What cellphone companies don't want you to know

Kim Komando
Special for USA Today



I'm going to tell you how to stop them, and at the end I'll discuss other ways carriers and advertisers are working to get your information.




Right underneath that setting, by the way, you'll see the "Reset Advertising Identifier" option. Tapping on that will zero out the anonymized identifier linked to your personal data on Apple's servers.

In other words, to trackers you'll appear to be a new user. This can make it more difficult (but not impossible) for advertisers to build up a profile on how you browse.



Once you're in Google Settings, tap the Ads link and then tap "Opt out of interest-based ads." You can also see your advertising ID and tap "Reset advertising ID" to make a new one. This will make you look like a new user to advertisers.

Ads aren't the only way you're tracked on your phone. Google and Apple might be tracking your searches. Use this search app instead to make private searches.

Windows Phone

To turn off Personalized ads in Windows Phone, go to Microsoft's ad opt-out page and under "Personalize ads whenever I use my Microsoft account" click "Off."


The future of tracking

Of course, carriers are working on ways to track you that you can't stop. Verizon and AT&T have experimented with "supercookies" that let any website know who you are when you visit.

AT&T eventually dropped the idea when customers complained, but Verizon still does it. You can opt out at https://www.verizonwireless.com/myprivacy/, so Verizon won't track your information or show you targeted ads. However, Verizon does still add the supercookies to your browsing, which can give away your identity to websites or hackers.

One solution is to use Wi-Fi instead of your cellular signal for browsing, but that isn't always possible. Click here to learn more about Verizon's supercookie problem and how you can protect yourself.

Tracking and selling your information isn't just a problem with cellular carriers, though. There are ways every ad company can track where you go online.

