{"id":62940,"date":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foxtail\/2018\/04\/12\/cross-site-tracking-lets-unpack-that\/"},"modified":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","slug":"cross-site-tracking-lets-unpack-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/firefox\/cross-site-tracking-lets-unpack-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-site tracking: Let\u2019s unpack that"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you followed the Facebook hearings, there\u2019s one term that came up many times: \u201ccross-site tracking\u201d \u2014 and for good reason. But it also seems to be something that many people do not understand. So what does cross-site tracking even mean and why is it important right now? Read on.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What it is <\/b><\/h3>\n

This is the easiest part! It\u2019s exactly what it sounds like: cross-site tracking generally refers to companies collecting browsing data across multiple websites.<\/p>\n

When you browse from site to site, you\u2019re often followed by trackers that collect data on where you\u2019ve been and what you\u2019ve done, using scripts, widgets or even tiny, invisible images<\/a> embedded on the sites you visit. Take, for example, those social share buttons embedded on many websites. Sites may choose to include those buttons to gain useful analytics about their content, but the buttons also send data back to the social platforms. Sometimes, that makes sense, allowing you to share content on other social platforms. But often, that data also ends up being used behind the scenes to target advertising or create user profiles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What also happens behind the scenes is that many more third parties \u2014 companies separate from the sites you\u2019re visiting \u2014 are also receiving that activity, without your knowledge.<\/p>\n

Why it exists <\/b><\/h3>\n

Most sites collect data to personalize your experiences with them and make their site work better. That\u2019s pretty widely accepted as normal. It usually does make browsing easier and the publisher\u2019s services better. They often use cookies \u2014 small data files stored by your browser<\/a> \u2014 to remember things like language preferences or what you\u2019ve got in your shopping cart.<\/p>\n

Cookies can also be used to follow you around the web and serve up ads based on the things you\u2019ve looked at. Here\u2019s how it works: You visit a site, a third-party advertiser leaves a cookie on your browser. The cookie may contain a unique identifier \u2014 not necessarily your name, but something they can use to understand who you are and which sites you visit. Details about what you do from that point on can be transferred to a third party and stored on remote servers. Those cookies help advertisers serve you custom ads across the web and in your social media feeds, and can also reveal what you\u2019ve been doing online to a social site, which is why some ads will follow you into social media walled gardens.<\/p>\n

For many, having ads that are in tune with what you\u2019re searching for is a plus. If you\u2019re into ceramic pottery and succulents, it\u2019d be annoying and weird to see ads for medical equipment or industrial pipe and valve fittings (been there, seen that).<\/p>\n

Regardless, the most important part is that you should still have control over what advertisers know about you, if they know anything about you at all, which can be tough when web trackers operate in the background \u2013 out of sight.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s potentially problematic<\/b><\/h3>\n

Not knowing what\u2019s up with your data is what makes cross-site tracking tricky. Those third parties \u2014 like data brokers, affiliate networks and advertising networks \u2014 use cookies, and other data tracking methods, to collect information about our browsing habits without our consent.
\nWhile tracking can be helpful, there can\u2019t be a healthy trade-off between the value it provides and the data it collects without transparency (aka being informed, in a way that\u2019s easy to understand, who sees your data, who it\u2019s shared with and you having the option to say \u201cUm, no. I\u2019m out.\u201d if you don\u2019t like it).<\/p>\n

How you can take control<\/b><\/h3>\n

One way to dial down the creepiness factor is to use Private Browsing with Tracking Protection<\/a> right in Firefox<\/a>, which makes it harder for third-parties to track your search history across multiple sites. It’s available on our desktop and mobile<\/a> browsers (cause tracking happens regardless of the device you connect with).<\/p>\n

When you browse in a Private Window, Firefox doesn\u2019t save the pages you visit, cookies, searches or temporary files. It\u2019s not a bulletproof solution, but for everyday web browsing it might just give you some peace of mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you followed the Facebook hearings, there\u2019s one term that came up many times: \u201ccross-site tracking\u201d \u2014 and for good reason. But it also seems to be something that many people do not understand. So what does cross-site tracking even mean and why is it important right now? Read on. What it is This is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":382,"featured_media":50808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCross-site tracking: Let\u2019s unpack that<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you followed the Facebook hearings, there\u2019s one term that has came up many times: \u201ccross-site tracking\u201d \u2014 but it seems to be something that not many people understand. 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