be convenient at times, but it can also be a little creepy.
According to statistics from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner 79% of us don’t want our data shared with other organisations. If you’re like me, and prefer that companies not know absolutely everything about you, here are some ways you can protect your information, and limit the amount of tracking by advertisers:
1. Disable location services
Allowing access to your location is often something you agree to immediately when you download an app. Whether it is Snapmap or Facebook Messenger, it is best to reduce the amount of information you provide about yourself. Allowing your location may also give people your whereabouts when you make a post or send a message—without you knowing—so best to check when and who your location will be seen by before flicking that switch!
2. Log out of social media sites and email
Another simple strategy is to log out of your social media sites and email while you are doing other things online. That means actually logging out, not just closing the tab. This won't stop you from being tracked online, but it will make it harder for these services to link your behaviour with your name or details of your previous browsing history and social media footprint.
3. Avoid using single sign-on (sso)
SSO is when you sign into an app or online account using a social media account you already have, instead of creating a new account. Using SSO often means you agree that this new account can access all of the information you share on social media. If you can avoid using your social media accounts to sign into other apps or accounts you will reduce the information companies have access to.
4. Change your smartphone settings
Smartphones work differently to computers which makes it a little easier to limit the information you share. On an iPhone you can go to Settings >> Privacy and scroll down to Advertising. Turn the ‘Limit ad tracking’ to ‘On’. For an Android phone, go to the Google settings app and tap the ads link and select ‘Opt out of interest-based ads’. Although this may not limit the amount of ads you see, it will make them less targeted.
5. Limit the amount of personal information you give
Offer the least amount of personal information possible when signing up for things or registering an account—if the information is mandatory, usually the category will display an asterisk. The categories without the asterisk you can leave blank.
6. Do a digital check-up
Popular sites and apps like Facebook, Snapchat and Google offer privacy controls. So let’s make sure we use them. Every once in a while, check your settings and see if you’re okay with how your data is being used or how much information you’re sharing with potential advertisers. If you’re not okay with your current settings, change it up!
While these steps won’t stop advertisements from appearing in your newsfeed or on websites all together, they’re a good start to protecting your privacy and limiting the amount of information you provide to online advertisers.
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Updated April 2021
