Privacy Basics

“I have nothing to hide” — we’ve all said it. But privacy isn’t about hiding bad stuff. It’s about having control over your own life.

Think about it: Would you give a stranger your diary? Let them read all your texts? Follow you around noting every store you visit? Probably not. But online, that’s exactly what’s happening — just invisibly.

Here’s why it matters:

• Your data is valuable. Companies make billions selling information about you. Every click, search, and purchase builds a profile that’s bought and sold.

• Opinions change. What’s normal today might be judged differently tomorrow. Your digital history is permanent.

• Data breaches happen. Even if you trust a company, hackers might steal your info. The less data out there, the less damage possible.

• It affects your wallet. Companies use your data to charge you more. Same flight, different prices based on your profile.

Privacy isn’t paranoia — it’s just good sense. You lock your front door, right? Online privacy is the same idea.

More than you’d ever guess. Way more.

The obvious stuff:

• Name, email, phone number
• Photos you upload
• Posts and messages you write
• Things you buy

The not-so-obvious stuff:

• Every website you visit (and how long you stay)
• Your exact location, tracked constantly through your phone
• What you almost bought but didn’t
• How fast you scroll through your feed
• Which posts you pause on (even if you don’t like them)
• Your typing patterns and how you hold your phone

The creepy stuff:

• Predictions about your health, finances, and relationships
• Whether you might be pregnant, depressed, or job hunting
• Your political views (even if you’ve never shared them)
• Who your friends and family are

All this data gets combined to create a shockingly accurate profile of who you are, what you want, and what you’ll do next. And it’s all for sale.

The good news? You can limit what they collect. Start with our Getting Started guide.

Ever talk about something and then see ads for it? It feels like your phone is listening. The truth is both less creepy and more creepy: the algorithm doesn’t need to listen — it already knows you that well.

How “the algorithm” works:

It’s not one algorithm — it’s thousands of them working together. They track:

• What you search for
• What you click on
• How long you look at things
• What your friends like
• Your location patterns
• Your purchase history

Then they use AI to find patterns. People who do X usually also want Y. You did X, so here’s Y.

Why it’s so accurate:

These systems have data from billions of people. They’ve learned that certain behaviors predict certain interests with scary accuracy. You don’t need to say you want something — your behavior already told them.

The filter bubble problem:

The algorithm shows you what it thinks you want to see. This keeps you engaged, but it also traps you in a bubble where you only see one perspective. That’s by design — engagement equals profit.

Want to break free? Use privacy-focused browsers and search engines that don’t track you.

Yes! Perfect privacy might be hard, but meaningful privacy is totally achievable. You don’t have to live off-grid or give up the internet.

Here’s the secret: You don’t need to be invisible — you just need to not be an easy target. Most tracking relies on people doing nothing to protect themselves. Even basic steps put you ahead of 90% of people.

Quick wins that make a real difference:

• Use a privacy browser instead of Chrome
• Switch to a search engine that doesn’t track you
• Use a password manager (stop reusing passwords!)
• Turn off location services for apps that don’t need it
• Use encrypted messaging apps

The 80/20 rule applies: About 20% of the effort gets you 80% of the privacy benefits. You don’t need to become a security expert. Just make some better choices about the tools you use daily.

Companies hate this: When enough people opt out of tracking, their whole business model suffers. Every person who takes privacy seriously makes it harder for surveillance capitalism to work.

Start small, build up. Check out our Getting Started guide for step-by-step instructions.

More people than you’d think.

Your internet provider (ISP):

• Every website you visit
• When you’re online
• How much data you use

Websites you visit:

• Your IP address (rough location)
• Device and browser info
• Everything you do on their site
• Often your activity across OTHER sites too

Advertisers:

• Track you across the web using cookies and fingerprinting
• Build profiles based on your browsing
• Share data with each other

Your employer/school (on their network):

• All traffic on their WiFi
• Everything on devices they manage

Government (varies by country):

• Can request data from ISPs and companies
• May monitor traffic directly in some countries

How to limit this:

• Use a VPN (hides from ISP)
• Use privacy browsers (blocks trackers)
• Use encrypted services (protects content)

See our tools for recommendations.