How To Hide Your Online Footprint

Check your internet provider’s privacy policy and look for encrypted sites.

- Sandra Block

If you spend any time at all online, you’re probably used to targeted ads. Google the price of a pair of galoshes or an iPhone charger, and before long, you’ll see ads for boots and smartphone accessories.

Most of us have grown accustomed to these ads, even if we sometimes find them intrusive. But a recent move by Congress to roll back privacy rules for internet service providers has raised concerns that deeply personal information—not just our taste in boots—could be repackaged and sold to the highest bidder.

The rules, which were approved by the Federal Communications Commission last October, would have barred ISPs, such as Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, from collecting and selling information about your online activities without your consent. Congress voted to repeal the changes before they took effect, so technically, nothing has changed. But privacy advocates worry that the rollback will encourage ISPs to ramp up efforts to sell their customers’ browsing history to advertisers and third-party data brokers.