Any scripts that would generate valuable noise to trick the trackers?
Any other obfuscation methods that create enough nuisance to the ad companies?
P.S I am not looking for a 100% foolproof way to get away from trackers. Just some fun and creative ways to trick them.
The point is: You always use the same gadgets to browse the internet. There are a lot of parameters that can be used to identify you. A few are
Browser window dimensions
Language set to standard
Resolution of your screen
History of visited pages (as much it can be used to
Agent Version
Installed add-ons ....
...
So, that's one point where you can start to act at. With python + Selenium it's possible to have a browser with modifiable User Agent, with head, headless, different window dimensions, languages and and and.. this can be automated.
Also, if you're at web scraping, you usually use proxy servers with different IPs. That could be useful.
On the other side, you have your accounts at the service providers. For example google. Google knows what you searching for and what you visit, how long, if it's a revisiting.. and so on.. To poison that you'll need to make it impossible for Google to filter out what you really need.. but for that you need to log in to your account.
So with web scraping it's possible to poison the IPs, the search terms, the identification of you by utilizing the browser properties.
But I ask myself, what does it bring you? You poison your accounts with all the web services you use. You need a lot of time to setup your "poisoning" Workflow. But the yield is equal to nothing.
And, google wants to end the tracking of individuals (ye ye... Who believes that???) by having grouped cohorts.
That has to be implemented as a plug-in used by a lot of people. If it's only you, then it won't change anything on the tracking/interpretation by trackers.
To much work for an individual :)
It doesn't matter if your browser addon was responsible for clicking on a bunch of fast food ads and not you. Your insurance company can see that and will happily increase your insurance premiums anyway. They won't tell you why they did it though and you'll have no chance to correct them and explain it was your addon.
Maybe you have no interest in expensive ski trips but your addon clicks on ads for them anyway, and the next time you book a room at a hotel or buy an airline ticket they may decide that they can get away with charging you more than they otherwise would have. You'll never be told that you would have gotten a better price if not for the data in your permanent record.
You can also never know what will prejudice someone against you. You might not be Muslim, or gay, or a member of a certain political party, but if your addon gets you flagged as being something you're not it can still cost you job offers, get you denied housing, or even get you targeted and harassed by extremist groups.
Data collection is not simply about what ads you get shown online. The data being collected about you is increasingly being used for much much more. It can determine how much you pay vs your neighbor for the same items at the same stores while shopping online (and even offline!). Companies are already using it decide things like what they'll tell you when you ask what their polices are, what products/services they will offer you, and even how long they'll leave you on hold when you call them!
The information in your dossier is permanent. You aren't allowed to know who has your data or what they are using it for. You cannot edit or correct the data in your file either. It will follow you for the rest of your life and it will be used to impact your life online and offline in countless ways without you ever being made aware of when, how, or why. Stuffing your dossier with a bunch of random data is just handing people more ammo to use against you.
I just want to warn people off the harvesting, while adding a bit of humor.
WARNING: This may also lock your profile at credit reporting agencies --- which is not necessarily all "bad" as it provides insurance against identity theft.