Christine Hall
For years, the internet advertising industry has been sucking up our data, including our location data, to serve us “more relevant ads.” At the same time, we know that federal law enforcement agencies have been buying up our location data from shady data brokers that most people have never heard of: The Government Uses Targeted Advertising to Track Your Location. Here’s What We Need to Do. https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/19/the-government-uses-targeted-advertising-to-track-your-location-heres-what-we-need-to-do/
The Government Uses Targeted Advertising to Track Your Location. Here’s What We Need to Do.

We’ve all had the unsettling experience of seeing an ad online that reveals just how much advertisers know about our lives. You’re right to be disturbed. Those very same online ad syste…

Techdirt
Mar 21 at 2:00pmWeb
Show threadC++ Wage SlaveMar 21

@BrideOfLinux

I'm surprised the article doesn't say more about how individuals can shelter from surveillance and targeted advertising. Here's my standard package of measures:

  • Remove all mobile phone apps you're not using
  • On both your computer and your phone, use a more privacy-focused browser than Google #Chrome. I use #Firefox. Don't use anything based on #Chromium.
  • In your browser, on all devices, install the following extensions: #uBlockOrigin, #Decentraleyes and either the #EFF's #PrivacyBadger or #Ghostery
  • Install PiHole to protect your home network (or cook a nice dinner for a geeky friend who installs it for you)
  • On your phone, install either #Blokada or #TrackerControl to prevent apps from phoning home while you're using mobile data and you're not protected by your Pi-Hole.

It's terrible that you have to be this careful and this technically knowledgeable to reduce the harms of targeted advertising. I agree with the article about the legal changes we need to make. But, since that's not going to happen in the foreseeable future, we should also talk about the things people can do to protect themselves right now. And, as technically knowledgeable people, we should offer practical help to our friends and loved ones to protect them directly.