You can’t be tracked if you are using a VPN through your IP address because it is masked by the VPN server. This will also protect you from appearing on geo-location IP trackers. But, it will not protect you from those who can track your device or your face itself.
There are four ways how governments, corporations, and criminals track our person over the internet:
- Biometric tracking
- GPS tracking
- IP address tracking
- Social media tracking
Depending on where you are, such tracking can increase in severity drastically. In some parts of the world, it is against the law to track anyone, and entities that engage in the practice are regularly punished.
But, some countries are actively trying to induce a sort of digital Panopticon in their population. The idea is if everyone knows that they are being watched and tracked 24/7 that they will not commit any crimes or exhibit anti-social behavior.
Regretfully, such a practice is not only dystopian but can be detrimental to individual behavior. We need our privacy if we want to function correctly. That is why companies like Le VPN exist and why people are learning how to trick face-trackers.
The Fact that You’re Paranoid…
The current year has been exceptional for many reasons. One of those is an explosion in conspiracy theories. And, as with any good conspiracy theory, you need to know first who stands to gain from something being done.
The same way girls wonder why does my boyfriend use a VPN, and it is 95% of the time for browsing off-brand memes on Reddit, some entities really want to see your chats, your movement, and what you might be looking at online.
For corporations and businesses, this has mostly to do with marketing. They want to make it as gauged as possible to sell you the thing you crave.
But, when we talk about government, it is all about control. Descanting opinions and grassroots movements are troublesome, and it is better to quickly find ”dirt” on the ringleaders and activists and dissuade them from political participation.
Types of Tracking
With each of the four types of tracking, there is a way to mask your appearance and fool the tracker. But, this will come at a cost and won’t be possible for everyone. Those of us who live on the internet and have abandoned the tendency for privacy need to use other ways.
Still, your private information and devices will only be protected if you use a VPN hotspot app, good anti-spyware, and practice cyber hygiene.
This way, you will have a much easier time concealing your person when you need it. Or it might just be times where you want to feel free in some remote cabin in the woods.
Physical and Biometric Tracking
This is what we think about when we first mention individual tracking. By using cameras placed all around the city, the government is using your face from the database to know exactly where you went and where.
You don’t even need to be observed by humans. The AI will see everything and notify the authorities if you are doing anything it deems to be inappropriate.
Such surveillance can be tricked by face-painting and abstract hairstyles, but that might make you stand out even more in the general public.
Geo-Location and GPS Tracking
Every smartphone today has a GPS. That is why the new conspiracy theory that we will be chipped via vaccines is so foolish because we are already paying dozens of dollars a month to be tracked in our pocket.
And, many phones can’t have the actual GPS disabled. And we can only solve this by having a ”dumb” phone in your pocket that you will carry around as well, where you can leave your smartphone behind when you want to hide.
IP Address Tracking
This type of tracking is the most common because it is the easiest and gives a lot of data about the person. But, if you know what your VPN can do, you’ll see that it is easy to mask.
The tracker is using your device to record all the websites and services that you have visited. This way, they can know what you like and who you are in contact with. With a VPN, this is masked by the server, and the snoopers are completely blocked.
Social Media Metadata
This type of surveillance is only now coming to prominence. But how it works is quite obvious.
Namely, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok are collecting your photos to record what your face is doing. And, unlike online creeps, they have access to the photos you don’t post as well.
The only way to solve this is cyber hygiene, and being very careful when and how you are using social media in general.
Flooding Info
There is a tactic to mask your personal data and information by purposefully dumping wrong information on the internet. Use your photo to make profiles with a different name and your name with other images.
This is a tedious job, but for those who spend a lot of time online, it might be the only solution.
Conclusion
Having a good VPN provider like Le VPN will protect you from IP tracking and people trying to steal your data. But, no software will safeguard you from having a face when you leave your house or that you like to post pictures of that face online.
Be smart and be careful. That is the way.
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Written by Vuk Mujović @VukMujovic
Vuk Mujović is the founder of MacTíre Consulting, an analyst, data management expert, and a long-term writer on all things business & tech. He authored blogs, articles, and opinion pieces aimed to help both companies and individuals achieve growth without compromising their security. Vuk is a regular guest author to Le VPN Blog since January 2018, where he gives his expert opinion on the topics related to cybersecurity, privacy, online freedom, and personal data protection. He also often shares his tips and best practices in relation to internet security and digital safety of private individuals and small businesses, including some additional applications of using a VPN service.