News

9 in 10 Websites Leak User Data to Third Parties According to Research

The huge amount of personal data stored by major companies often feels insecure and makes internet users very suspicious when handing out sensitive information. According to Tim Libert, a privacy researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, 9 out of 10 websites leak sensitive information to third parties without user consent.  The peer-reviewed research utilized a piece of software called webXray which analyzes trackers on health and pornographic websites. In this startling piece of work, Libert said:

“Sites that leak user data contact an average of nine external domains, indicating that users may be tracked by multiple entities in tandem,”

“If you visit any of the top one million sites there is a 90 percent chance largely hidden parties will get information about your browsing,”

Libert also told Brian Merchant, Senior Editor at Motherboard:

“Most troubling is that if you use your browser setting to say ‘Do Not Track’ me, the explicitly stated policy of nearly all the companies is to flat-out ignore you,” 

“The worst perpetrator is Google, which tracks people on nearly 80 percent of sites, and does not respect DNT [Do Not Track]  signals,”

The IOCTA reported the prevalence of cyber breaches throughout Europe, which often occur on a large scale. As you can see, the amount of data compromised is very concerning and raises questions about security. The data collaborates with Libert’s research if you take into account the large amount of data breaches. Perhaps, data breaches are becoming more common because cyber-security isn’t good enough and companies are leaking data without any hesitation.

John Williamson

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Biostar Launches the Storming V DDR4 Memory

Biostar has just announced a new line of DDR4 memory modules designed for gamers and…

15 hours ago

ASUS Announces ProArt PA401 Wood Edition Chassis

ASUS has just unveiled a new addition to its ProArt series: the PA401 Wood Edition…

17 hours ago

AOC AGON Pro 326UD 4K OLED 165Hz Gaming Monitor Review

The AOC AGON Pro 326UD has arrived at last, no thanks to TNT couriers I'm…

18 hours ago

MSI New Claw Console Performs Up to 20% Better Than ASUS Rog Ally X

MSI has officially unveiled its second-generation portable PC-type console, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which…

2 days ago

TSMC Founder Slams Intel – Move into Chip Manufacturing Was a Mistake

Morris Chang, founder of chip giant TSMC, has sharply criticized Intel's strategies, suggesting that the…

2 days ago

Report: Nintendo Switch 2 Might Not Even Reach 1080p with DLSS

Digital Foundry has consistently been one of the most reliable sources discussing the Nintendo Switch…

2 days ago