How ‘filthy rich’ alter egos can protect your privacy

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EPA

If you have ever wondered what the internet looks like if you are filthy rich, now is your chance to find out.

A project called Track This fools ad-tracking firms into thinking you have lots of cash, by opening many web pages at shops favoured by the wealthy.

It seeks to disguise the data profiles that ad firms gather about people so individuals can recover some privacy.

It also lets people pose as an influencer, a streetwear fan and someone who thinks the world will end.

Taking control

The project was co-created by Mschf Internet Studios and web development group Mozilla as an alternative to the ad-blockers many people use to sanitise what they see when they browse the web.

In a blog explaining Track This, Mozilla said that it tried to thwart advertisers’ efforts to build up detailed profiles of regular web users.

It said this tracking got “shady” when the data was gathered without…