Disconnect Experiment — How Many Websites Are Tracking Us?
Disconnect is a browser extension that is available for various internet browsers, one being Firefox. Disconnect is designed to stop non consensual third-party trackers — they also present statistics of the websites and third parties that are tracking you on each website that you browse.
Out of the six websites that I had visited using the disconnect browser extension, I found that eCommerce websites have the most tracking/cookies compared to others. Urban Outfitters was the most tracked website I visited, with 33 trackers upon visiting. The trackers increased the longer I looked through the website.
This was an eye-opening experience to me. I understand trackers and cookies need to be put in place for advertising, etc. However, there was over 30 websites (including third parties) that can get a hold of my browsing habits to give me targeted ads, just by browsing the Urban Outfitters website for a few minutes. The numbers were surprising.
