When I spoke at the Stuart Rotary Club’s weekly meeting yesterday, I was asked, “How can I have less ‘looking-over-my-shoulder’ when I’m online?”

Let me give you an example of what the person meant. Recently, my vehicle died. (It has almost 300,000 miles on it so I’m not complaining.) On my computer, in a browser, I went looking for a replacement vehicle. A little later, I went on my phone and went into Instagram. In between the pictures I was viewing was a sponsored ad (not unusual) and it was a sales pitch for a new vehicle – like the ones I had viewed on the computer.

How does that happen? How can I look at one thing in a browser on the computer and then have targeted ads appear on my phone? Mostly, you can thank computer cookies for that. (To learn more about cookies, read my September 9, 2019 Question of the Week found HERE.)

My answer to the person asking the question was “Pull the plug.” If you want total privacy, that’s pretty much the answer. Yes, there are some things you can do to cut down on being followed. You can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which will hide your location and encrypt everything you do. You can block third-party cookies and you can delete cookies when you close the browser. (These are both settings that have to be made in each browser you use.) You can use private windows and tabs.

All of these processes will cut down on you experiencing situations like the one I described above. However, before you start changing settings in all of your browsers, etc., you should ask yourself this question: “Is this really a bad thing?” If I’m seriously looking for a new vehicle, what’s wrong with being exposed to other options or other prices? Maybe being shown ads related to things I’m interested in is better than having any old ad show up. (Remember, it costs a lot to have a website, etc., so ads are going to appear.) That’s a decision you’ll need to make for yourself. Or, maybe you’ll just need to pull the plug.