Many people believe that companies, corporations, and the government being able to track your online activity is a horrid thing. Understandably, it is a scary thought; however, many don’t imagine how people being able to track online activity can actually benefit them as a consumer and a citizen. Online, while it may seem scary, is actually quite a good thing on the internet.

Your computer and websites use something called “Cookies.” These cookies are used to track your data. When you visit a website, your web browser or search engine, such as Yahoo or Google, stores the data of this visit in a cookie. It uses this later on; so if you visit a website and sign into an account, your web browser will remember your username and password to allow you quick access into the site. Your easy access to a website is all thanks to online data collection.

Cookies are also used in other websites. While it’s agreed by most that advertisements cause quite an annoyance, educated advertisements can help businesses tell what you, the consumer, want. By visiting a certain site, your browser will collect data, and use it later to allow companies to advertise what you might be interested in. This allows you to easily find products that you like, and allows companies to profit from them. It’s a win-win deal.

Online tracking can also be wonderful for protection. Some people are out there to hurt others. Some people wish to hurt people in this country. Internet safety can be greatly increased by appropriate government access to what people search for and speak of on the world wide web. Disasters can be avoided, that would have otherwise been caused, thanks to government tracking. Some people are afraid of government tracking because they think that the government will do something horrible with their data, but do not fret. As long as you aren’t doing anything terribly illegal, you have nothing to worry about.

If you’re still afraid of online tracking, then there are ways you can avoid it. If you’re so bothered by the idea of businesses and corporations receiving a little information on you, you can go into a version of your browser that most search engines have, commonly called “incognito mode.” You can also go into your device settings and change the browser’s settings so that they can’t collect cookies and data anymore. Or, if you’re really skeptical, you can use an onion protocol browser, such as the Tor Browser. The Tor Browser scrambles your I.P. address, or your online address, and makes you virtually impossible to track. 

All in all, instead of fearing online data collection, we should try to see its many benefits and understand how it makes the internet a better and safer place for everyone. While it may appear scary at first glance, online tracking can make browsing the Internet better for you.

1. AdExchanger // Friday, October 28th, 2011 – 12:09 am. “If A Consumer Asked You, ‘Why Is Tracking Good?”, What Would You Say?” AdExchanger, 28 Oct. 2011, adexchanger.com/online-advertising/why-is-tracking-good/.
2. Anthea-mitchell. “3 Reasons Americans Fear Government.” The Cheat Sheet, The Cheat Sheet, 15 Nov. 2014, www.cheatsheet.com/politics/3-reasons-americans-are-so-suspicious-of-government-monitoring.html/?a=viewall.
3. Klosowski, Thorin. “What Is Tor and Should I Use It?” Lifehacker, Lifehacker.com, 21 Feb. 2014, lifehacker.com/what-is-tor-and-should-i-use-it-1527891029.
4. “Online Tracking.” Consumer Information, 1 Sept. 2016, www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0042-online-tracking.
5. Seltzer, Larry. “Device Tracking by Web Sites Can Be a Good Thing.” ZDNet, ZDNet, 4 Dec. 2015, www.zdnet.com/article/device-tracking-by-web-sites-can-be-a-good-thing/.