Browse the web more privately

As you move around the web, advertising and analytics companies quietly follow you from site to site, building a profile of your interests, health, finances, and habits. A handful of free changes make a real difference.

Tracking in one minute

Websites use cookies and similar techniques to recognise your browser. "Third-party" cookies — placed by companies other than the site you are visiting — let advertisers follow you across different websites. Blocking those is the single biggest win.

Choose a privacy-friendly browser

Several free browsers block many trackers out of the box — see our directory of private browsing tools. Whichever you use, open the privacy settings, set tracking protection to Strict, and turn on "block third-party cookies." A reputable content blocker extension also blocks ads and hidden trackers, and makes pages load faster.

Switch your search engine

Your searches reveal a lot about you. Privacy-respecting search engines do not build a profile of you the way the defaults do — you can change the default in your browser settings in under a minute.

Handle cookie pop-ups properly

Those "We value your privacy" banners matter. Choose "Reject all" or "Necessary only" rather than "Accept all" whenever the option exists — under laws like GDPR you have the right to refuse non-essential tracking.

What incognito mode really does

Private or Incognito mode only stops your browser saving history and cookies on your own device — handy on a shared computer. It does not hide your activity from websites, your internet provider, or your employer, and it does not make you anonymous.

Further steps

• Turn off ad personalisation in your Google, Microsoft, and Apple accounts
• Review and delete stored search and location history periodically
• Consider a reputable VPN on public Wi-Fi or to hide browsing from your provider — but avoid free VPNs that monetise your data
• For high-risk situations, the free Tor Browser offers the strongest anonymity