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Simply put: Tracking is recording your internet activity. It is typically done with a text file when you visit individual websites. Each tracker out there may record different information about your visit, and each may have their own purpose for tracking you. When you visited this site, four different trackers started recording your activity.

 

Suddenly feel vulnerable? Don't panic. Trackers are everywhere on the internet and they've already been following you for a long, long time. We want to show you how they do it, the concerns and issues tracking poses, and help make you invisible to trackers in the future.

First-party tracking: When tracking is done by the same website you visit.

Example: If Google tracks you while you visit Google.com.

 

Third-party tracking: When tracking is done by a different website from the one you visit.

Example: If Google tracks you while you use this site.

How Third-Party Trackers Get Access to Websites

Third parties typically pay website publishers for permission to be on their website. As a result, website publishers are most likely aware of all third parties they have allowed on their site. However, the website publisher may not be aware that these third-parties can use trackers on visitors to their site.

 

Important note: The website creator and publisher can be separate. For instance, website-building services like Wix and Wordpress allow anyone to build their own website. So it is ultimately Wix and Wordpress (publishers), not the person building the site (creator), in control of third-party access.

Why They Seem To Be Everywhere

The data from tracking you on a single website isn't worth much. The key to third-party tracking success is having trackers on as many websites as possible. The data from tracking you across multiple websites is much more valuable. We'll explain why later.

An Invisible Business Model

Third-party tracking is nearly invisible to you while using the internet. Aside from the social networking websites, you've likely never heard the name of any tracking company. That hasn't stopped them from flourishing. The tracking industry has grown five times in size since 2003, with revenues of $36.6 billion in 2012.

 

Make no mistake about it: Tracking you is big business.

The Difference Between First-Party and Third-Party Tracking

What is Internet Tracking?

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