All Amazon shoppers MUST take these important steps during the holidays, including removing your public profile
When Fall hits, I get more and more calls on my national radio show from people looking for easy ways to make extra cash. I get it. When you’re buying gifts for lots of friends and family, it adds up quickly.
Sadly, remote job scams are everywhere. The worst thing you can do is search for “make money online.” I have your back. Tap or click for a list of legitimate online jobs that might fit your skills.
During this time of year, look for ways to save hard-earned dollars, too. Tap or click for eight proven ways to lower your internet, cable, and streaming bills.
Every holiday shopping season, I like to revisit Amazon security essentials, so you don’t have to worry about spoiling a surprise or putting your privacy at risk.
1. Stop Amazon from tracking your browsing
Amazon tracks your entire browsing activity by default. The company saves your searches, including items you recently viewed along with product categories.
These details let Amazon create ads that specifically target you and your interests. The bad news is that anyone you share a computer or an account with can also see those ads.
Here’s how to stop Amazon from tracking your browsing activity:
- Log in to your account at Amazon.com.
- On the upper menu under the Amazon search bar, click on Browsing History.
- On the next page, click on the Manage history drop-down arrow.
- Toggle Turn Browsing History on/off to Off.
- You can also click Remove all items from view to clear out your history.
Then turn off personalized ads in a few clicks:
- Go to Your Account page.
- Under Communication and content, click Advertising preferences.
- On this page, select Do not show me interest-based ads provided by Amazon, then click Submit.
It feels like the tracking never ends … because it doesn’t. Tap or click here for five ways you’re being tracked right now that you can stop.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
30-second Amazon privacy fix you need to do right now
Amazon has a way of creeping into our lives and making things incredibly easy. With convenience, there are often trade-offs. Many people are unaware that they have a public profile on Amazon.
Your public profile is created automatically, whether you want it or not, and it contains your comments and any ratings that you have left on products purchased on Amazon. Your biographical information and other site interactions are also posted to your profile.
Amazon shares your private info unless you do these steps
Amazon’s stock is soaring as it joins the trillion-dollar club alongside Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube. The buy-anything-you-need site is even moving into our lexicon. Rather than risking a trip to the store amid the pandemic, we say, “I’ll Prime it.”
Your privacy: 5 Amazon settings to change now
Let’s face it: We give big tech companies way more info than we should or ideally prefer to happen. What we do online, what we like, where we go, and what we buy is out for the taking.
You really can’t get around data-sharing, but there are steps you can take to minimize it. To start, take a look at everything Google knows. You’ll be shocked.