How to Stop Retargeting Ads from Following You around the Web?
You might have already noticed that you cannot get rid of those irritating ads that seem to follow you everywhere you go. While this might seem somewhat creepy to most, the good thing is that it can be rectified by taking a few simple measures.
What are Retargeted Ads?
Suppose you hop on to the Walmart website in search of a particular brand of milk. You proceed to buy that specific brand of milk, close the browser, and carry on with your online activities. However, when you reopen the browser in the future, you find an ad for the same milk brand on, let’s say, Facebook or YouTube.
Now, you are trying to ignore these repetitive ads. Still, this constant bombardment seems unignorable and is now getting on your nerves. You have now become a target of Retargeted Ads. Retargeting is an online advertising tactic that utilizes the information that you leave on your browsers every time you log in. These bits of information provide the website with necessary information such as browsing habits and purchase preferences that enable them to target customized ads right at you.
Can You Stop Retargeted Ads?
Luckily, the answer is Yes – there are a few tactics that you could adopt to free yourself from being stalked by these ads. Here are a few worth looking into:
Clear Your Cache and Cookies
The first thing you need to do is open the settings tab of your browser and clear all the cookies and cache stored on your system. The cache is primarily used to temporarily store browser data so that the next time you visit a website, the page loads faster. While clearing your cache might slow down the page load time, it is still worth the privacy.
You could also take things one step further and deny permission to store third-party cookies on your system. Every time you close the browser, it must be configured to wipe out all the cookies and cache. Ultimately, your browser should start afresh every time you log in.
Go Incognito
If you do not wish to worry yourself about the settings and the different privacy tabs, your best bet is to go incognito or private. Depending on the browser you use, you could opt for the incognito or private browsing mode that enables you to browse under the radar and starts every new browsing session from scratch.
Moreover, every time you are browsing in incognito, your information does not get stored and is instantly wiped out the moment you close the browser. This might help you stay away from third-party apps.
Install Ad-blocking Extensions
Another way for you to gain relief from the irritating pop-up ads is to rely on third-party ad-blocking extensions. You may choose from several options, such as AdBlock Plus or AdGuard. The thing about these browser extensions is that, in addition to blocking pop-up ads, they also enable you to block third-party cookies.
Get a VPN Service
VPNs are always a good idea to use when sending/receiving information over the internet. VPNs are short for Virtual Private Networks, whose job is to create a virtual network between you and the websites you are visiting while keeping your actual IP address hidden.
And while your actual IP address stays hidden, a virtual IP address is broadcasted, giving the impression to the website that you are accessing the platform from a different location entirely. Moreover, the VPN also encrypts every bit of information that is traveling to and from your system, be it from your browser or any other application.
Get a VPN Extension
Unlike a VPN Client app, a VPN extension is relatively small-scale. While it does offer similar functionality, its benefits are only restricted to the browser they are installed on. For instance, a Firefox VPN extension will only work as long you are using the Mozilla Firefox browser; once you switch over to Google Chrome or Internet Explorer, you will no longer stay anonymous.
Though, you have to be cautious of the VPN extension you download. More often than not, VPN extensions merely pose as VPNs when in reality, they are only functioning as proxies. As such, they only provide access to different servers and do not encrypt your information, just like a VPN is supposed to do. Your safest bet in this regard would be to turn to Ivacy VPN, as it offers military-grade encryption and split-tunneling for its subscribers.
Change Your Browser
One way of overcoming this frustration is changing your internet browser. While this may seem drastic, it is often the smart thing to do. DuckDuckGo is one sensible option in this regard, as it takes pride in its privacy and no-tracking policy. So, instead of modifying your existing browser to stay safe and secure, try switching over to options such as DuckDuckGo to solve your problem.
Opt out from Some Ads
In some cases, you do have the option to opt-out of seeing ads. For instance, Google allows you to opt-out of the ads that are being displayed. And since this setting will be synchronized with the Google account that is logged in at the time, the same setting may be accessed when that account is logged in from a different device.
Remove Your Data from Broker Sites
This may seem like a hassle, but there are sites in this world that have sensitive data about you. And what’s worse is that they sell this data to parties willing to pay the right amount. Some prominent pieces of information include name, address, income, and the websites you visit.
Summing It All Up
While these ads may seem harmless initially, their repetitive appearance on your screens is not only a nuisance but also a matter of significant concern. Fortunately, the tactics mentioned above are more than sufficient in helping you overcome this constant problem. And let’s not forget that VPN services like Ivacy VPN are also there to anonymize you and prevent any retargeted ads from ever popping up.
