How do I install the Privacy Guardian Extension?
- From the Privacy section, select ‘Fingerprinting Extension’ from the dropdown.
- Next, select install to add the extension to each browser.
- Finally, adjust settings, filters and manage options to your liking by clicking on the icon found in your browser’s toolbar.
What is digital fingerprinting?
Your digital fingerprint is made up of your online browsing habits, device and browser settings. All of this collected data allows advertisers to identify and target you with spam and hyper-specific ads.
What are the benefits of using the Privacy Guardian Extension?
Our extension protects your privacy by:
- Anonymizes your browsing history
- Prevents identity profiling
- Stops invasive and hyper-targeted ads
What is a third-party tracker?
When you visit a webpage part of the page may come from domains and servers other than the one you asked to visit. This is an essential feature of hypertext. On the modern Web, embedded images and code often use cookies and other methods to track your browsing habits — often to display advertisements. The domains that do this are called “third party trackers”, and you can read more about how they work here.
Does Privacy Guardian Extension account for a cookie that was used to track me even if I removed it?
Yes. When learning is enabled, Privacy Guardian Extension keeps track of cookies that could be used to track you and where they came from, even if you often clear your browser’s cookies.
Does Privacy Guardian Extension consider every cookie to be a tracking cookie?
No. We analyze the cookies from each site; unique cookies that contain tracking IDs are disallowed, while “low entropy” cookies that perform other functions are allowed. For instance a cookie like LANG=fr that encodes the user’s language preference, or a cookie that preserves a small amount of information about ads the user has been shown, would be allowed provided that individual or small groups of users’ reading habits could not be collected with them.
What is Global Privacy Control (GPC)?
Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a new specification that allows users to tell companies they’d like to opt out of having their data shared or sold. By default, iolo Privacy Guardian Extension sends the GPC signal to every company you interact with alongside the Do Not Track (DNT) signal.
What’s the difference? Do Not Track is meant to tell companies that you don’t want to be tracked in any way (learn more about what we mean by “tracking” here). Privacy Guardian Extension gives third-party companies a chance to comply with DNT by adopting our DNT policy, and blocks those that look like they’re tracking you anyway.
When DNT was developed, many websites simply ignored users’ requests not to be tracked. That’s why Privacy Guardian Extension must act as an enforcer: trackers that don’t want to comply with your wishes get blocked. Today, users in many jurisdictions have the legal right to opt out of some kinds of tracking. That’s where GPC comes in.
GPC is meant to be a legally binding request to all companies in places with applicable privacy laws. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act gives California residents the right to opt out of having their data sold. By sending the GPC signal, Privacy Guardian Extension is telling companies that you would like to exercise your rights. And while we only enforce DNT compliance against third-party domains, GPC applies to everyone – the first-party sites you visit, and any third-party trackers they might invite in.
The CCPA and other laws are not perfect, which is why Privacy Guardian Extension uses both approaches. It asks websites to respect your privacy, and it blocks known trackers from loading at all.
You can learn more about GPC and your rights here.
Which browsers are supported?
- Google Chrome (Coming soon!)
- Microsoft Edge (Coming soon!)
- Mozilla Firefox
- Opera
Why doesn't Privacy Guardian Extension block all ads?
Because Privacy Guardian Extension is primarily a privacy tool, not an ad blocker. Our aim is not to block ads, but to prevent non-consensual invasions of people’s privacy because we believe they are inherently objectionable. We also want to create incentives for advertising companies to do the right thing. Of course, if you really dislike ads, you can also install a traditional ad blocker.
What if I am already using an adblocker?
While adblockers do block targeted ads, they do not stop tracking and personal data collection. Privacy Guardian Fingerprinting Extension goes beyond adblockers to prevent data collectors from obtaining easily identifiable information.
Can't I just use an incognito browser?
Your favorite browser’s incognito mode will prevent cookies, browsing history, and autocomplete fields from being saved, however, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can still see your device’s IP address and is able to log your traffic.
How do I import/export my tracking settings from one browser or device to another?
- Click on settings via the gear icon.
- Select ‘Browser Settings’
- Click import or export settings
How do I uninstall/remove Privacy Guardian Extension?
- Firefox: See the Disable or remove Add-ons Mozilla help page.
- Chrome: See the Install and manage extensions Chrome Web Store help page.
- Edge: See the Add or remove browser add-ons, extensions, and toolbars Microsoft help page.
Need assistance?
Should you have any product questions or concerns, please visit our Customer Care Portal where you can find knowledgebase articles or chat with a Customer Care Representative using our Live Chat feature.