You know the feeling: you spend 30 seconds Googling a travel backpack for your next holiday. Suddenly, every website and social feed is bombarding you with ads for backpacks, suitcases, and travel destinations.
It feels like everything we do online now is so closely watched that there’s no escaping the AI tracking and manipulation. Click an ad on Insta, and the brand follows you to TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and anywhere else you hang out online.
But search engines, social media, and websites aren’t the only people using your search history to follow you online – and in real life.
In this quick guide, we’re going to break it all down. So you can start taking back control of your privacy online and enjoy the internet with less surveillance.
Who can see your internet history?
Various entities have the potential to access and analyze your internet history based on your search history, ads you click, websites you visit, restaurants you browse on Google Maps – and much more.
Understanding who they are and how they use your data is crucial for safeguarding your online privacy. Here’s a breakdown of who might be watching you:
1. Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Your ISP is your gateway to the internet, and as such, they have a complete view of your online activities. Your ISP can be your home WiFi provider, smartphone network, office internet provider, or a public WiFi provider (like in a cafe).
ISPs can see every website you visit, the duration of your visits, the content you consume, anything you download, and the games you play – this includes your browsing activity even when using incognito mode or private browsers.
While ISPs claim to anonymize or aggregate this data for various purposes like network management, troubleshooting, and marketing, it can also be sold to third-party advertisers or shared with government agencies under certain circumstances.
A top VPN is the only way to block your ISP from viewing your internet activities.
2. Search engines
Search engines, like Google and Bing, track your search queries, the links you click, the websites you visit, and the time you spend on each page. This data is used to personalize your search results, display targeted ads, and improve their algorithms (usually to better target you with ads).
Even if you use incognito mode or private browsing, search engines can still track your activity through website cookies and other identifiers.
While search engines may not see your entire browsing history, they can still create a detailed profile of your interests and preferences based on your search activity.
3. Websites
Websites use cookies and other tracking technologies to monitor the behavior of anyone who visits their website. This allows them to tailor the content you see, recommend products, and serve relevant ads.
Many websites also track your movements once you leave, creating a comprehensive profile of your online interests. They share this data with third-party advertisers or analytics companies, so you can be retargeted with ads everywhere you go.
4. Apps
Like websites, apps track everything you do when interacting with them. This is essential to creating a better user experience, keeping you on the apps longer – and targeting you with better ads.
Obvious examples include:
- YouTube and Netflix monitor what videos you watch, how engaged you are with them, what you share, etc., and adjust recommendations and ads based on this.
- Amazon tracks your shopping and browsing to figure out what products to put in front of you and what ads to display.
- Instagram and TikTok place ads on your feeds based on what pages, profiles, and hashtags you most engage with.
- Uber records where you travel throughout the week to understand your behaviors and patterns.
Don’t be fooled. Apps will claim they need to see your internet history to improve your experience. But most often, it’s simply a way to boost their profits by selling this data to advertisers.
5. Cybercriminals
Cybercriminals can intercept your internet traffic, steal your data, and access your browsing history through various methods, including:
- Hacking into website databases and stealing user data.
- Using phishing scams to trick you into revealing your personal information or passwords.
- Hide malware and spyware on websites, ads, and links to infect your devices, track everything you do, and scrape your data from every app.
They can then use this information for identity theft, fraud, blackmail, employer targeting, and many other nefarious schemes.
6. Governments
Every government in the world monitors its citizen’s internet activities. Even "free” countries like Iceland and Estonia. There are legitimate reasons for doing so:
- National security
- Crime prevention and investigation
- Countering misinformation
- Taxation
- Protecting children
- Public safety
However, we don’t need to tell you they usually go too far, infringing on our civil liberties, freedoms, and privacy. And, of course, there’s the outright censorship and surveillance in places like China, Iran, and – increasingly – the US.
In all these countries, governments partner with or coerce ISPs, search engines, and tech companies to access your internet activity. In many places, private messaging apps are compromised to give governments access to your conversations with friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else you interact with.
Wherever you live, you need to learn how your government treats privacy and what they can legally access about you online. Take steps like installing a VPN on all your devices and following the news for any changes to privacy laws.
8. Employers
In theory, your employer can monitor your internet activity whenever you use a work-issued device (laptop, smartphone, tablet…) or connect to your work internet. This could include websites you visit, emails you send, and your social media activity.
Many companies now use screen-capturing technology to monitor how you spend your time online within work hours. This supposedly ensures productivity, protects company resources, and prevents data breaches.
If your employer has internet monitoring policies, there’s no getting out. They will be written into your contract, and breaching them may result in losing your job.
Taking back control: How to protect your privacy
Feeling lost… a little hopeless?
Don’t worry. Despite the onslaught of tracking, intrusions, and censorship, you can claw back some privacy. It requires a little effort and investment, but it can be done.
Here’s a few quick, easy steps you can take right now.
1. Using reputable VPNs
VPNs safeguard your online privacy by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel and network of private servers. No one, including your ISP, can see what you’re doing online without hacking your device. A VPN also hides your location by spoofing your IP address to anywhere in the world.
You could be logging in from Tehran, Iran, but appear in Adelaide, Australia – bypassing local restrictions and censorship.
That’s the most basic explanation of VPN tech I can provide. You can read more about how VPNs work or, if you’re in a rush, pick from one of our top three providers in 2024:
- ExpressVPN - Our #1 VPN. A global server network, lightning-fast connections, and industry-best tech keep your internet history private from anywhere in the world.
- Surfshark - A budget-friendly VPN packed with privacy features. Block ads and trackers, hide your VPN from detection, and access the open internet while staying hidden.
- NordVPN - Torrent-friendly VPN with advanced security and streaming tools. Stay hidden, bypass censorship, and enjoy faster internet.
2. Privacy-focused browsers
Chrome browser is a privacy nightmare – tracking every tiny action you take online. Safari is better for privacy, but still allows tracking, ads, and other intrusive tech. Most privacy-focused browsers are slow and lack modern tools for better browsing.
So, what’s the solution?
A few excellent private browsers exist. They combine modern internet browsing without compromising your data. Firefox is the best by far. But to take your anonymity to the next level, learn how to use the Tor browser. It’s the original privacy browser, still preferred by journalists and activists worldwide. But it’s slow and cumbersome.
3. Ad blockers and anti-tracking tools
Ad blockers and anti-tracking tools prevent websites from tracking your activity and bombarding you with personalized ads. By blocking intrusive scripts, cookies, and other tracking technologies, these tools enhance your browsing experience and protect your personal information.
uBlock Origin and Total Adblock effectively eliminate annoying ads and tracking scripts. You can install them on your browser or mobile device, but for convenience, we suggest getting a VPN with built-in ad blockers.
4. Regularly clearing history and cookies
Clearing your browsing history and cookies won’t stop websites from tracking your current browsing session. However, it removes your past activity from your device and browser, making tracking or monitoring less accurate.
Make it a habit to clear your history on all devices you use, including your phone, tablet, and computer. This simple step helps minimize your digital footprint and protects your personal information.
Internet history FAQs
Hide your internet history in 2024
If you feel like your online privacy is more under attack than ever – you’re right!
Ads… censorship… web monitoring – they’re all getting more effective and invasive. Your internet history is available for sale to the highest bidder, and your data is "the new oil.”
But, hopefully, now you see you can push back. Change your online habits, install a VPN, and make a routine of clearing your history. You’ll slowly start to notice fewer micro-targeted ads, less censorship, and fewer intrusions.
Then, you can go back to enjoying an open, private internet.