The other day I was out browsing the web looking at new GMC trucks. The next day, and it's still happening, almost every page I visit in my browser has ads for a GMC truck. Finally, I came to the realization that the GMC sites I visited had installed a cookie (software code) on my computer and this was creating the GMC ads on those other - non related GMC - pages I was visiting.  It's no coincidence those GMC ad were appearing every where. As I began talking to other people, many have had similar experiences.  It's not GMC that is the issue, it's the nature of internet marketing gone bad - IMHO. Hey, there are all sorts of companies collecting info about you when you surf the web. It's not just  Facebook, Google+,YouTube and the other 'biggies'. If you don't mind this sort of practice that is literally mining your personal data (behaviors and habits), then do nothing. And, if you want to retain your privacy in a digital world here are two g...

Tracking people online and showing personalised adverts is already a controversial topic and now Google is set to ruffle feathers further by tracking people in the real world too. According to reports from tech website Digiday, the search giant is testing a program that would follow users around the high street to see which shops they visit. Each time a user enters a store of business, Google would be able check to see if that user looked at adverts for that company online beforehand to check the ad's conversion rate. Recent reports found Google makes around $100 million a day by selling Google Ads to businesses online. It tracks conversion rates online when either a user clicks directly on an advert, or the user visits the website featured in an advert during its browsing session. Google can already access certain information about a user through its own apps, such as the mobile Chrome browser, Google Maps, Gmail and Google+. If users have ‘Location services’ activated and then ...

Firefox released a security upgrade after it emerged that the NSA was exploiting vulnerabilities in the browser to gain access to computers using Tor, a sophisticated anonymity tool. But Mozilla insisted that Lightbeam itself will not compromise the privacy of users who agree to upload and share data. Lightbeam will not log IP addresses, the information will be aggregated anonymously and the software can be uninstalled, Mr Surman promised. Lightbeam initially will only be available for desktop browsers. Apple has reportedly rejected from its store apps by developers which incorporate “cookie tracking” technology. “The whole mobile environment is closed,” Mr Surman said. “You have to go through Google and Apple for apps.” Just who is looking over your shoulder when you browse the Internet? Tomorrow, web users will be given a new tool to shine a light on the commercial organisations which track your every movement online. Lightbeam, a download produced by Mozilla, the US free software ...

Five Tools to Protect Your Privacy Online Sovereign Man   Notes From The Field Five Tools to Protect Your Privacy Online Feburary 15, 2013 We've discussed many times before--hardly a month goes by without some major action against Internet users... from Obama's 'kill switch', to ACTA, SOPA and PIPA, to stasi tactics against people like Kim Dotcom. Online privacy is becoming more important by the day. And nobody is going to give it to you, you have to take steps yourself to secure it. Below are five different tools and services that will get you started: 1. Tor Browser  Tor is a great weapon in the fight for online anonymity as it allows you to surf the web without giving up your location and other personal data to the websites you visit. The Tor Browser Bundle is the easiest and most secure way to get started; simply download it, and start surfing the web with the Tor Browser. It's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. .... Read More Link on Right Learn more abou...

Surveying consumers in 11 countries around the world, the research firm said 68 per cent of respondents said they would select a 'do not track' feature if this was easily available. Mark Little, a principal analyst at Ovum, said Internet users were increasingly getting more access to new tools to 'monitor, control and secure their personal data as never before'. The recent scandal involving privacy breaches by mobile messaging service WhatsApp and lingering concerns over data use policies on Facebook and Google are prompting Internet users to be more guarded, Ovum added. A new app promises to encrypt all your smartphone communications to make them look and sound like gibberish to anyone trying to listen in. Startup tech firm Silent Circle say their system is 'a secure information service' which can allow users to communicate via voice, text message, email and even video without fear of being tapped. The app is already available on both iPhon...