Google and Facebook are secretly tracking your phone – here’s the free app that can stop this happening

A FREE app can stop Google and Facebook secretly tracking your Android phone.

DuckDuckGo says its new protection helps to “block third-party trackers like Google and Facebook lurking in other apps.”

AlamyThe new feature on DuckDuckGo helps to ‘block third-party trackers like Google and Facebook lurking in other apps’[/caption]

The move means that Android users worried about their privacy can join a waitlist to protect their data after Apple offered similar features.

It comes amid increasing scrutiny of how giant tech companies are handling their data and who is harvesting that data.

In a press release DuckDuckGo said: “These hidden app trackers are super creepy because they can track everything you do in an app and also can continue to track you even when you’re not using the app.

“App Tracking Protection for Android is free and blocks trackers it identifies in other apps from third-party companies.”

The tracking issue was highlighted over Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal which revealed how companies can compile valuable information as users scour the internet.

The tech companies compile the information in order to build a comprehensive user profile so the user can be targeted with specific and clickable – and so more profitable – advertising.

Apple and Google are currently engaged in a fierce war for dominance online and the issue of privacy could be a key factor when users choose which browser to use.

Apple has said it is has made privacy a top priority in all its products, including Safari.

Brave, an internet start-up has also said privacy is a core element while Mozilla and Microsoft have also highlighted privacy as a way to differentiate themselves from Google Chrome.

Although Google relies on ad revenue, its engineers are building a “privacy sandbox,” reports CNET.

Users can increase their privacy settings by disabling a number of features such as your browser’s location tracking, turning off search engine autocomplete features and cancelling password autofills.

Regularly deleting your browser’s history will also help.

How to change settings in Chrome

In Chrome Web Store, click Extensions on the left and type the name of the extension are you looking for in the search bar.

Once the right extension has been found in the search results and click Add to Chrome.

Then click add extension to bring it into your browser.

Your extensions can be managed or removed by clicking the three dots menu on the right.

Select More Tools and then Extensions.

To see more about the extensions click on Details.

Useful extensions to help you get started are Cookie Autodelete, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger and HTTPS Everywhere.

To block third-party cookies, select Settings under the three-dot menu, scroll down to the Privacy and security section and click Cookies and other site data. From there, select Block third-party cookies

However, extensions don’t work on Android device and it is recommended you download an app such as DuckDuckGo.

How to change settings in Safari

First check that blocking is on by opening Safari and click on Preferences, followed by Privacy.

The box next to Prevent Cross-Site Tracking should be checked.

Click on Manage Website Data to see which sites have left their trackers and cookies in your browser.

These can be removed by clicking remove next to any of the individual trackers you want to get rid of.

If you want to get rid of them all, simply click on Remove All at the bottom of the screen.

All cookies can be blocked by simply checking the box next to Block all cookies.

If you want to increase your privacy further there are a number of apps that can be installed via the Apps Store, such as AdBlock Plus or Ghostery Lite for Safari.