The good news is, there are a couple of ways you can control what kind of information is shared about you online and what data is made available to companies.
"At VU, our proactive cybersecurity awareness program, helps staff, students and the local community learn how to take control of their online safety. We offer hands-on information sessions, free antivirus software, multi-factor authentication and regular updates on safe browsing, scam emails and phishing – as well as essential hardware like cam covers," says Adam Janik.
Since last year, Facebook launched an option to turn off tracking, so that you can stop the app tracing your visits and activity on external websites. If you take this option, you may see a reduction in seemingly-spooky product placement.
If you have a Google account, you can log in and go to myactivity.google.com where all the information Google has about your online activity will be located and can be controlled by you.
Be careful about which apps you download and trust. Check the app permissions before you give over access, for example a calculator app doesn't need access to your contacts for any reason. And be aware that some apps may take screenshots to see how the app is being used.
You could also consider using a VPN (virtual private network) which can help to project your personal privacy online. However, while a VPN can potentially help hide identifiers such as your location, it can't stop Google from tracking your search history for example. Other options to consider are using a privacy conscious browser (such as Brave) or search engine (such as DuckDuckGo) that may give you the privacy and control you're seeking.