Are You Falling for the Privacy Illusion?

Most of us think privacy is a setting.

Open a private browsing window. Clear your history. Reject a few cookies. Maybe install an ad blocker. Problem solved, right?

Not exactly.

That is one of the central themes explored in a recent episode of Cybercrime: From the Frontline, The Privacy Illusion: What They Know About You.

If you've ever wondered how much information companies, advertisers, apps, and data brokers collect about you, this episode is worth watching or listening to in full.

Privacy: It's Complicated

The reality is that privacy in 2026 is far more complicated than most people realize. Information we share can be used against us in cybercrime or marketed for a profit in advertising.

Every day, we generate enormous amounts of data. We browse websites, watch videos, scroll social media feeds, use navigation apps, connect to Wi-Fi networks, shop online, and carry smartphones packed with sensors. Each interaction creates what cybersecurity professionals often call a digital footprint—or, as one guest describes it, "digital exhaust."

The surprising part is that much of this information isn't collected because we actively share it. It is collected because of how modern technology works. With this in mind, let’s explore some of the questions and answers we explored during the podcast.

Will Private Browsing Hide My Searches?

Many people assume that opening a private or incognito window somehow makes them invisible online. In reality, it primarily prevents your own device from storing browsing history. Your internet service provider, websites, advertising platforms, and countless third parties can still often observe the traffic you generate.

In other words, private browsing may protect you from someone using your computer later and seeing where you’ve been—but in many cases, the broader digital ecosystem is watching and often storing your activity.

Am I Being Tracked Across Devices?

For most of us, the answer is yes, because we own more than one connected device. We have smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs, wearables, and connected home technology. Advertising networks and data brokers increasingly connect information across these devices to build detailed profiles of our behavior.

How long did you watch a video?

Which aisle did you spend time in at the grocery store?

What websites do you visit before making a purchase?

How often do you travel?

The answers to those questions are often worth money. In fact, many companies no longer think of themselves primarily as technology companies, retailers, or delivery services. They think of themselves as data companies.

That data helps them predict behavior, improve marketing, and influence purchasing decisions. But it also creates privacy concerns when information is collected, shared, aggregated, or exposed through data breaches.

What Is Real-Time Bidding in Advertising and What Is Shared About Me?

You and your devices may unknowingly be part of real-time bidding among advertisers. Before an advertisement appears on your screen, information about your device, location, interests, and behavior may be shared across a network of potential advertisers competing for the opportunity to show you their ad or content at that moment.

Even companies that do not win the advertising bid may still receive information about you during that process. That reality raises important questions about how much data is being exchanged behind the scenes—and how little most of us know about it. This part of the podcast episode is both fascinating and unsettling.

If I Disable GPS Is My Location Hidden?

Many people assume that disabling GPS means they are no longer sharing their location. Yet smartphones can often be located through nearby Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth signals, and other environmental indicators. Apps may not know your exact coordinates, but they may know enough to place you within a very small radius.

Not only can that information be incredibly valuable, but the podcast's experts also shared how seemingly harmless online behavior contributes to larger profiles.

Sharing vacation photos while you're away from home, posting images that reveal landmarks, street signs, or views from a window, along with your routines or hobbies.

Each individual piece may seem insignificant. However, together, they can reveal surprisingly detailed information about you.

• For attackers, that information can become useful intelligence.
• For advertisers, it becomes a profile.
• For data brokers, it becomes inventory.

Steps to Increasing Your Privacy

Our experts on the podcast discussed multiple steps you can take to increase your privacy. Each one is a small move in the right direction:

• Use privacy-focused browsers.
• Review app permissions regularly.
• Limit unnecessary applications.
• Be thoughtful about what you post online.
• Learn how AI services use your information.
• Monitor for data breaches involving your accounts.
• Use identity monitoring tools where appropriate.

Privacy today is not just about what you intentionally share. It is also about what your devices, applications, and online behavior reveal on your behalf.

Learn More

Watch or listen to Cybercrime: From the Frontline, The Privacy Illusion: What They Know About You to hear Bitdefender experts explain how modern tracking works, what companies know about you, and how you can take practical steps to better protect your digital life.