Social media websites were found to have an astonishing 160 trackers embedded into their code, whereas health websites came in at a distant second with 46. This seems to suggest that the average would be a lot lower if social media sites were taken out of the equation. The number of trackers on websites has skyrocketed as of late, and that does not bode well for the future of online privacy.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 30% of all trackers were found to belong to Google. Another 11% were being used by Facebook, with Adobe responsible for an additional 7%. This reveals that the same old players are continuing to use trackers to keep track of the activities of users online.
Such widespread collection of data can be harmful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up compiling into one place where malicious actors can get their hands on it. Users must be educated about the sheer amount of trackers that they will be confronted with so that they can take the appropriate privacy precautions.
Any site that you visit will be trying to collect some data from you. Using a VPN can help to mask your identity, which makes them useful online tools for users with all things having been considered and taken into account. If you have noticed unusually personalized ads online, chances are that you went to a website that has an inordinate amount of cookies or third party trackers.
Read next: 72% of Online Trackers Come From Google Alone, New Study Shows
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World
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