Is your partner’s browsing history secretly influencing your ads?

Beware in this festive season, or any time for that matter, as you browse like crazy for surprise gifts and also make grand plans to fix yourself for the new year in the most covertly bizarre ways possible – your search history might be leaking.

If you’re browsing from the same IP addresses as your friends, kids, partner, or whoever you live with, take stock that companies like Google, Amazon or Meta will assume that there’s a connection between you.

Regarding cookies, these are more device based, so multiple accounts logged in from the same device may lead to problems.

The unexpected ads: what happens when your searches aren’t private

Having shared a computer with eight other teachers, sometimes strange ads pop up on YouTube accounts in the classroom like: how to get back with your ex or how to handle difficult relationships at work.

If you’ve been searching for something like a behavioral psychologist and then your housemates start getting bombarded with wellness retreats, it may become annoying for them or embarrassing for you if you’re seeking such support privately.

Ads for something like divorce lawyers may also infringe your privacy during a sensitive time and it’s surprising at this juncture that the digital architecture lacks the sophistication to deal with such a situation.

Surely this could lead to heightened vulnerability if an anxiety-ridden teen looks up prescription drugs or even electronic cigarettes, there’s no protection from other family members' chastisement without going incognito.

The ethics of data collection: are we really in control?

One key misgiving is the lack of informed consent. Sure, you click “accept cookies,” and yes we all know about trackers targeting our preferred topics, but your online behavior is being used to shape future trends and there’s no checking of a box to opt out of being bombarded with debt recovery stuff that your parents have been browsing.

A more ethical approach would involve allowing users to explicitly approve the use of their browsing data for ad targeting, or give them the option to control which types of ads they are comfortable with.

And data regulation should come from the top – surely lobbyists should put more pressure on governments and the big five tech companies.

Taking control back: simple ways to protect your privacy

The first step in regaining control of your digital privacy is to educate yourself about privacy or to use your browser settings to block third-party trackers from using your data.

Then, what’s common knowledge to some, might not be to everyone – use an adblocker for Chrome or your preferred browser to block such content from infiltrating your space.

Using incognito mode can also help, especially on things like work computers if you share devices. A simple Ctrl + Shift + N will do that. So if you’re searching for a surprise gift, this might be your best method.

But best of all a VPN will do you the world of good. Safeguard yourself from getting caught by your other half from browsing cryptocoins. Need a barrier from your colleagues knowing your weekend plans? You know the smart thing to do.