Who Can See Your Browsing History and How to Hide It (2024)

Using the internet generates a lot of data, such as your search and browsing history, which others can view and potentially misuse. It’s crucial to understand who can view what you do online and the measures you can take to prevent them from doing so.

In this article, we explain who can view your browser history and what kinds of data you generate online. We also go over different steps you can take to protect your information online.

Using a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your information is perhaps the most effective measure you can take to preserve your online anonymity. After extensive testing, we’ve found that NordVPN is one of the best at securing user information from prying eyes online. Get 58% off your Nord subscription with our exclusive link:

Who Can See Your Browsing History?

Can your internet provider see your history? The short answer is yes. The long answer: your internet history is visible to more third parties than you’d probably anticipate.

In fact, we found more than eight different kinds of entities that have access to your browsing history and other data, such as location and device information.

The following sections list the different entities that can see your browsing history while also specifying the kind of information they have access to.

1. Internet service providers

Your internet service provider (ISP), as the name suggests, is your gateway to the internet. All connection requests you send to different websites and applications flow through your ISP, so it sees virtually all your online traffic. Some specific examples of the information your internet provider can see are:

• Websites you visit
• Time spent on websites
• Content consumed on websites and applications
• Activity on websites that don’t employ HTTPS encryption
• Device Information, such as your IP address or browser type
• Location Information

This data is visible to your ISP even if you’re using private or incognito mode on your browser. In fact, the only way to really protect your information from your ISP is by encrypting it and changing your IP address. Doing so makes it seem like the traffic is originating from elsewhere and not your devices.

Using a VPN is the best way to encrypt your only traffic and change your IP address. We use NordVPN to protect our identity and data, particularly when accessing sensitive information. Its proprietary encryption protocol, NordLynx, has historically proven itself to be both secure and fast.

2. Network administrators

If you’re using public or office Wi-Fi, the network administrator will likely have access to your internet activity and other personal information. Some examples of the kind of information they will have access to are:

• Websites you visit
• Time spent on different websites
• Content consumed on websites and applications
• Device information

Given the extent of information a network administrator has access to, we do not recommend using office or public Wi-Fi networks for sharing sensitive data, such as your financial or medical information.

3. Governments

Most governments do not directly collect browsing history or other information about citizens. However, they can always require service providers, such as your ISP or social media platforms, to provide your internet browsing history for law enforcement or other purposes. When faced with such requests, most companies have little option but to comply.

As such, governments have access to pretty much all of the following data:

• Websites you visit
• Time spent on different websites
• Content you consumed or interacted with
• Device information
• Location Information
• Contact Information

Not only do governments obtain such data for their own use, but they also share it with other countries as part of surveillance alliances, such as the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes.

4. Hackers

Hackers and cybercriminals can collect dataabout you by breaking into your computer, network, or any online account. In theory, they can gain access to all of your data. But most commonly, hackers get their hands on:

• Browsing and search history
• Device Information
• Location Information
• Log-in details and passwords
• Contact Information
• Communication with others via mail or messages

There arecountless tricks that hackers employ to make you vulnerable, such as phishing, social engineering, and doxing.

Securing yourself against such threats requires you to be aware and vigilant while browsing the web. Additionally, using a VPN like NordVPN encrypts your data and traffic, making it worthless for hackers even if they do get their hands on it.

5. Websites

The websites we visit also collect and retain a lot of information about us to deliver different services, such as targeted ads. While the nature and extent of information collected vary from one website to another, most websites collect the following:

• Time spent on the website
• Activity on the website if it doesn’t employ HTTPS protection
• Content you consumed or interacted with
• Device Information
• Location Information
• Log-in details and passwords when Cookies are enabled

6. Applications

Like websites, most applications also collect a fair amount of data about their users. Apps usually require you to approve certain permissions when first installed or used. These permissions may include the collection of different kinds of data.

In the image below, you can see which permissions Chrome requests from you on iOS:

Typically, applications collect the following kinds of user data:

• Location Information
• Device Information
• Contact Information
• Content you consumed or interacted with
• Links clicked on

Data and information collected will vary from one app to another. For instance, Google Maps requires location information, whereas a mail app may not.

You can find out more about the information an app collects via its privacy policy or on the app’s page on the App Store or Play Store.

7. Search engines

For most people, search engines are the starting point for an internet browsing session. We typically enter our query on Google and then click on relevant links to explore the web.

As such, search engines are privy to a lot of data about us, including:

• Search queries
• Links clicked on and web pages visited from the search engine
• Duration of time spent on the search engine
• Device information
• Location information

Some companies that operate search engines, such as Google, also offer other apps or services that collect data about you. These companies can pool your data from different sources to create in-depth user profiles for targeted ads.

If you’re uncomfortable with the amount of data that search engines like Google and Bing collect, you can try out privacy-friendly search engines like DuckDuckGo.

Alternatively, you can use a VPN to protect personal information, such as your IP address and location information, from being visible to search engines. After extensive testing, we can confidently say that NordVPN does not leak your personal information to search engines and other websites.

8. Operating systems

Operating systems power the devices we use to browse the internet and interact with applications.

Resultantly, they are privy to a handful of user information, such as:

• Websites you visit
• Contact Information
• Location Information
• Applications you used

You can control the kind of information your operating system collects by playing around with its privacy settings. Refer to our guides for Windows and macOS for more details on fine-tuning privacy settings.

How Can I Hide My Browsing History?

While there’s no single solution that will ensure your browsing history isn’t viewed by others, there are several methods you can use to add a layer of protection.

In this section, we go over some methods that make it difficult for others to access your information. If used correctly, a combination of these methods will go a long way in ensuring your browsing history remains private.

Use a VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is one of the best ways to protect your browsing history. Not only does it encrypt your internet traffic, but it also changes your IP address. This makes it harder for anyone to trace internet traffic back to you.

Premium VPN providers, like NordVPN, also offer features like obfuscated servers, which conceal your use of a VPN from your ISP and others. Obfuscated servers make it easier to use a VPN in countries with strong internet censorship, such as China and Russia.

When selecting a VPN to secure your browsing history, you should verify its data collection practices and no-logs policy. The latter is vital, as it ensures that the VPN doesn’t store user activity logs.

Based on extensive research, we can confidently say that NordVPN is one of the most private VPNs on the market due to its military-grade encryption and proven no-logs policy.

Find out more about our highest-rated VPN in our full NordVPN review. You can also see how it protects your browsing history for yourself using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Use a privacy-friendly browser

Given the growing focus on privacy over the last five years, companies have released browsers that collect minimal user data and avoid the use of cookies. The most secure and private of these is the Tor browser.

Unlike Chrome or Edge, the Tor browser routes a user’s connection through different nodes located across the world. This makes it harder for your ISP or the government to trace internet traffic back to you.

Additionally, Tor automatically deletes cookies after each browsing session and also limits the use of plugins that can be used by hackers to obtain data.

However, these privacy-preserving features can impact user browsing experience. For instance, websites can take longer to load, or some videos and other visual elements may be unusable.

For private browsing that doesn’t impact your overall experience, consider using browsers like Brave or Firefox. While they don’t encrypt your connection like Tor, they prevent websites and services from tracking you online. For more information on such browsers, check out our comprehensive list of the best private browsers.

Connect to a proxy server

Aproxy servermasks your IP address, so itwon’t be revealed to the websites you visit. However, unlike a VPN,a proxy won’t encrypt your data. Therefore, it can still be read by external parties.

This is why aproxy is very usefulforcircumventing geographic online barriersand blocks, butnot for exchanging sensitive information. In general, the anonymity and protection a proxy offersare minimal. You’re always safer with a VPN server.

Switch to incognito or private browsing

Most web browsers offer an incognito or private browsing mode. Using incognito means the browser doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies, site data, or information entered in forms on your device.

However, using Incognito alone isn’t enough. This doesn’t hide your activity from your ISP, employer, or the websites you visit.

Incognito is a convenient way to prevent your browser from storing your browsing history on your device, but it doesn’t fully secure your browsing history from prying eyes.

Use discreet search engines

Certain search engines, like DuckDuckGo or Startpage, are designed to protect user privacy. They do not track your searches or link your search history to your personal information.

However, results displayed by such search engines may have less context-specificity and personalization when compared with Google or Bing.

Disable cookies

As we mentioned previously, cookies are often used by websites to track your browsing activities and preferences. Disabling them prevents sites from saving and retrieving this information, thus limiting the amount of data they can collect about your online behavior.

It also prevents advertisers from building detailed user profiles and targeting ads. However, disabling cookies may also lead to a less streamlined browsing experience, as web pages will take longer to load and you’ll have to sign in each time you visit a website.

In Chrome, you can disable cookies by going to Settings > More Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Third-party cookies. From here, you can block all cookies.

Why Do ISPs and Others Track Your Browsing History?

A user’s browsing history is valuable for governments, ISPs, and online services for several reasons. This section breaks down how different entities and services use your browsing data.

Why ISPs track user data

• Complying with law enforcement requests and data retention laws: ISPs are often required by law to retain user data, including browsing history. Moreover, governments and law enforcement agencies can ask ISPs to provide specific data in connection with a criminal investigation.
• Network management and optimization: A user’s browsing history allows the ISP to understand the kind of content they’re consuming online and adjust their network accordingly. It also lets ISPs throttle or reduce speeds for users indulging in excessive streaming or torrenting.
• Advertising and marketing: A user’s browsing history provides valuable insights into their consumption habits and patterns. Hence, ISPs can use this to tailor their own advertising campaigns or sell it to third-party advertisers.

Why governments track user data

• Censorship and control: tracking user behavior online helps the government control the flow of information in their countries. Such censorship is particularly common in authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia.
• National security and law enforcement: given the increasing prevalence of cybercrime, the online traffic of citizens and adversaries is a valuable source of intelligence for governments. Widespread collection of online data is usually justified as being necessary for preventing crime and terrorism.
• Policymaking: understanding how citizens are behaving online can be a valuable input for effective policymaking. It can also allow governments to gather feedback on their digital campaigns and initiatives.

Why websites, applications, and other online services track user data

• Content personalization: Websites and online services use browsing history to customize their offerings in keeping with a user’s preferences. For example, YouTube suggests videos based on a user’s previous viewing history.
• Analytics and website improvement: Tracking how users interact with different elements on a website or application lets the developers improve their design.
• Advertising and marketing: Many websites rely on advertising as their primary revenue source. Collecting browsing history allows for targeted advertising, which is more effective and valuable than non-targeted advertising.

Final Thoughts: Protect Your Browsing History and Online Privacy

We’re seeing more and more users becoming concerned with online privacy, wondering can internet providers see history logs on their browser or what Google searches are being monitored. This fear isn’t unfounded. Your browsing history and other personal data are now more valuable than ever.

ISPs, governments, and online services can use your data not only for advertising and performance optimization but also for surveillance and censorship. Your favorite search engine, browser, and mobile apps all collect user data as well.

As such, protecting your browsing history is paramount. The best way to do this is by using a VPN, which cloaks your IP address and encrypts your internet connection. NordVPN is one of the most secure and private VPNs we’ve tried. If you sign up today, you can get 58% off using our exclusive link:

If you want to check out more articles regarding your online privacy, have a look at the ones below:

• How Does Your Browser Know Your Location and How to Hide it
• What Does Your Internet Service Provider Know About You?
• 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, 14 Eyes: Protect Yourself From Global Surveillance

Mohit ChawdhryAuthor

Tech Journalist

Mohit is a legal and public policy researcher whose work focuses largely on technology regulation. At VPNOverview, he writes about cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies and sports events.

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