By Kim Komando, Signal Contributing Writer
It’s hard to believe that a single pixel could ruin your life. After all, a pixel measures about 0.0104 inches. If you took a mechanical pencil and drew the smallest mark you could, this dot would be much larger than a typical pixel.
With the advent of pixel-tracking, cybercriminals have a whole new weapon at their disposal. That’s why it’s important you take control of your email.
Since pixel-tracking is still unfamiliar to many users, let’s start with how it works before getting into what to do about it.
How pixel-tracking works
To review, these are common telltale signs of an email scam:
writer requests that you enter personal information.
unknown sender (“from” address).
instructions require immediate attention.
poor spelling or grammar.
requests you click on a link.
Even if you’re super careful, details can go unnoticed. Technically, this microscopic pixel is computer code, embedded within the body of an email. The purpose of this code is to track a large amount of personal information, such as:
the number of times you open an email.
the operating system you use.
the time you opened the email.
your ip address.
what type of device you used to open the email.
Pixel-tracking allows marketers, advertisers and other companies collect data about you.
This kind of tracking is legal, despite the fact that most consumers have never heard of it. As if collecting your info for marketing purposes without your consent isn’t bad enough, pixel-tracking can also serve as a valuable kind of surveillance for cybercriminals, too.
A little-known,
widespread threat
Though it’s been used for years, this technique drew very little attention from the media or public; however, pixel-tracking was thrust into the limelight after a 2006 lawsuit revealed that HP employed a commercial email tracking service to trace an email sent to a reporter in an attempt to uncover her source.
As the use of pixel-tracking grows in popularity, consumers, data protection advocates and industry leaders have raised user privacy questions and supported regulations that call for placing limits on technologies like pixel-tracking. Here are a few steps you can take to help you avoid this marketing trap.
How to block it
The simplest way to prevent pixel-tracking is to block images from displaying in your emails. If the pixel isn’t displayed, the code probably won’t work.
To block images in Gmail, click on the gear icon and select Settings. Scroll down and click on Ask before displaying external images under the Images option. Click Save changes (at the bottom of the page).
If you’re using Outlook or another third-party email client on a desktop or mobile device, you can enable this setting as well, typically located within the app’s settings.
Track the trackers
Why not turn the tables and track those tracking you? Using a browser extension, like PixelBlock, you can block tracking pixels and receive an alert indicating which emails contain the tracking code.
For information on Kim Komando on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks, visit her at Komando.com.
