Covert stalking by companies, marketers and advertisers of most Web surfers happens on a daily basis.
Many companies use tracking software to keep tabs on what users are doing on the Internet, notes Lutz Blaeser, MD of Intact Security.
Blaeser says advertisers assume there is an interest when users visit their sites in spite of not making a purchase.
"Some of the software used is so sophisticated that data is collected from hovering on a link. The data is then used to deliver advertisements for goods and services that have been targeted specifically with the user's preferences and interests in mind," notes Blaeser.
Intact Security supplies Avira's Browser Tracking Blocker (BTB) anti-tracking software, which it says secures businesses from unwanted phishing and spam.
"Avira recently partnered with online privacy company Abine to launch the Avira BTB," Blaeser explains.
"It is built with Abine's DNT+ technology, which has, since its unveiling in February, blocked over 285 billion attempts to track users and will enable Avira's users to choose which Web sites can track their online behaviour or to alternatively block them completely," he explains.
According to Avira, Facebook has been identified as a primary source of information about sites visited and content browsed to determine users' preferences.
According to Avira, there are more than 200 different companies and 580 technologies that track consumers' browsing activities -often without their consent or knowledge.
"Through customer surveys, Avira has learned that 84% of users worry that their personal information will be stolen or misused when they are surfing the Web. Avira's philosophy is to not only secure the computer, but the user as well," concludes Blaeser.
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