Can a WiFi Provider See Your Browsing History (and How to Stop It)
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One of the questions our society constantly asks is,Can my WiFi provider see my search history? ”
In this article we want to expand on that and provide a comprehensive answer.
But first things first.
Yes, it is possible that your WiFi provider or WiFi owner will be able to see the sites you visit.
However, being able to check what you’re doing on WiFi depends on a variety of factors.
The most important ones:
- The type of router you were connected to
- Implement a TLS / SSL certificate on the website you visited
- Having an active VPN connection
Let’s also not forget that your WiFi provider can try to use packet sniffers like, for example, WireShark.
From this point on, everything becomes more complicated and thus we highly recommend that you should keep your VPN on all the time.
WireShark App
Now, let’s dive into the details.
Do WiFi routers keep track of internet history
Yes, they do, although it is not common.
Old WiFi routers are not meant to be used to track internet traffic on their own which means one must have some very extensive technical knowledge and a set of right tools to check your WiFi history through a router.
However, if you connect to a new WiFi router with a built-in tracking feature and pre-configured software, your browsing privacy will come under great question.
So the comprehensive internet history can be tracked on the WiFi router.
But when it comes to older routers, one needs to be somewhat tech-savvy to make it happen.
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Strict no-logs policy
WiFi browsing history: what can be monitored
Unfortunately, things that can be monitored on WiFi aren’t just your browsing history.
There is a lot for a Wi-Fi provider to see.
For example:
- Exact time when you connect to the Internet
- The time you spent on the Internet
- Time spent at a particular location
- The specific URLs you visited on a particular website
- Unencrypted HTTP Website Data
- Source and destination IP addresses
HTTP vs HTTPS
When you enter a website’s URL in the address bar, you may notice that each domain begins with http:// or https://.
These are two types of transport protocols that websites and web browsers use to send and receive data packets across the web.
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
HTTPS is an advanced version of HTTP.
It is referred to as Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
The main difference between these protocols is the implementation of a TLS/SSL certificate on top of HTTP.
A TLS/SSL certificate is a global security standard technology that allows secure communication between a web browser and a server.
In other words, all data passing through an SSL-supported website is encrypted to some extent.
So, if you visit a page on an HTTPS website, the WiFi administrator will not see the content of the page and what exactly you were doing there.
However, it will still be able to see the websites you’ve visited and the pages on those you’ve opened.
Can your WiFi provider see your phone history
Yes. If you use a smartphone to browse the Internet, your WiFi provider or WiFi network owner can see your browsing history.
Except for browsing history, they can also see the following information:
- The apps you were using
- Source and destination IP addresses
- Unencrypted HTTP Website Data
However, let’s say your WiFi administrator wants to see everything you do online is bad enough, and has invested some resources in the logging infrastructure.
After that, your accurate data can be subject to monitoring.
for example:
- Call and text logs
- text messages
- Voice messages
- Pictures or photos
This, of course, is more than enough to completely destroy your privacy and personal life.
But, everything could be worse if hackers intercept your WiFi traffic.
Then they can easily steal your account credentials, passwords, credit card details and other valuable information no matter what device you are using to access the internet.
The truth is that WiFi is flawed, and by its nature it is an open technology.
So, unless you protect yourself with VPN encryption, you can never trust the security of your data.
Can the WiFi owner see the websites I visit
Yes sure. The WiFi owner can see which websites you visit while using WiFi as well as the things you search on the internet.
There are plenty of routers with built-in tracking from companies like Netgear.
When deployed, this router will track your browsing activities and record your search history so that the WiFi owner can easily check which websites you have been visiting over a wireless connection.
Moreover, if that person is a tech geek, they can also use special software to check your browsing history on any type of router.
How to Hide Browsing History on WiFi
In general, there are two ways to hide browsing history on WiFi.
You can use Tor or a VPN.
Tor Browser
You can use Tor Browser to hide your search history from the WiFi owner.
All traffic routed through the Tor network is encrypted, so no one will see the websites you’ve been browsing.
However, it can still be seen that you have established a connection to the Tor network, and that in and of itself can be very suspicious.
Also, Tor is really slow for things like streaming video, so you’ll literally be limited to certain activities that don’t require a high-speed connection.
VPN
The other way to prevent someone from keeping tabs on your search history is to use a VPN.
With its help, you can surf the Internet anonymously, even if you are connected to someone’s WiFi.
This is because a VPN allocates you a completely different IP address, hides your identity, and aggressively encrypts your internet traffic.
Do you want to hide your search history and online activities?
Take SwitchVPN for a 3-day test drive and surf the web in complete secrecy.
Get access to all the features of SwitchVPN. no limits!
Start a 3-day trial for $1
Trial subscription will not be automatically upgraded or renewed
Strict no-logs policy
VPN for WiFi: Why use it?
So, there are two options: Tor and VPN. Which is better?
To find a detailed answer to this question, you can check out one of our articles – Tor vs VPN.
However, in case you don’t want to get too deep into it, here’s a quick sneak peek.
VPN is much faster than Tor
With a VPN, you can do many things that require a high connection speed.
For example, you can stream HD video without any problems because all the traffic you transmit is routed through a single high-speed tunnel.
On the contrary, Tor uses many voluntarily running tunnel servers, also known as nodes, which significantly slow down your connection speed, thus restricting you to certain activities.
VPN provides better security
A VPN offers a much better level of protection than Tor.
First, it hides your IP address and protects your internet traffic with hack-resistant AES-256 encryption.
Second, it keeps your data protected all the way until you reach the destination point, while Tor decrypts data packets leaving from the last node.
Paid VPNs also offer advanced security features such as a Kill Switch.
All content can be accessed
A VPN allows you to choose one server from a range of servers located all over the world, allowing you to access any content you want.
As for Tor, it will randomly choose two servers from its global network.
In the vast majority of cases, these servers will not match the servers you need to uncensor your favorite websites.
wrap things
We hope we were able to clarify the matter and provide you with the information you were looking for.
Here is a short summary of the article:
- Your WiFi provider can see your browsing history on any device
- One can see your browsing history on all kinds of routers if they want that bad enough
- Except for the search history, there is other sensitive data that can be monitored
- Hide your WiFi history with Tor or VPN
- A VPN is a better choice than Tor if you want to be confident in your online privacy and security
Stay protected!
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