Whether you believe it or not, your online activity will be routed through your ISP (Internet Service Provider), which is a risky practice.
Even though our ISP provides us with internet service, we cannot totally trust it. Although it is a helpful deed, it does not ensure that the ISP will not bring us damage. It will, indeed. However, most of the time, we are oblivious of its nefarious function in exchanging our data and IP addresses with other third parties.
Furthermore, most people will be unable to find an effective and efficient solution for a variety of reasons. We hope this post will help you learn about several security procedures that can assist you in erasing your browsing history and hiding it from your ISP.
Hide Your Browsing History: 5 Simple Steps
Below is a more extensive explanation of why you should take those measures if you wish to keep your internet activity private and secure.
Use Incognito mode when browsing
The Incognito mode is a more efficient method of concealing your surfing history. This incognito mode is available in all browsers. It goes by several names depending on the browser. In Google Chrome, for example, it is known as incognito mode, whereas others refer to it as privacy mode, and so on.
Names will not affect the premise. When you enable incognito mode, your browser will no longer record and preserve your browsing history in the same way that it does in normal browsing mode. When you accidentally share your device with others, using Incognito mode is incredibly simple and comfortable. It is also beneficial for public use while sharing the device with a large number of strangers.
Incognito mode, often known as privacy mode, blocks all first-party cookies from tracking the websites you visit. This implies that the records will no longer be saved and accessible in the future.
Furthermore, this setting disables third-party cookies, which can follow and analyze your activity after you leave a website. This is for added security.
Delete cookies once you have completed browsing
We frequently forget to delete cookies after surfing, don’t we? Are you too lazy to perform this basic task? Do not believe that erasing your search history is sufficient.
Deleting your search history or cookies is similarly vital, and it should be your first focus. Most of the time, uneducated individuals accept third-party cookies without even recognizing them.
You may have observed that when you visit a website for the first time, it will prompt you to approve the usage of cookies. We are unsure if it will come if you ignore it. However, this notice will continue to remain at the top or bottom of the screen until you accept the cookies.
Modify your DNS settings
The Domain Name System (DNS) functions as the address book for the internet. When you type something into the search field (for example, awplife.com), your computer knows where to go. Because DNS maps site names to IP addresses, your browser can simply find the URL you requested.
Use VPN to see whether your DNS queries are being exposed.
There’s no need to worry about DNS if you’re currently using a VPN. Your device will be kept safe and secure since the VPN employs encrypted DNS on every server to keep your browsing history hidden from third parties.
Secure your browsing history by using HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure variant of HTTP that combines the HTTP protocol with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. With the TLS protocol, HTTPS has gained an extra layer of authentication and protection.
To put it another way, HTTPS is an encrypted version of HTTP. You may protect your surfing activities from prying eyes by utilizing HTTPS.
In a word, there is no quick way to conceal your browser histories from hackers or snoopers. By properly following the instructions outlined above, you may surf anonymously with your concealed IP address and avoid the prying eyes of third parties.
Browser with a VPN
By encrypting all internet data, the browser with a VPN efficiently hides your browsing history from your ISP. Similarly, a VPN encrypts internet traffic as it flows through the router. An ISP can detect the amount of incoming and outgoing traffic, but one important factor is concealed from its view: content. If your main goal is to conceal your surfing history from your ISP, a VPN will suffice.
A VPN also enables you to circumvent your router’s firewall, allowing you to access banned websites.
How Does VPN Browsing Work?
When you visit the internet, your internet traffic is routed through your router and internet service provider (ISP) before arriving at the destination website.
If you do not utilize a VPN, all three checkpoints (router, ISP, and website) may observe your computer’s traffic.
A VPN adds encryption and a VPN server to the process to make your internet even safer. This is how it works:
- Before accessing the destination websites, the VPN encrypts your internet traffic.
- Because the encrypted communication is sent through your router and ISP, neither can see what it contains.
- After decrypting the communication, the VPN transmits it back to the target website, making the traffic appear to have originated from the server’s IP address rather than yours.
How may a spy examine your internet activity?
When you visit a website, your internet browser saves all of the information about your browsing actions. If a snooper uses the same computer as you, he can view the following information.
- Images you’ve seen
- Your keyword search
- A comprehensive record of all the websites you visited
It is best to remove your browsing history after you have finished your online activities to avoid an abuser from viewing your online behavior.
You may be unaware that an abuser has placed spyware on your home computer or mobile phone to track what you do online. This malware application can collect the following information:
- Log in with your email address
- Passwords
- Websites you’ve visited
Does a VPN conceal your browsing history from ISPs?
However, this does not indicate that your ISP is unaware of your activity.
Based on the encrypted traffic that is directed to the IP address of a VPN server, they may determine how long you’ve been connected to a VPN.
Can a VPN Hide a Router’s Browsing History?
We’ve previously seen how a VPN encrypts your internet traffic as it passes via an ISP. Similarly, anyone with network-level access will never be able to see your online activity.
Is it true that using a VPN conceals your surfing history from Google?
Yes, a VPN does hide your browser history from Google, but only partially. Google, on the other hand, can identify people in a different way. For example, because your search history is linked to your Google account, Google may continue to monitor your browsing history even if your browser is not open.
Google also employs sophisticated algorithms and strategies to locate its users, whether for advertising, analytics, or personalization of search results. Google may easily identify you using these algorithms based on your search trends, timing, and other variables. When you connect to a VPN, Google cannot see your true IP address, therefore tailored search results based on your IP address will not show.
What Exactly Is ISP Tracking?
Simply defined, ISP ( Internet Service Provider ) tracking occurs when your ISP watches what you do on the Internet. They thoroughly examine your online traffic to determine how you spend your time online.
How much information does your ISP collect about you?
To be honest, an ISP may gather a lot more information than you might think. The type of data gathered by your ISP differs based on their terms and conditions and the data retention rules in your country. You will now have a full overview of the types of data that your ISP may monitor, analyze, and store:
- URLs of websites you visit
- The websites you usually visit When will you log in or log off of the internet
- How much time do you devote to a specific website or web page
- What kinds of files do you get
- How much data do you consume
- Your browsing and search history
- Your whole unencrypted communication
- Any information entered on unencrypted websites
How do you delete your internet history?
All browsers will preserve a record of the websites you visit. They feature a ‘history’ or ‘favorites’ tab that provides information about your browsing history. Each browser has a unique mechanism for erasing internet history. If you’re not sure how to delete your browsing history, look it up.
Individual websites can be deleted, although this may not remove passwords or cookies. Browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome will allow you to delete your web history for the previous hour or two hours. However, this just eliminates chosen internet history, not the entire browsing history.
You can’t trust every website since some have really dodgy techniques of luring you into saving your data and, eventually, your browser history. So, proceed with caution!