Prevention

Simple Steps
According to Electronic Frontier Foundation there are four simple steps that will improve privacy and avoid data tracking software online if users so desire. The first option is to install . Another option is to change cookie settings. Cookie settings should be changed so they will expire when the user exits the browser and disallow third-party cookies from being set. A third way to increase privacy is to turn off . These give a lot of persona information to websites. These can be turned off by installing the . Once it is restalled the user can find the box "default referer for all other sites" and click Block. The final step offered is to install. This is a browser add-on by Electronic Frontier Foundation

Ghostery
is a popular plug-in used to protect  privacy and stop tracking. Millions of people use this to try and save their privacy. Yet according to Alan Henry of LifeHacker Ghostery actually helps the ad industry, a fact many do not know. Although Ghostery blocks tracking code and increases page load time, the company that owns Ghostery,, is a part of the advertising industry. Evidon collects and provides data to companies. Ghostery includes a feature known as GhostRank which when checked "supports" Evidon. GhostRank will take note of the ads that are encountered and which ones are blocked and will send that information back to advertisers so they can improve their ads to avoid being blocked. This data is still anonymous, and Ghostery sticks to all its promises. Positively, this could aid in advertisements that are better and less intrusive. On the other hand, it will create unblockable ads and better tracking cookies. Therefore Ghostery better improve at the same speed as advertising companies in order to have the same service for users.

Know the Risks
The United States Goverment has a page dedicated to crimes and risks on the Web. By knowing of the pitfalls it can better prevent users from falling into traps. A common malicious software that will provide information to a third party is Spyware. Spyware will often come along when a user downloads things such as screensavers, games, music, and other downloads. The spyware will then send user's personal information to a third party which will typically result in pop-up ads. . Another malicious software that can obtain personal information is a Trojan horse. This software says it will do one thing but do something else in the background. An example of this would be a program that claims to increase computer speed but in reality will send confidential information to an intruder.