The fall of Secret Santa: 5 tips to keep your gifts secret while shopping online

Online shopping is a timesaver before the holiday season, but it can also betray our plans for Christmas gifts. Even though most households own more than one device used by everyone, there are several ways that family members or colleagues can accidentally find out what presents await them.

“In the past, people would find out about their Christmas gifts by accidentally discovering them hidden in a wardrobe or by checking browsing history on the family computer. Trends are shifting, and now IP addresses and poor digital habits are usually what betray us,” says Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN.

To protect our privacy and retain the secret of gifts, Marijus Briedis advises these preventive measures:  

• Use a VPN. When we shop online, websites and marketers track our every move to show us an offer we might like. The main issue is that ads based on IP address targeting are shown on all devices connected to the same router. This means that recipients of the gifts can start getting ads based on the searches of one user if they use the same Wi-Fi. One of a VPN’s core features is hiding your IP address, so it’s a tool that helps you stay private and avoid IP-targeted ads. 

• Use incognito mode. Incognito mode does not exactly equal privacy, but this is precisely what it was made for – setting aside a single browsing session that won’t save cookies and won’t save browsing history. Incognito mode can help keep your online shopping a secret.

• Get a privacy-oriented browser extension. There are plenty of powerful, free browser extensions that can help shake off trackers and keep holiday shopping searches private. There are lots of options, and they all work differently. NordVPN recommends these browser extensions.

• Stop engaging with brands on social media (at least before the holidays). Likes and comments on Facebook or other social media show everyone which brands the user engages with. Usually, that’s not much of a problem, but it could give a hint to the intended recipient of what gifts to expect.

• Mind your screens and windows. Users shouldn’t forget to close windows and lock their screen. This is the privacy hygiene of the digital age. Even advanced cybersecurity precautions cannot protect privacy and secrets if the user keeps their desktop open or screen unlocked.