Section 2: Protecting Personal Data and Privacy
Resources on this page
You will find resources related to the following topics:
- Understanding cookies
- Browsing online more privately
Cookies
We all know that the internet is not a private space and that most of our activity leaves a digital footprint. One way that websites track our activity is through the use of cookies. Cookies are essentially small pieces of data that are sent by a website and stored on your computer. Organizations use these to help track where you go on their sites and what you click on. In some ways, cookies are helpful to us, too. For example, if you are shopping online and place a shirt in your cart, you may notice that, thanks to cookies, the same item is still there next time you visit the site. However, advertisers can also use cookies. That same shirt you looked at on one site might keep showing up in ads on other sites because of cookies.
Though not necessarily harmful, cookies are an Internet privacy issue worth learning more about. This video provides a clear description of cookies and how to find out which ones are stored on your computer:
Browsing in Private Mode
To enhance your privacy online, you can also try browsing in private or “incognito” mode. These modes prevent cookies and passwords from being stored. However, it’s important to note that they do not offer complete privacy. It is still possible for others—your employer, for example—to access your browsing history.
For more information about private browsing in Google Chrome, this article provides helpful information about what incognito mode can and can’t do. You can also visit this site to read instructions for how to turn on privacy mode in the most common browsers.
References & Resources
De Leon, N. (2018, June 19). What your web browser’s incognito mode really does. Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/what-your-web-browsers-incognito-mode-really-does-a8213975018/
Orgera, S. (2022, June 19). How to turn on incognito mode in your browser. Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/browsing-incognito-445990
Thé, D. (2017, July 4). What are cookies? // and what “crumbs” are you leaving on the internet? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyO87X04Fj8&ab_channel=DanielleTh%C3%A9
