Retailers have so many ways to track you – Here’s how to fight back

December 28, 2024

By Kim Komando

If you have a pulse and an internet connection, companies want all the details they can get about what you’re willing to buy. Now that your holiday shopping is done, it’s time to take back control.

There’s a bit of work you can do and then to reclaim your privacy, but if you’re looking for a longer-term solution, I’ll share my secret weapon in the fight against tracking.

‘The Way We Were’

This appropriately titled hit song by Barbra Streisand, released in late 1973, was still a chart-topper in June 1974, when the Universal Product Code (UPC) hit grocery and department stores.

Before UPCs, retailers could decide prices based on things like race, gender, or whether the store clerk liked you or not. Could you imagine going to Walmart and hoping the cashier thought you were cool? Sheesh.

But the introduction of barcodes brought retailers an even bigger benefit: They could use them to track what you bought so they could influence your purchasing habits. Yep, Big Brother’s been watching you in Aisle 5 for decades. UPCs were just the beginning.

The methods are many

We love to blame the digital age for targeted ads, but retailers already had a ton of consumer data by the time the internet came around. It only helped them step up their game a ton.

• Loyalty programs collect data on your purchases, frequency and preferences.
• Mobile apps know when you’re in their store. Nope, those perfectly timed coupon notifications aren’t a coincidence.
• Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth beacons map where you go and document your movements around the store.
• Point-of-sale systems document your purchase histories and connect them to your email address or phone number (if you’ve provided them).
• Surveillance cameras aren’t just for catching thieves. Some retailers use AI to analyze your shopping behaviors and habits.

Take back your (purchasing) power

Tracking is unavoidable, but there are ways to protect your privacy. Use these tips to feel less watched and more sane:

• Uninstall retail apps from your phone. If you can’t part with them, disable your location permissions for each.
• Limit loyalty cards. The fewer you sign up for, the better your privacy. I find most cashiers are willing to let me use theirs in the checkout lanes.
• Switch off Bluetooth if you don’t use it often.
• Know your rights. If you use a retailer’s website or app, there’s usually a section where you can opt out of specific data collection or sharing methods.

And finally, browse in Incognito mode to keep your website history from being stored and reported to ad networks.

• Use an Android? Open your Settings app > Google. Under Manage your Google Account, go to the Data & privacy tab > Ad settings and toggle off Ad personalization.
• On an iPhone, open Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and toggle off Personalized Ads.

Stop this info-selling at the source

I call Incogni my privacy secret weapon. This service finds all the sketchy people-search and data-broker sites where your personal information is listed and submits requests to remove it.

👉 Incogni has removed me from 981 sites and put me on 40 suppression lists so I stay off. All told, Incogni’s saved me an estimated 735 hours and 45 minutes. If you go the DIY route, prepare to remove yourself from the same sites over and over.

✅ Ready to take back your privacy? I negotiated a 60% discount on Incogni just for you. If you don’t like the results, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t get left tech-behind – Stay tech-ahead

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

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