By Adaeze Uche

If you’ve ever wondered what websites do with the data they collect, you’re not alone. Many people assume the worst, thinking websites just want to target or scam you. But the truth is far more straightforward and less spicy.

Website Owners Need Your Data for Analytics

The most basic reason websites collect data is for analytics purposes. Much like how you monitor your social media accounts to see how many people have followed/unfollowed you, liked your posts, watched your videos, etc., website owners rely on your data to analyse how people are interacting with their services.

For instance, analytics can show which pages or content are most popular. Then, website owners can create or provide more of what resonates best with their audience.

Whether it’s tracking how many people visit a certain page, how long they spend on different sections, or which website features people use the most, data collection helps owners continually enhance the overall user experience. These details can offer clues on how they can improve the navigation, make content more accessible, or bring more relevant information to the fore.

Although collected from individuals, much of this data is aggregated—used as a whole to make general statements instead of identifying individual traits. At its core, analytics offers owners high-level snapshots like “10,000 people subscribed to my blog, with more females unsubscribing after two weeks than males.”

This data isn’t used to profile you—as someone who reads articles every evening. Rather, it helps owners identify common usage patterns so they can better tailor their services to the needs and preferences of their target audience.

Most Sites Want to Offer You Personalized Services

While analytics focus on aggregate insights about large groups of people, many sites also track some level of individual user data to cater to your unique needs and interests. If you’re anything like me, you’d rather see relevant product recommendations when you open an e-commerce site. Or, you just love Spotify’s daylist or DJ features.

These personalized recommendations are provided because the website or application tracks your previous purchases, listening history, browsing behaviour, etc.

However, it’s not only about personalized recommendations. If you’re visiting a site for the second time, you’d most likely see a different landing page from the one you saw the first time around. Similarly, the site header, font, page span, etc., will differ based on whether you’re using a smartphone or a laptop.

Have you ever noticed how a site remembers your language preference or theme? That’s also your data at work.

Big tech companies like Google typically employ individual tracking to “tailor your experience,” but again, this is usually strictly based on the information you voluntarily provide. You’ll always be able to disable personalization cookies or opt out of sites tracking your searches or activity.

Google Turn Off Personalisation Settings Information Page

Websites Can Collect Your Data to Show You Relevant Ads

Have you ever wondered how so many websites manage to remain free without any paywalls blocking your way? The truth is that most rely on ads to keep the information, videos, etc., flowing.

Whether you want to or not, you’ll most likely endure a barrage of ads every day, even if you use ad blockers. But the good thing is that, instead of irrelevant ads, you can opt for ads that’ll allow you to find things you might need or like. I’ve found several helpful, unique productivity apps enduring unwanted ads.

So, how do sites show you relevant ads? Simple—by tracking things like what product categories you typically browse and your past purchases. Run a search for something you’re thinking of buying, and lo and behold, related ads will pop up wherever you surf next. You can read our guide if you’d love to learn more about how websites track your online activity.

7 Ways to Protect Your Privacy Online

While most sites aren’t out to scam you, you should still take extra steps to keep your data safe and private.

1. Don’t accept cookies blindly. Read through cookie/privacy policies carefully to understand what data a site collects and how it’ll be used. Don’t assume. Verify.
2. Periodically clear the cookies you’ve accepted for specific sites. Modern browsers make this easy, as well as blocking third parties and opting out of interest-based ads.
3. Use a VPN to keep your browsing activities hidden.
4. On sites like Google and Facebook, opt out of personalization if you’d rather not receive ads based on your interests.
5. Confirm that data transfer on each site you visit is secure; check that there is HTTPS in the URL field.
6. Use a separate, complex password for each of your accounts. This way, if one of your accounts suffers from a data breach, it won’t affect all your accounts. There are tons of password managers you can take advantage of.
7. Install privacy tools like Brave or Signal on any of your devices to block trackers that may be lurking in the background of sites.

While malicious sites exist, most collect data for legitimate reasons, not to scam you. It’s important not to attribute malicious intent at first glance. Remember, people run websites—and people make mistakes, which is why there are so many instances of data breaches and the like.

By Adaeze Uche

Sourced from MUO