Brave Software
Ads are annoying, but they also serve a purpose. Since ads do help websites make money, blocking them entirely may not sit right with everyone. If that describes you, take a look at Brave Software. You can choose to view ads that respect your privacy, or you can even pay sites directly, so you can feel good about blocking ads.

Read More: A Review of the Innovative Dolphin Web Browser

Ghostery
When you browse online, you leave behind a footprint. That footprint is in the form of valuable data that you may not want to allow just anyone to access. The Ghostery Browser Extension can help you understand different types of trackers, so you can decide what you want to do. You can remove the clutter, load pages faster, and get back to online shopping without worrying about remarketing tactics revealing the surprise later. Share your anonymous data to help keep the service free.

AdMuncher
Block all the ads. AdMuncher will gobble them up so you don’t need to see them. With constant development for well over a decade, interrupting ads are a thing of the past. Formerly a premium product, the developer has recently decided to make AdMuncher free.

PSafe Total
This app may not be an ad blocker, but it is indispensable for anyone browsing online. Whether you opt for PSafe Total or PSafe Total Windows, you can keep your Android cell phone and your laptop free of potentially harmful viruses and malware. It’s a simple way to keep your devices secure without any hassle. In fact, this app takes things even further. More than a virus blocker, it also helps to keep your private images under wraps and can keep your WhatsApp password protected. This way, your personal images won’t get into the wrong hands — like those of a nosy colleague or friend.

A Conspiracy Is Born
The whole idea came about when someone noticed that the Facebook mobile app requests permission to use your microphone when you install it on your phone. This led to speculation that the app was asking to access users’ microphones in order to listen in on them. The idea was brought into the mainstream after an NBC interview with a communications professor from the University of South Florida went viral. In the interview, Professor Kelli Burns performed an “experiment” during which she spoke aloud about certain things, then showed the audience her Facebook news feed which almost immediately displayed ads related to her conversation topic. It seemed convincing, and many viewers took it as concrete evidence that Facebook was indeed listening.

Read More: How to Protect Your Webcam From Hacking

Finding the Truth
Facebook released an official statement to address these concerns, letting users know that the app only accesses microphones for certain functions that require it. For instance, Facebook Live needs mic access in order to work properly. Users were reminded that they have the option to turn off the permissions for the microphone if they don’t feel comfortable with it enabled. But what about the Kelli Burns interview? Burns herself has since come forward to set the record straight, saying the ads that showed up on her news feed could easily have been based off of her “likes” and other activity on the site.

Not Listening, Just Watching
While they assure us that the listening to us theory is off-base, Facebook is forthcoming that they use much of the information found in your profile and newsfeed to create a targeted ad experience for you. While they aren’t literally “watching” you, pages you follow and posts you like are used to help Facebook figure out which advertisements might be most relevant to you. They also use demographic information, such as where you live, how old you are, and your political preferences. Targeted ads are nothing new, and they’re not exclusive to Facebook. This kind of marketing is almost as old as the Internet itself.

While Facebook may not be listening to you through your phone’s mic, spyware that enables someone to do just that does exist. To protect your device from infiltration by spying programs and other malware, always run a comprehensive security app like PSafe Total.