In today’s increasingly digital world, our personal information has become a valuable commodity. Tech companies, advertisers, and data brokers collect vast amounts of data about our online activities, preferences, and behaviors. What many people don’t realize is that our devices come with built-in privacy settings that can significantly reduce this tracking—yet most users never take advantage of these powerful protections. By making a few simple adjustments to your settings, you can take back control of your digital privacy and limit how much of your information is collected and shared.
How Your Data Gets Collected Without Your Knowledge
Every time you use your smartphone or computer, you generate data that companies can potentially collect. This includes obvious information like your search history and app usage, but also extends to more subtle data points: your location throughout the day, how long you spend looking at certain content, and even how quickly you scroll through your social media feeds.
Many applications and websites use various tracking technologies to gather this information. Some use cookies (small files stored on your device) to remember your preferences and activities across browsing sessions. Others employ more sophisticated methods like device fingerprinting, which identifies your device based on its unique combination of hardware, software, and settings.
This data collection serves several purposes. Most commonly, it powers targeted advertising—those eerily relevant ads that seem to follow you around the internet. But your information can also be used for product development, market research, and in some cases, sold to third-party data brokers who aggregate and resell user profiles.
While most of this tracking is technically disclosed in privacy policies and terms of service agreements, these documents are notoriously lengthy and difficult to understand. A Princeton University study found that the average privacy policy takes nearly 30 minutes to read—and most users simply click “agree” without reading the details. This creates a situation where data collection happens with technical consent but without meaningful understanding from users.
Key Privacy Settings Most People Never Change
Your devices offer several important privacy settings that can significantly reduce tracking, but they’re often buried in menus and enabled by default to favor data collection rather than privacy. Here are the most important settings to adjust on different platforms:
On iPhones and iPads:
The App Tracking Transparency feature introduced in iOS 14.5 gives you control over which apps can track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites. To check this setting:
- Open Settings
- Tap Privacy & Security
- Tap Tracking
- Make sure “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is turned off, or selectively manage which apps have permission
Additionally, review your Location Services settings (also under Privacy & Security) to control which apps can access your location and when. For most apps, the “While Using the App” option provides a good balance between functionality and privacy.
Another overlooked setting is the Privacy Report in Safari, which shows you how many trackers have been blocked and which websites tried to use them:
- Open Settings
- Scroll to Safari
- Ensure “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking” is enabled
- Tap “Privacy Report” to see which sites attempted to track you
On Android Devices:
Android’s privacy controls have improved substantially in recent versions. Key settings to adjust include:
- Open Settings
- Tap Privacy
- Select “Ads” or “Advanced”
- Enable “Opt out of Ads Personalization” and “Reset advertising ID”
Also check app permissions to control what information each app can access:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Apps or Application Manager
- Select an app, then Permissions
- Review and revoke unnecessary permissions, especially Location, Microphone, and Contacts
Many Android phones also offer additional privacy features through their manufacturer’s custom interface. Samsung, for example, provides a “Privacy Dashboard” that gives you a comprehensive view of which apps are accessing sensitive information.
On Windows Computers:
Windows 10 and 11 collect significant amounts of data by default. To reduce this:
- Open Settings
- Click on Privacy & Security
- Review each category in the left sidebar
- Pay special attention to:
- General (toggle off advertising ID)
- Speech (if you don’t use voice features)
- Diagnostics & feedback (set to Basic)
- Activity history (uncheck “Store my activity history”)
Also adjust Microsoft Edge settings if you use it as your browser:
- Open Edge
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select Settings, then Privacy, search and services
- Enable “Tracking prevention” and set it to Strict
On Mac Computers:
MacOS offers several privacy protections to adjust:
- Click the Apple menu
- Select System Settings (or System Preferences)
- Click Privacy & Security
- Review each category, especially:
- Location Services
- Analytics & Improvements (disable sharing)
- Apple Advertising (turn on “Personalized Ads” toggle)
Safari browser settings are also important:
- Open Safari
- Click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings
- Go to the Privacy tab
- Check “Prevent cross-site tracking” and “Block all cookies” (though this may affect some website functionality)
The Real Benefits of Adjusting These Settings
Making these privacy adjustments offers several tangible benefits. First and foremost, you’ll see fewer targeted ads that follow you across different websites and apps. This change is often noticeable within days of adjusting your settings.
Your digital experience will feel less intrusive. Many users report a sense of relief when their online activities no longer seem to immediately influence the ads they see. The unsettling feeling that your devices are “listening” to you (though this specific concern is often misattributed) diminishes when tracking is limited.
There can also be modest performance improvements. Some tracking technologies consume system resources and network bandwidth. By limiting these background activities, some users notice slightly improved battery life and faster page loading times, though these effects vary significantly depending on your devices and usage patterns.
Perhaps most importantly, reducing data collection helps protect your long-term privacy. The less information companies gather about you, the smaller your digital footprint becomes. This reduces your vulnerability to potential data breaches, identity theft, and other privacy concerns.
Why These Settings Aren’t More Prominently Featured
If these privacy settings are so important, why aren’t they more visible or enabled by default? The answer largely comes down to competing business interests and design priorities.
Many technology companies have business models that rely heavily on data collection. Google and Facebook, for instance, generate the majority of their revenue through advertising, which becomes more valuable when it can be precisely targeted based on user data. This creates a natural disincentive to make privacy controls too prominent or too restrictive by default.
Device manufacturers and operating system developers must balance multiple considerations, including user experience, app functionality, and relationships with developers and advertisers. Privacy settings that block tracking can sometimes interfere with app features or revenue models, creating pressure to make these settings optional rather than default.
Interface design also plays a role. Modern devices offer countless settings and features, and designers must make decisions about which options deserve prominence in menus and setup processes. Privacy settings, despite their importance, often lose out to more immediately visible features and functions.
The good news is that increased public awareness and regulatory pressure have begun to shift this balance. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, for example, represents a significant step toward making privacy controls more visible and accessible to average users.
Additional Steps for Comprehensive Privacy Protection
While device settings provide an important foundation for privacy protection, they’re most effective when combined with other privacy-enhancing practices:
Consider privacy-focused alternatives to common services. Search engines like DuckDuckGo don’t track your searches, while email providers like ProtonMail offer enhanced privacy features. Firefox and Brave browsers are designed with stronger privacy protections than many mainstream alternatives.
Use browser extensions to block trackers. Tools like Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, and HTTPS Everywhere can provide additional layers of protection against common tracking technologies. These extensions are available for most major browsers and are generally free to use.
Regularly audit your app permissions. Many of us accumulate apps over time and forget what access we’ve granted them. Set a quarterly reminder to review your installed apps and their permissions, removing those you no longer use and restricting permissions for those you keep but don’t fully trust.
Be mindful of your social media privacy settings. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer various privacy controls that can limit data collection and sharing. These settings are worth reviewing regularly, as they sometimes change with platform updates.
Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A reputable VPN can encrypt your internet connection and hide your browsing activity from your internet service provider. However, be cautious when selecting a VPN service, as not all providers have strong privacy practices themselves.
Taking Control of Your Digital Privacy
Digital privacy isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Every setting you adjust, every permission you revoke, and every privacy-friendly choice you make improves your overall privacy posture. The key is to start with the most important settings on your most frequently used devices and build from there.
Remember that privacy is a continual process rather than a one-time setup. As you acquire new devices, install new apps, and create new accounts, make privacy part of your decision-making process. Ask yourself what information each service really needs to function, and be skeptical of requests for data that seem unnecessary or excessive.
By taking advantage of the privacy settings already available on your devices and adopting privacy-conscious habits, you can significantly reduce your digital footprint without giving up the convenience and connectivity of modern technology. Your personal information is valuable—and taking steps to protect it is well worth the small amount of time required to adjust these often-overlooked settings.
