How to not be tracked
Data Brokers– see here for a (long) list of large data brokers and how to opt out. Alternatively you can use a paid service like DeleteMe
Credit Bureaus– stop credit bureaus from selling your data for marketing purposes by opting out here
Retailer Beacons– turn off location services and Bluetooth where they are not needed. See this guide for how to manage location sharing on apps for iOS and Android
Loyalty Programs– be mindful of the personal information you share and read their privacy to understand how they use the data. Consider using a secondary email address or Apple sign in or a disposable email service to limit your purchases being linked back to you
Credit Cards– to opt out of their data sharing, Chase, American Express, Visa and Mastercard have online forms you can fill out. To opt out with Citibank you have to call 888-214-0017; for Discover call 800-225-5202. In addition, consider using Apple Card, which has the best privacy measures
DNA Tests– to delete your data from 23andMe, Ancestry or MyHeritage read instructions here
Smartphones– see this guide on how to minimize location tracking for Apple and Android devices
Smart TVs– see this guide which covers many of the large TV manufacturers on how to adjust settings to minimize data collection
Voice Assistants– see this guide here for how to maximize privacy for Amazon Echo and Google Home
Internet of Things (IoT) Devices– try this IoT Inspector developed by Princeton to see which of your device are tracking you. Use a strong password for the device to thwart hackers and consider using a password manager. Also if your device has two factor authentication then you should enable it
Wearables– read a summary of the privacy policy of the major wearable manufacturers, and how to control data collection on your wearable apps
Digital Cameras– you can remove meta data from photos, or prevent it from being captured in the first place. See bottom of this article for instructions
Online– for Chrome, instructions on how to clear and change cookie settings here. Considering changing to a browser with 3rd party cookies automatically blocked like Safari and Firefox or use extensions that help you block trackers like Ghostery. Read here for a summary of options. In addition, using services like VPNs or Tor will reduce tracking. On phones you can use apps like Jumbo, Disconnect and Lockdown, among others which can help block trackers. If making purchases online consider using a disposable email service to limit the ability to trace that data back to you. Also consider using services that can mask your credit card for additional levels of data and identity protection
Social Media– you can reduce some data collection in the following ways: for Facebook you can adjust some privacy settings, for Instagram, see here for a guide to adjusting privacy settings, for Twitter see here for a guide
Apps– for iPhone users you can turn on “Limit Ad Tracking” in the privacy settings and turn off Background App Refresh in your general settings. For Android devices you can similarly toggle “Opt out of ads personalization” in your settings
Search Engines– click here for a guide on how you can minimize the variety of ways Google tracks you and delete your information from their database. For an alternative to Google consider using a privacy oriented search engine such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage
Email Services– use a privacy-first email service, see here for a few options. Also be cognizant of the third party apps that you use on top of your inbox—if they are free, they’re likely monetizing your data in some form or fashion. Disable autoloading of images in emails and the use of HTML in inboxes. This is generally where the trackers are embedded. Learn more here
Messaging Apps– use a secure messaging app, ideally one that is not connecting to a marketing or advertising driven company. Read here for a review of some of the most secure messaging apps
Streaming Services– for streaming devices like Roku and Fire TV refer to these instructions to adjust settings to minimize data collection. For Youtube privacy settings, see guide here. For Netflix you can delete your viewing history but not necessarily other data points, see here for more information
Video Conferencing– for some specific advice on how to keep meetings safe on platforms like Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Facebook visit this guide
Public Wifi– when connecting to a public Wifi, make sure to read their terms and conditions. You can also use services that creates disposable emails if one is required to access the network. To stay safe from hackers while using public Wifi you can adjust your behavior and settings outlined here. You can also utilize VPNs which will reroute your traffic through dedicated encrypted servers and will help protect your data