Cybersecurity expert reveals a simple trick to prevent companies from tracking their online purchases

Cybersecurity expert reveals a simple trick to prevent companies from tracking their online purchases

NEWNow you can listen to News articles!

We are conditioned to think that our email address is harmless. Most of us believe it is only an identification, a way to obtain receipts and shipping updates, but that’s not all.

Your email is the Skeleton key for your identity online. It is what companies use to build behavioral profiles, objective ads, link purchases and sometimes worse, facilitate fraud after rape. And when it reuses the same email address everywhere, it makes that key universal.

To maintain private things, I use alias so that online purchases remain in anonymity, reduce spam and more. We discuss what aias are, why they matter and how the tables in their favor change.

Register for my free Cyberguy report
Get my best technological tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive offers delivered directly to your inbox. In addition, you will get instant access to my final scam survival guide, free when I join me Cyberguy.com Information sheet.

Works that are at a higher risk of AI, according to Microsoft

online shopping woman through Amazon

A woman navigates the Amazon website on her laptop on September 29, 2024. (Images Serene Lee/Soup/Lightrocket)

How email alias help you remain anonymous online

Every time you enter your main email on a shopping site, it gives that company a lasting way to connect your behavior on different platforms, devices and deadlines. They could Hash or encrypt your email, but behavior patterns remain. It can still be tracked, but alias interrupt that chain.

Instead of sharing my real email address, I create a single for each website. The emails still come through the forwarding, but the company never sees my real address. That little change prevents them from linking my activity with other accounts or sites. It is not a perfect solution, but add enough friction to interrupt monitoring systems.

Each alias that uses becomes a kind of tracker. If one starts to obtain spam, I know what site he sold or lost my data. Most people do not know where the rape happened, they simply assume “it happens.” I take a different approach. When an alias begins to receive unwanted emails, do not try to cancel the subscription or configure filters or waste time giving. I simply disable alias, and the problem has gone.

How scammers attack you even without social networks

person receiving spam email on the laptop

A spam phishing email is shown on a laptop screen on March 21, 2022. Retail companies often sell buyers’ data, which leads to unwanted phishing and spam messages. (Peter Dazeley)

Prevent companies from tracking it with alias email

The average electronic commerce site uses between 15 and 30 third -party scripts, analysis trackers, AD pixels and behavioral beacons, according to a study. Even if the site itself is honest, its battery probably is not. Your email passes through infrastructure layers, mail tools, CRM platforms, shipping accessories. And all that is needed is an erroneous configuration or a careless developer so that their data ends in the wrong hands.

A alias reduces the radius of explosion. If the site breaks, its central identity remains intact.

Alias ​​not only protect privacy, but improve behavior. When I started using them, I found myself thinking more clearly about where I was registering and why. The mental pause required to generate a new alias made me more deliberate. And gave structure to disaster. It could establish rules such as all the guarantees of products that go to products@myalias.com, all newsletters to news@myalias.com.

More than 2b users face Phishing risks after Google data leakage

Create email for better online privacy

A alias alone is not enough to stay safe. You also need a safe email provider to start. When creating alias email, you can protect your information and reduce spam. These alias forward the messages to their main direction, which facilitates the management of incoming communications and avoid data violations.

To obtain recommendations on private email and insurance suppliers that offer alias addresses, visit Cyberguy.com.

Online shopping people through the Best Buy phone application

A woman sails better to buy on her smartphone while buying online. (Images Serene Lee/Soup/Lightrocket)

Kurt key takeway

We have progressed when it comes to password hygiene. Many of us now use password administrators and enable two factors authentication, but when it comes to email, habits have not changed much. Most people still trust only one email address for everything, including purchases, banking, subscriptions, work and even family communication. That is not only inefficient but also a security risk. The use of email alias is a simple way to fragment your digital identity. Add complexity for attackers and reduce the possibilities of a single violation that affects multiple accounts.

Would you still use your main email for everything if you knew they made it easier for you to track? Get us knowing in Cyberguy.com.

Click here to get the News application

Register for my free Cyberguy report
Get my best technological tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive offers delivered directly to your inbox. In addition, you will get instant access to my final scam survival guide, free when I join me Cyberguy.com Information sheet.

Copyright 2025 Cyberguy.com. All rights reserved.

Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson is a award -winning technological journalist who has a deep love for technology, equipment and devices that improve life with their contributions for News & News Business Startzing Mornings in “News & Friends”. Do you have a technological question? Get the free Kurt’s free newsletter, share your voice, an idea of ​​the story or comment on Cyberguy.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *