There are the stores themselves, which collect as much as they can while you browse their sites.

(Dont be evil, my ass.)

What do these trackers want to find out about me?

Your browsing activity is invaluable to retailers and advertisers alike.

And why wouldnt it be?

Heres an opportunity to see how you respond to any retail situation.

Thats why profiling is such a big business.

Its not enough to know how a random customer behaves on one retail site.

This happens year-round, from Christmastime to the middle of July.

But companies know youre going to be shopping alotfor Cyber Monday and the time surrounding it.

Think about how much data you willingly provide companies when you shop.

Whatisntnecessary is sharing that data with a host of third-parties,which is exactly what stores like Macys do.

They also employ the use of the above-mentioned trackers to collect data they otherwise couldnt.

Often, we use other services to improve the shopping experience.

Take Rakuten, for example.

You might use services like it every time you shop, but it becomes particularly relevant during holiday deals.

Theres no obvious catch to using Rakuten.

Once you earn enough cash back, Rakuten will send it to you as a check.

But Rakuten trackssomuch data as you shop.

Worse yet, you likely agreed to allow Rakuten to sell this data.

But other services you might use this Cyber Monday track you as well.

If you break your payments up with something likeAfterpay, they collect similar data as well.

None of these companies want you to shop anonymously.

What can you do to preserve your privacy when shopping?

Again, this is all part of the nature of the internet.

But there are steps you could take to help keep companies out of your business as much as possible.

For starters, use a web app with good out-of-the-box privacy controls.

Safari is a solid option for blocking trackers you encounter while shopping, and across other websites as well.

On Android, you’re able to find a similar featureusing the DuckDuckGo app.

To stop third-parties from accessing your email address, use a Hide My Email service instead.

These services give websites and businesses a unique burner email, which then forwards to your main inbox.

In general, take a stab at limit the amount of data you offer companies.

Use encrypted payment options like Apple Pay whenever offered, and dont fill out any forms marked optional.

Youll be surprised just how lax some of these services are with your data.

It takes quite a bit of work to stay private online.