Make your internet browsing private

By Katie Ritchie

Last week I shared how not reading the terms and conditions on websites can lead to privacy invasion. You can keep your internet history and personal information private with browser extensions. Ghostery is a privacy protection extension which is available for most browsers. It aspires to make internet browsing faster, cleaner, and safer. It can detect and block data-tracking technologies. Ghostery doesn’t share any data about individual users to third parties. You aren’t just protected on computers, though. Ghostery even has mobile browsers for your cell phone.

To add Ghostery to your computer visit www.ghostery.com/products/ in your browser of choice. Scroll down to where it says “GHOSTERY BROWSER EXTENSION”. Click the “Add to” button under whichever browser you’re using. You’ll need to confirm that you’d like to add the extension once or twice, depending on the browser. Once the browser has been added you’ll get a confirmation screen.

To add the Ghostery browser to your cell phone you can access the same page. Scroll down to where it says “GHOSTERY MOBILE BROWSER” and click the proper button for your phone. This will redirect you to your phone’s app store where you can download the browser.

Keep in mind, Ghostery is helpful if you’re using the browser or browser with the extension. If you’ve been using other apps on your phone or tablet to access the internet or social media, those may not be protected.

Next week I’ll share information about robocalls which target landlines.