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Tracker blocking

What are trackers?

Cookie files can be proprietary or third-party. The latter are called trackers.

Proprietary cookies are small files that the browser uses to record data about the sites that you visited. Sites use cookies to recognize users. For example, to avoid asking for their username and password every time they visit the site.

Trackers (third-party cookies) are small fragments of the site software code. When you open a site, trackers load automatically, collect information (such as location, device type, or IP address), and send it back to their owner. A tracker can be hosted both by the site administrator and by site partners. For example, the site that you're viewing has an ad banner from http://www.example.org. This banner sends your app a cookie that stores information about your activity on the site. If you visit another site with an ad banner from http://www.example.org, the ad network makes a connection between these visits.

The tracker owner can use this information in different ways:

Examples of proper use

• A site owner can use trackers to estimate how many visitors the site gets, what regions they're from, and what devices they use. This data can help them optimize the site for audience needs.
• Trackers let you use the same username or social network widget on several sites.

Trackers from sites that you visited yourself (such as social networks) are most likely used in good faith.

Examples of malicious use

Malicious tracker owners may collect the personal data that you enter on a website, such as your phone number or email address, and sell it to third parties. As a result, you may receive emails with unwanted ads or get annoying calls from advertisers who you never gave your phone number to.

We consider malicious data tracking to be a violation of your privacy. To protect you, Yandex has developed a special YTP technology.

What is YTP?

Your Tracking Protection (YTP) is a technology that you can use to limit third-party cookies and to choose which resources can be trusted with your data.

YTP is based on a simple rule: only sites that you've visited before are allowed to run trackers. Only these sites can transfer your data from site to site, show you relevant ads, and use other cross-site interaction features. If you haven't visited a website for 45 days, the browser starts blocking its trackers.

Thanks to ads, you don’t have to pay for sites. Yandex always aims for a balance between free services and useful, unobtrusive ads.

This way, you can continue using the internet in a way that's convenient for you (such as use the same login on different sites), while sites can support themselves financially without using irrelevant ads that bother users.

Pages where trackers are blocked load much faster.

You can also use the YTP technology to find out what trackers are running on a page and block the ones that you don't trust.

Blocking trackers for a site

Once a page loads, you can find out how many trackers are blocked on it. To do this:

1. Tap  → About the site.

2. The Tracker blocking option will show the number of trackers blocked.

Block until visiting the site

1. Tap  → About the site → Tracker blocking.

2. To the right of the tracker, tap  → Block.

The tracker will be blocked until the next time you visit the site it belongs to.

Block permanently

1. Tap  → About the site → Tracker blocking.

2. To the right of the tracker, tap  → Block permanently.

The tracker remains blocked until you unblock it.

Unblock

If a tracker is blocked, you can unblock it until visiting the site next time or permanently:

1. Tap  → About the site → Tracker blocking.

2. To the right of the tracker, tap and select Unblock or Unblock permanently.

If the tracker is unblocked, the Revoke permission option will block it until you visit its domain next time.

If the site doesn't work

Some sites can't function properly without using third-party cookies. If the site doesn't work, try to disable tracker blocking completely:

1. While on the site, tap to the right of the SmartBox.
2. Select Tracker blocking.
3. Tap Site not working?
4. In the window that opens, click Allow third-party cookies.
5. Reload the page by clicking Reload in the message that opens.

To re-enable tracking protection:

1. While on the site, tap to the right of the SmartBox.
2. Select Tracker blocking.
3. Tap Enable blocking.
4. Reload the page by clicking Reload in the message that opens.

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