Our application is designed to support Android versions Lollipop 5.0 API 21 and above.
What do we mean by “tracker?” Are cookies and trackers the same thing?? A cookie is a text file that a website downloads to your browser as you are visiting it. The stored information acts like a “unique identifier” that helps a website “remember” you when you visit the next time around. It is therefore a kind of tracker. While cookies are the most commonly known form of online tracking, there are many other techniques used to track people’s online activity. We use the term tracker as a general term that includes commands, scripts, or cookies embedded in websites or mobile application. We do our best not to block trackers that are necessary for a good user experience (display content, fonts, widgets, API…).
Where can I find it?
The Tracker Manager is accessible from the navbar. It is symbolized by the crossed shield.
The Tracker Manager tells you how many trackers (26 in the example above) are tracking you and how many times they have been blocked (180 times) since the beginning of the day.
For us to do this, we need to be able to monitor the internet traffic. This is how we manage to identify the trackers and block them. You therefore need to activate our Tracker Filter (installed as a VPN) or we won’t be able to analyze the network traffic. That’s why we need to wait for your permission to activate this feature.
How can I use it?
Allow/Block detected trackers
- Simply switch the toggle to activate or deactivate the Privowny Tracker Filter. When it is active, trackers are blocked, when it is not active, trackers go through.
Trackers are known to call/invoke other trackers. This is how some websites can get more than 100 trackers running at a time!
In addition to being intrusive and a privacy risk, trackers generate additional data traffic. They consume data/bandwidth, which may impair your user experience (loading time, delays) and can be quite expensive (cellular data consumption).
Blocking trackers can also help avoid malware.
Be advised, effective July 2019 Google has blocked 3rd party tracker managers, like Privowny App’s, from working with the Chrome browser for Android. To keep your browsing behavior from being monitored, consider using an alternative browser supported by your device.