Have you ever wondered how the advertising on social networking websites or on Google just happens to know that you are single or married and pregnant? Have you ever wondered how they know about what kind of artists or authors you liked? This is because of different kinds of tracking done on first-party sites that you visit often. They use three different tracking tools to keep a record of your information and your moment when on the Internet through tracking cookies, flash cookies, and browser fingerprinting.
Tracking cookies are small bits of information that are stored about you. When you first visit a website, a number is given to identify you and it is stored. Usually, advertisers store the information so that they can better advertise to you. Tracking cookies are done by third-party sites and can be dangerous for your personal information. Most websites say they do not sell or give your personal information away, but there really is no way of knowing.
Flash cookies are another form of tracking that uses Flash Player. You usually use flash when watching movies, television shows, or playing online games. Flash is another way for advertisers and websites to know what you like. YouTube is a prime example of a website that uses Flash. Flash cookies are usually harder to get off your computer because they are not stored in your browser like tracking cookies are. You have to go onto the Adobe site and search for the “Settings Manager” even to see what flash cookies are on your computer.
Browser fingerprinting is another way for advertising to identify you. This form of tracking is done in a different way. It uses the unique code from the browser that you use to identify you. The unique code stores your settings for your browser, your type of operating system, and the plug-ins you store. The combination of all of the information gives you away to advertisers.