There is a simple tactic you can take to more closely secure your web browsing. This is not just about malware but also about trackers, beacons and more – which impact data privacy as well as security. For some history on this topic, The Wall Street Journal published a stunning series on data privacy and the web in 2010.
Trackers used on our own web site for analytics, WordPress and social advertising.
We’ve been using Ghostery for more than a year and find it invaluable. Working across many browsers (especially Chrome and Firefox) and extending onto mobile, this browser add-on maintains a database of those trackers and beacons and scans each site you visit. While not all trackers and beacons are bad (the list would include Google Analytics, Facebook Page badges), it is helpful to know just what is happening as you use a particular web site. Ghostery then enables you to block some, or all, of those inquisitors that pick up your footprints like breadcrumbs around the web. You can of course white-list sites where you do not have any risks (such as your own site – see a screenshot of Ghostery analyzing the QuonWarrene site at left).
