Have you ever wondered how advertisers always seem to know your location? Or maybe you suspect that someone might be listening to your phone calls? Well, you’re not alone here. As our lives become increasingly digitized and connected, so does the risk of losing privacy. It is no surprise that advertisers, marketing companies, Internet service providers, and websites store a hefty amount of information on online users and their habits. Collecting data doesn’t end on your IP address, as advertisers and websites collect data on user interests, and browsing history in the form of third-party cookies.
Every time you see an ad on Instagram, it has to do with your interests or the pages that you visit or follow because advertisers have multiple ways to track your location and your interests in order to offer you targeted ads. Aside from you giving permission to collect cookies, they are capable of using your geo-location, and IP address, and even listening in on you. In this article, we’ll cover the most common ways advertisers collect data from users’ smartphones and computers, and why using a VPN service like ZoogVPN is a necessity in the era of surveillance.
Where Do These Advertisers Get the Data From?
There are three primary sources from which advertisers can get your personal information, including your location. They are:
Believe it or not, many users transfer their personal information to advertisers themselves. Aside from that, Internet service providers are known offenders of selling the personal data of their users to advertisers. And don’t forget about big search engines like Google, capable of transferring your Google and YouTube search results to advertisers.
- The Users Themselves
Yes, unfortunately, users provide their personal information to advertisers with full consent. If you ever sign up to a website, giving your personal information like physical address, phone number, banking information etc, these websites can use or transfer this information to advertisers. Since you’ve given out your physical address or a phone number with a country code, it is easier to narrow down the ads rollout according to your personal data. Moreover, agreeing to these annoying cookie pop-ups on almost every website also allows collecting your data and browsing habits. - The Internet Service Provider
This is not news, but ISPs do sell user information to third-party advertising companies. Selling anonymous browsing logs is a fairly common practice among ISPs. That said, the only way to check this is to reach out to your ISP and require them to provide this information. We highly doubt they would do that. - Search Engines and Apps
Every time you’re looking up any kind of information on Google or YouTube, the algorithm is forming for your specific interests. Aside from your interest in certain topics and inquiries, search engines like Google or Bing, also consider your geo-location via GPS or Wi-Fi hotspot, so that they can provide you with advertisement and search results as close as possible.
How Advertisers Use Your Location Data
Advertisers have a few ways of collecting your location data in order to provide you with relevant and targeted ads.
IP Addresses and Geolocation
IP addresses can give an approximate location of a user. To determine your physical location, advertisers such as Google rely on a small portion of the population sharing their device’s GPS location. Many apps ask users a permission to use geo-location, so now you know why. The devices will then associate this location with the IP address of your network, such as the coffee shop or office you are currently in.
Location Sharing
One of the simplest ways for advertisers to know your location is through location-sharing features on your device, browser, or apps. Many applications have been found to contain third-party code that collects location data, which is later sold to advertisers and even the military.
Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of code that record your online activity and save it in your browser. They are the most common source of ad tracking, and many sites use the same third-party cookies.
URL Trackers
Tracking URLs are links with little strings of code on the end that track your behavior after you click on them. They log your activity on the site and collect the information for the advertiser.
Mobile Tower Triangulation
As you move around, your device is always connected to two or more cell phone towers, so your cell phone provider can always calculate your location. This information can then be sold to advertisers, as major providers have done in the past.
How to Stop Advertisers from Tracking You
There are a few ways of preventing advertisers from tracking you, or at least minimizing their intrusion. Here are some of the most popular:
Turn Off Location Sharing Settings
While this may seem like a trivial thing to do, most mobile users have location sharing turned on by default. By having this setting on, you’re telling all services, including any third-party advertisers, where you are at all times.
If you want to protect yourself from this, make sure to be thorough and check the setting on all of your devices. Go through your device’s operating system, check which apps and browsers require location sharing, and turn off all of these features. Make sure that your device’s operating system, apps, and browser have all location sharing features turned off. Regularly check your permissions and remove location sharing for apps that you do not use or which you believe do not require location sharing.
Turn Off Bluetooth
Bluetooth beacons and mobile towers are all around us. They use data directly shared by some users through their GPS and mobile phones to determine the physical location of all users connected on the same network.
As you move around your city or travel around the country, these towers are always passing information between each other to calculate your position best. And, even though most cell carriers have said that they will stop selling this data for extra profits, you never know.
Hide Your IP Address
As a VPN service, we regularly advocate the importance of online privacy and security. Protecting your IP address and home network is one of the most crucial things you can do to safeguard your privacy and anonymity. It only takes one time to be negligent with sharing your IP address, and all sites you visit in the future will know your location.
When it comes to protecting your IP address, the two best ways to do it are with a privacy-friendly browser, like Tor, and with a reliable VPN service. By using a Virtual Private Network, you can stay anonymous online and browse the Internet without any concerns that your activity data is being tracked and stored.
“Google would like to know your location” can be very annoying at times while using Safari, but you can easily disable this annoying pop-up by going to Settings > Location Services > Off. You’re free from the Google pop-up ever disturbing you again.
How to Block Listening Devices on Cell Phones
The idea that someone might be listening to your phone calls can be quite unnerving. Our customers had told us many times that someone listening to my phone calls and that’s obviously very stressful. Here are some ways to block listening devices on your cell phone:
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Use a reliable security app: Install a trusted security app on your phone that scans for and detects spyware or other malicious software that could be used to intercept your calls.
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Regularly update your phone’s software: Keep your phone’s operating system and apps up-to-date, as software updates often include security patches that can fix vulnerabilities.
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Be cautious with app permissions: When installing a new app, carefully review the permissions it requests. If an app requires access to your microphone, camera, or other sensitive features, make sure it’s from a trustworthy source.
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Use end-to-end encrypted messaging apps: Instead of making regular phone calls, use messaging apps that offer end-to-end encryption, such as Signal. This ensures that your calls are encrypted and cannot be intercepted by third parties.
Why Does My Location Say I’m in a Different State and How to Remove Ad Trackers
There could be several reasons why your location might show that you’re in a different state. It could be due to an error in your device’s location settings, a VPN service that you are using, or even an issue with the website or app. Besides, most of the Internet providers assign you with a dynamic IP address, which means that your IP address can be transferred to someone else and your IP can change from time to time. Some users opt in for a static IP address, which usually costs extra fee.
To remove ad trackers from your online activities, you can:
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Regularly clear your cookies to delete any stored data about your browsing habits.
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Use privacy-focused browsers that block trackers and protect your privacy.
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Use a VPN like ZoogVPN. Not only does it hide your IP address, but also encrypts your internet connection, making it harder for advertisers and spoofers to track you.
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Adjust your device settings: Disable location-sharing features on your device, browser, and apps. Also, make sure to configure the settings in Google’s data and privacy section if you’re an Android, Chrome or Gmail user.
Protect Your Privacy with ZoogVPN
ZoogVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service that comes at an extremely reasonable price allowing you to mask your IP address, encrypt your internet connection, and protect your privacy online. Key features of ZoogVPN include:
- Access to servers in multiple countries
- Military-grade encryption
- No logs policy
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Support for multiple devices
Getting a ZoogVPN account can help you prevent someone from listening to your phone calls, block geolocation devices, and remove ad trackers from your online activities.
Summary
We live in a digital era, where everything is online and every action can be traced. Unfortunately, that also means that it’s hard to keep your private life secure from the prying eyes. It’s essential to take measures to protect your privacy and prevent unnecessary tracking and surveillance. All it takes is being careful about what you’re allowing websites to collect and using a reliable VPN to keep your IP address secure.
We sure hope the tips we shared with you are helpful and your personal life won’t be affected by annoying advertisers and prying eyes. Be mindful of what data you share with websites and try not to overexpose your IP address. Get a VPN today, and secure your sensitive information.
Secure your digital identity with ZoogVPN
- Yaroslav S.CEO at ZoogVPN. Yaroslav is a versatile manager with extensive customer support experience. His historical background and a deep passion for philosophy perfectly complete a real desire to create meaningful content and tech products.
