Data Tracking

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What is Data Tracking?
Data tracking is the process of following the browsing habits and data of users. According to Martin companies often track users purchase history, browsing history, users information, and clickstream data (Martin, 2016). All of the information that is tracked on a user does not only come from a computer as well, many smartphones often send data back to companies on the habits of its users.

Why is it important?
Data tracking is important as it is one of the main components that make the semantic web a personalized experience. The data that is tracked is used to recommend search results and content that could be in line with a users browsing habits, unfortunately this can also lead to what is known as a filter bubble. While tracking can hurt the amount of information users can consume, it is also what the new web relies on to create a personalized experience for the user.

How it Affects Users
The data that is being tracked could be considered personal information by some users. It is important to understand how data is tracked so that users can determine what information is shared over the web. Data privacy is an important aspect of data tracking as many different forms of data can be tracked. Data can be tracked by many different means, but is most often tracked by large companies and data brokers.

How to Avoid Being Tracked
There are various ways that users can avoid being tracked such as using private browsers, web extensions, and VPNs.