User tracking describes how the behavior of Internet users is recorded and analyzed. Users often don't even know that they're being followed.
How does that work? For example, websites and apps record:
- Which IP address you log in from
- Which pages have you viewed in the past
- How long do you stay on one page
- What you click on or download
- Where you are currently geographically
- Which device you are currently using to surf the Internet
With this data, companies can create a very precise profile of you: What you're interested in, what you're looking for, how old you might be, and so on.
They then use this knowledge to show you personalized advertising or suggest products that might be of interest to you. Data collectors also sell these profiles on to other companies. For you as a user, this is often unpleasant or dangerous, because nothing really stays private on the Internet. Companies know a lot more about you than you would like. And Google knows a lot about your behavior, even if you try as best as possible to avoid tracking.
It's worth deleting your browsing history and disabling cookies regularly. This allows you to maintain at least some control over your data.
