<s>
Web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
is	O
the	O
practice	O
by	O
which	O
operators	O
of	O
websites	O
and	O
third	O
parties	O
collect	O
,	O
store	O
and	O
share	O
information	O
about	O
visitors’	O
activities	O
on	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
can	O
be	O
part	O
of	O
visitor	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
uses	O
of	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
include	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Advertising	O
companies	O
actively	O
collect	O
information	O
about	O
users	O
and	O
make	O
profiles	B-Algorithm
that	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
individualize	O
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Websites	O
like	O
Netflix	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
collect	O
information	O
about	O
what	O
shows	O
users	O
watch	O
,	O
which	O
helps	O
them	O
suggest	O
more	O
shows	O
that	O
they	O
might	O
like	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Search	O
engines	O
like	O
Google	B-Application
will	O
keep	O
a	O
record	O
of	O
what	O
users	O
search	O
for	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
help	O
them	O
suggest	O
more	O
relevant	O
searches	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Law	O
enforcement	O
agencies	O
may	O
use	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
to	O
spy	O
on	O
individuals	O
and	O
solve	O
crimes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
will	O
give	O
insight	O
on	O
how	O
a	O
website	O
is	O
being	O
used	O
and	O
see	O
how	O
long	O
a	O
user	O
spends	O
on	O
a	O
certain	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Every	O
device	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
is	O
assigned	O
a	O
unique	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
is	O
needed	O
to	O
enable	O
devices	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
appropriate	O
software	O
on	O
the	O
host	O
website	O
,	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
of	O
visitors	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
can	O
be	O
logged	O
and	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
visitor	O
’s	O
geographical	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Logging	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
can	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
monitor	O
if	O
a	O
person	O
voted	O
more	O
than	O
once	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
viewing	O
pattern	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	O
users	O
may	O
circumvent	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
and	O
geo-blocking	O
and	O
protect	O
personal	O
identity	O
and	O
location	O
to	O
stay	O
anonymous	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
using	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
HTTP	B-Application
cookie	I-Application
is	O
code	O
and	O
information	O
embedded	O
onto	O
a	O
user	O
’s	O
device	O
by	O
a	O
website	O
when	O
the	O
user	O
visits	O
the	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
website	O
might	O
then	O
retrieve	O
the	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
cookie	B-Application
on	O
subsequent	O
visits	O
to	O
the	O
website	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cookies	B-Application
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
customise	O
the	O
user	O
’s	O
browsing	O
experience	O
and	O
to	O
deliver	O
targeted	O
ads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
browsing	O
activities	O
that	O
cookies	B-Application
can	O
store	O
are	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
first-party	B-Application
cookie	I-Application
is	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
website	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
visiting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
cookies	B-Application
are	O
considered	O
"	O
good	O
"	O
since	O
they	O
help	O
the	O
user	O
rather	O
than	O
spy	O
on	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
goal	O
of	O
first-party	B-Application
cookies	I-Application
is	O
to	O
recognize	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
their	O
preferences	O
so	O
that	O
their	O
desired	O
settings	O
can	O
be	O
applied	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third-party	O
cookie	B-Application
is	O
created	O
by	O
websites	O
other	O
than	O
the	O
one	O
a	O
user	O
visits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Restrictions	O
on	O
third-party	O
cookies	B-Application
introduced	O
by	O
web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
are	O
bypassed	O
by	O
some	O
tracking	O
companies	O
using	O
technique	O
called	O
CNAME	B-Protocol
cloaking	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
third-party	O
tracking	O
service	O
is	O
assigned	O
a	O
DNS	B-Protocol
record	O
in	O
the	O
first-party	O
origin	O
domain	O
(	O
usually	O
CNAME	B-Protocol
)	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
masqueraded	O
as	O
first-party	O
even	O
though	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
separate	O
entity	O
in	O
legal	O
and	O
organizational	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
technique	O
is	O
blocked	O
by	O
some	O
browsers	B-Application
and	O
ad	O
blockers	O
using	O
block	O
lists	O
of	O
known	O
trackers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Canvas	B-Protocol
fingerprinting	I-Protocol
allows	O
websites	O
to	O
identify	O
and	O
track	O
users	O
using	O
HTML5	O
canvas	O
elements	O
instead	O
of	O
using	O
a	O
browser	B-Application
cookie	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cross-device	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
are	O
used	O
by	O
advertisers	O
to	O
help	O
identify	O
which	O
channels	O
are	O
most	O
successful	O
in	O
helping	O
convert	O
browsers	B-Application
into	O
buyers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mouse	B-Device
tracking	I-Device
collects	O
the	O
users	O
mouse	O
cursor	O
positions	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Browser	B-Protocol
fingerprinting	I-Protocol
relies	O
on	O
your	O
browser	B-Application
and	O
is	O
a	O
way	O
of	O
identifying	O
users	O
every	O
time	O
they	O
go	O
online	O
and	O
track	O
your	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
fingerprinting	B-Protocol
,	O
websites	O
can	O
determine	O
the	O
users	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
language	O
,	O
time	O
zone	O
,	O
and	O
browser	B-Application
version	O
without	O
your	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Supercookies	O
or	O
"	O
evercookies	B-Application
"	O
can	O
not	O
only	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
track	O
users	O
across	O
the	O
web	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
also	O
hard	O
to	O
detect	O
and	O
difficult	O
to	O
remove	O
since	O
they	O
are	O
stored	O
in	O
a	O
different	O
place	O
than	O
the	O
standard	O
cookies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Session	B-Protocol
replay	I-Protocol
scripts	O
allows	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
replay	O
a	O
visitor	O
's	O
journey	O
on	O
a	O
web	O
site	O
or	O
within	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
application	I-Application
or	O
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	B-Protocol
beacons	I-Protocol
are	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
check	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
an	O
individual	O
who	O
received	B-Operating_System
an	I-Operating_System
email	I-Operating_System
actually	O
read	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Federated	B-Operating_System
Learning	I-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Cohorts	I-Operating_System
(	O
FLoC	B-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
trialed	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
in	O
2021	O
,	O
which	O
intends	O
to	O
replace	O
existing	O
behavioral	O
tracking	O
which	O
relies	O
on	O
tracking	O
individual	O
user	O
actions	O
and	O
aggregating	O
them	O
on	O
the	O
server	O
side	O
with	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
declaring	O
their	O
membership	O
in	O
a	O
behavioral	O
cohort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EFF	O
has	O
criticized	O
FLoC	B-Operating_System
as	O
retaining	O
the	O
fundamental	O
paradigm	O
of	O
surveillance	B-General_Concept
economy	I-General_Concept
,	O
where	O
"	O
each	O
user	O
’s	O
behavior	O
follows	O
them	O
from	O
site	O
to	O
site	O
as	O
a	O
label	O
,	O
inscrutable	O
at	O
a	O
glance	O
but	O
rich	O
with	O
meaning	O
to	O
those	O
in	O
the	O
know	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
UID	O
smuggling	O
"	O
was	O
found	O
to	O
be	O
prevalent	O
and	O
largely	O
not	O
mitigated	O
by	O
latest	O
protection	O
tools	O
–	O
such	O
as	O
Firefox	B-Application
's	O
tracking	O
protection	O
and	O
uBlock	B-Protocol
Origin	I-Protocol
–	O
by	O
a	O
2022	O
study	O
which	O
also	O
contributed	O
to	O
countermeasures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Use	O
of	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
can	O
be	O
controversial	O
when	O
applied	O
in	O
the	O
context	O
of	O
a	O
private	O
individual	O
;	O
and	O
to	O
varying	O
degrees	O
is	O
subject	O
to	O
legislation	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
EU	O
's	O
eCommerce	O
Directive	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
's	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Act	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
is	O
done	O
without	O
the	O
knowledge	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
considered	O
a	O
breach	O
of	O
browser	B-Protocol
security	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
advanced	O
protection	O
tools	O
are	O
or	O
include	O
Firefox	B-Application
's	O
tracking	O
protection	O
and	O
the	O
browser	B-Protocol
addons	I-Protocol
uBlock	B-Protocol
Origin	I-Protocol
and	O
Privacy	B-Operating_System
Badger	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
include	O
the	O
browser	B-Protocol
addon	I-Protocol
NoScript	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
an	O
alternative	O
search	O
engine	O
like	O
DuckDuckGo	B-Application
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
VPNs	B-Application
cost	O
money	O
and	O
as	O
of	O
2023	O
NoScript	B-Operating_System
may	O
"	O
make	O
general	O
web	O
browsing	O
a	O
pain	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
mobile	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
advanced	O
method	O
may	O
be	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
mobile	B-Application
browser	I-Application
Firefox	B-Operating_System
Focus	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
mitigates	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
on	O
mobile	O
to	O
a	O
large	O
extent	O
,	O
including	O
Total	O
Cookie	B-Application
Protection	O
and	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
private	B-Protocol
mode	I-Protocol
in	O
the	O
conventional	O
Firefox	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
also	O
control	O
third-party	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
to	O
some	O
extent	O
by	O
other	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opt-out	O
cookies	B-Application
enables	O
users	O
to	O
block	O
websites	O
from	O
installing	O
future	O
cookies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Websites	O
may	O
be	O
blocked	O
from	O
installing	O
third	O
party	O
advertisers	O
or	O
cookies	B-Application
on	O
a	O
browser	B-Application
which	O
will	O
prevent	O
tracking	O
on	O
the	O
users	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Do	B-Protocol
Not	I-Protocol
Track	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
setting	O
that	O
can	O
request	O
a	O
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
to	O
disable	O
the	O
tracking	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contrary	O
to	O
popular	O
belief	O
,	O
browser	B-Application
privacy	B-Protocol
mode	I-Protocol
does	O
not	O
prevent	O
(	O
all	O
)	O
tracking	O
attempts	O
because	O
it	O
usually	O
only	O
blocks	O
the	O
storage	O
of	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
visitor	O
site	O
(	O
cookies	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
help	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
against	O
the	O
various	O
fingerprinting	B-Protocol
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
use	O
"	O
tracking	O
protection	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
tracking	O
prevention	O
"	O
features	O
to	O
block	O
web	O
trackers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
teams	O
behind	O
the	O
NoScript	B-Operating_System
and	O
uBlock	B-Protocol
addons	O
have	O
assisted	O
with	O
developing	O
Firefox	B-Application
 '	O
SmartBlock	O
's	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
