How Tracking Cookies Spy on You Every Day (and How to Stop Them)

Have you ever searched online for shoes and then seen those same shoes appear on your Instagram or Facebook feed minutes or days later? Those are tracking cookies at work, and they know more about you than you realize. 

What are Tracking Cookies?

Tracking cookies are small text files placed on a user’s device by websites to collect data. Everything from user preferences to login sessions is tracked by these files, which actively collect data and monitor your online behavior. They also store different types of private information, like your location and specific device information. Websites use cookies to give the user a personalized experience, to target them with ads, and for website analytics. 

There are two types of tracking cookies: first-party and third-party cookies. 

• First-party cookies are set by the website the user visits, and third-party cookies are set by external sources like advertisers. First-party cookies are not as invasive as third-party cookies.
•  Third-party cookies are detrimental to online privacy because these cookies follow you from site to site, building a digital profile of your different habits, like interests and purchasing behavior. 

This is why you might see the same product weave its way in ads across different platforms you frequent. This is the result of online tracking and data collection.

Now, most people might not see an issue with this because they like to see ads for products that they are interested in, but the problem is that these cookies don’t just stop at ads. Over time, they work to create a record of your own digital footprint,  your location, device, and personal interests.

How to Stop Tracking Cookies

Some people already know a few ways to stop tracking cookies like enabling a private browser, or even cleaning the cookies manually, but Loop8 saves you the headache so you don’t have to worry about all those time consuming methods. Take back your privacy and browse with confidence. So how exactly does Loop8 do this? 

Clean-Slate, built right in the Loop8 extension, sweeps away those sneaky tracking cookies and gives you a fresh start every time you browse. Now companies can’t follow your internet adventures and give you creepily specific ads about what catches your interest. 

It also blocks various tracking technologies like browser fingerprinting, local storage tracking, and cross-site request forgery, creating comprehensive privacy protection. 

The best part? Clean-Slate works across all browsers and works quietly in the background as you use the web, all without the frustration of constant logins or broken sessions. With Loop8, you take control of your online privacy. No more hidden surveillance, no more retargeted ads-just a safer, cleaner internet experience where your data security comes first.