The browser tracker test

I’ve spoken about trackers before and recommended four steps/solutions for protecting your browsing privacy:

• Script blocking (browser plugin that blocks scripts by default, the most important plugin one can have!)
• Ghostery (browser plugin that shows how many trackers any given website is using)
• Ad Block Plus (browser plugin that blocks ads on websites, which often includes trackers)
• A replacement hosts file from my friend Dan Pollock (redirects attempts to bad sites to your own computer)

Companies are increasingly more interested in selling your personal information than protecting you (see a few Canadian examples here).

Yesterday I was interviewed by CBC regarding a viral video of a speeding motorcycle here on Vancouver island, and spoke about the potential to track the anonymous poster of the video using the internet. The irony is, I can’t watch the video that I’m in, as CBC has required tracking by Doubleclick (s0.2mdn.net) in order to view it (Read my friend Chris’ detailed article on why Doubleclick is a concern.

If you’re able to watch the video above, you haven’t taken sufficient measures to ensure your browsing security and you should be aware that you’re likely being heavily tracked. In essence, having the ability to watch the video equates a violation of your privacy. Since most attacks these days are browser-based, you will be well served to take the steps listed above to both protect your browsing privacy and to make your computer(s) more secure overall.

I would argue the four steps listed above are even more important these days than having anti-virus software installed. The first three are browser plugins, so they should be easy to install. The fourth one is a little more complicated, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you need help going through this process as an individual or for your organization.

This is a time sensitive post, CBC is a National Canadian treasure, and can resolve the tracking ability of their website at any time. Notify me if/when this happens and I will update the article as such, once verified. –Kris