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March 29, 2024

You may have noticed that when browsing the web for the first time or visiting a new site, you may be asked to enter your email address to continue your search.

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This is no coincidence, as many companies are trying to get hold of as many email addresses as possible to push targeted ads and more.

This is why you should think twice before sending an email to anyone.

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Here’s why companies want your email address, and how to protect yourself. (CyberGuy.com)

Why does the company want my email address?

Advertisers, web publishers, and app makers all want to partially collect email addresses so they can contact you with promotions, advertisements, and special offers. They also use it as a lead generator so they can build a list of leads to follow up with in the future.

They’ll probably send you multiple emails a day, and it’s nearly impossible for you to unsubscribe. They also need your email so they can track your activity across various websites and apps so they can send you targeted advertisements.

Apple and Google have been working hard to give you options to stop apps from tracking you and websites from using cookies.

A cookie begins storing information when you connect to a website and tags your data with an ID uniquely associated with your computer. This allows the website to collect information unique to you and your previous activity on the website.

However, preventing websites and applications from using cookies and monitoring your activity does not prevent advertisers from tracking you if you are willing to provide your email address to advertisers. Email addresses can also be very private, as someone can use them to look up information such as where you went to school and your ethnicity.

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What technologies are these companies using to track me?

Ever since Apple and Google started fighting tracking, a particular type of technology has grown in popularity called Unified ID 2.0, also known as UID 2.0.

Here’s how it works. If you buy clothes on a website that asks you to enter your email address to continue shopping, once you provide your email address, a token is formed.

When you use this token to log in to other sites, such as Facebook or Netflix, this token will be sent along with your email address. For example, if you log into Facebook, your Facebook account and the account you use to shop for clothing sites will basically be linked, and advertisers can then start running clothing ads for you on your Facebook page.

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How can I prevent being tracked in the future?

  • Opt out of providing your email address: If you only have one e-mail account and don’t want it to be inundated with targeted ads, it’s best not to share it when asked on the Internet.
  • Use a private and secure email address: The best way to keep your emails private is to use an encrypted email server.
  • Consider using an alias email address: An alias email address is a great way to stop receiving spam to your main email inbox. By creating a custom email alias, if you start seeing other companies emailing you to that specific alias, not only will you know where it was compromised from, but you can simply delete the alias so other companies don’t give You spam.

Our preferred secure and private email is start mail, which allows users to create unlimited, custom aliases. To read my expert reviews, go to CyberGuy.com and search for “mail” Click the magnifying glass at the top of my site.

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Head over to CyberGuy.com to learn more and see reviews of the best private and secure email providers.

Head over to CyberGuy.com to learn more and see reviews of the best private and secure email providers. (CyberGuy.com)

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