Retention of your data

This is a common reason why service providers track you. Some countries have laws that oblige Internet Service Providers to store user data for a period. They do so to prevent acts of terrorism and to provide security agencies with the internet data of users should the need arise. Although this seems like a good course, this practice still invades the privacy of many individuals including journalists.

 

Profiting through selling data to other companies

ISPs can profit greatly from selling your personal data to third parties such as advertising companies. An Internet Service Provider monitors your internet traffic so they can see which websites you visit regularly. This information is useful to advertisers as they get an insight about who to target and bombard with pop-up ads.

 

Bandwidth Throttling

An Internet Service Provider may slow down the speed of your internet connection based on the websites you frequent. They may do this to decrease congestion on your network. Some service providers may simply do this to frustrate the user into upgrading to a faster and more expensive internet package.

 

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) monitoring

P2P service is a decentralized platform whereby two parties interact directly with each other with no third-party intermediation. Examples include file-sharing, online marketplace, and Cryptocurrency.

 

Although there are many reasons why ISP Tracking occurs, you will be pleased to know that as an internet user, you can prevent your ISP from seeing what you search online.

 

If you don’t want your Internet Service Provider to know what you search online, you should use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep your browsing activities and data private.  

A Virtual Private Network is a technology that creates a private network from a public internet connection. It does this by masking your Internet Protocol (IP) address and providing you with a secure and encrypted connection. It prevents any third party including your ISP from seeing your browsing activities and search history.  A VPN is a key privacy tool for businesses and individuals when using the internet.