Browsers automatically contact unknown third-party websites in order to display content that is not provided by the website owner. This is done in order to ensure that the user’s privacy is protected and that the website can continue to operate.
While we may not think about it very much, there is quite a bit more going on ‘behind the scenes’ than we might realize when browsing the internet. We explore the reasons why our browsers are busy contacting unknown third-party websites in today’s SuperUser Q&A post.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader Fsaladin wants to know why a browser is automatically contacting unknown third-party websites without permission:
What is going on here? Why is Fsaladin’s browser automatically contacting so many unknown websites without permission?
What is the reason behind this? Can anybody explain?
The Answer
SuperUser contributor Oxymoron has the answer for us:
Although most of us are focused solely on work or play while browsing the internet, there is quite a bit more going on ‘behind the scenes’ than we may be aware of, or take the time to think about.
Almost all the ads you see come from third-parties.
The developers of the website may use third-party libraries to achieve their goals, such as jQuery and others.
The website may depend on data from another website, such as an API.
The complete list is extensive, however these three are the main reasons. Most are harmless and nothing to worry about, however, one should always educate themselves about the dangers just in case.
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
