How to Block Tracking Pixels?

In this digital era, almost all companies try to hold every piece of information about you, without your consent. Whatever you publish on social media even whatever you research over the internet, companies have knowledge about everything.

Don’t worry much. As the tracking techniques are advancing with every passing day, so are the methods for preventing such an attempt. There are approximately dozens of extensions for helping you to protect yourself from getting tracked. Only you need to have any of those extensions to block the companies from tracking your whereabouts online.

But are you aware that even your emails are being tracked? Just like your online activities, companies track the emails sent by them, to understand when you have read it or how many times you have opened the same email. And this is done through Tracking Pixels.

What are Tracking Pixels?

Actually, Tracking Pixels are an undetectable image pile measuring 1: 1 pixel that is inserted with the email sent by the company to track those emails. So, each time you read the email, alert messages are sent to the company, proving them with all the details including the location from where you have read the email.

Their works are carried on using simple HTML technology. Where almost every email conversation is done using plain text, such special emails usually contain HTML-based images that might be the image of the company’s logo or any particular product sold by them.

Moreover, the image will be visible only after the email has been opened. Your computer will be asked to retrieve them from the marketer’s server. Thus, giving them every detail related to the email and being the receiver you are ignorant of this fact.

Needless to say, such kind of technology is a boon for all marketers or organizations who want to have every detail about their customers and their interests, but at the same time, it is quite eerie because someone is spying on our emails, and we are totally ignorant about it.

But, of course, there is a way to block the Tracking Pixels and it is very easy as well. Since tracking Pixels finds out their way into your mailbox through images, you can easily do the necessary settings of not loading any images automatically. Performing this activity can block the sender from getting any information from your side.

Also, Chrome and Firefox have a few extensions that can send you alert messages if any tracking pixels have been detected in any emails opened by you in that browser window. But one thing you must keep in mind once you do the necessary settings, any remote image will also not get loaded and in that case sometimes your emails might look a little scattered up. However, such a reason should not stop you from doing the necessary settings.