Have you ever looked at a product on an e-commerce website and noticed that, later, an advertisement appears for that same product on another website?
This is the work of advertising ‘cookies’ and other tracking tools, which monitor your online browsing activities to present you with relevant, targeted advertisements.
This can be a great thing. Targeted advertisements can help you to discover new products and makes the browsing experience feel more personalized.
In line with this, 71% of consumers prefer ads to be targeted to their interests and shopping habits, and 3 out of 4 consumers prefer fewer, but more personalized ads.
However, while some people enjoy targeted advertisements, many also feel like their online privacy is being invaded. A different research study found that 79% of Americans on the web worry about companies infringing their online privacy.
It’s easy to see why. Personal ads can make you feel a little like you’re living in the world of ‘big brother’. Not everyone wants to be monitored 24/7 – and that’s ok.
Moreover, let’s say you are researching birthday gifts to buy for your partner. Targeted ads mean that your partner could end up seeing an ad about the proposed gift – which would ruin the surprise!
As people have become more aware of their online privacy, the leading web browser players have released private browsing options.
Below, we’ll explore how private browsing sessions work – and how you can set one up on your computer.
What is a Private Browsing Session?
A private browsing session is a feature available in most popular web browsers. When you switch on private browsing mode, your browser creates a one-time, isolated session that is kept separate from your main browser.
While your main browser collects your browsing history and data, the private browser essentially only has a short-term memory. It won’t save any of the data about the websites you visit or things you buy. Once you finish the session, the data is gone for good.
Going back to the birthday use case, you can see why private browsing is useful! It ensures that no one else who uses your computer can see what you’ve been looking at online.
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