Tracking Headers: Mobile Internet is still on the rise and is used by hundreds of millions people around the world who wish to access the Internet from their mobile device. Mobile advertising is also on the rise, as along with the mobile internet comes the desire to track users, to improve performance, or to better target ads. 
One way to monitor Mobile Internet data is directly from mobile providers. In 2014, it became known that two major mobile phone companies in the United States - Verizon and AT&T - were injecting special tracking headers into their customers' mobile connections. These tracking headers could be used by advertisers giving them the ability to track users across the internet.
Providers receive all user requests when they are connected to their network, by injecting special Tracking Headers or tracking headers that add a unique HTTP (automatic and before login). The internet service provider can then use this unique ID to track users wherever they go on the Internet.
Of course, such information costs a lot on the market, and can be sold to advertisers looking for ways to approach as many data profiles as possible.
This information can also be used to change the content of a page or to redirect users to a completely different page.
The research "The Rise of Mobile Tracking Headers: How Telcos Around the World Are Threatening Your Privacy" (PDF) by the rights organization access on the Internet (Internet rights organization Access) reports that tracking started much earlier than 2014.
Are you worried or are you the ones you want to know?
The I Am Being Tracked is an online tool developed for their study, researchers of Internet rights organization Access and helps them learn how widespread is the injection of monitoring headers.
Just visit the website using your mobile device. Before connecting to the website, turn off your WiFi if it is turned on, and click “Test Now. "
Η service returns results that inform whether the user's mobile network injects tracking headers or not.
The tool does not seem to work in Greece, as it tries to identify the provider through the IP address. It then analyzes the headers to find out if they have been tampered with or not. In case changeof headers, records the results in a database.
What the study found
Providers in 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, the Netherlands, Spain and China, use Tracking Headers. Most were discovered in the US, followed by Spain and the Netherlands.
Almost all links that have been tested so far in Am I Being Tracked contained tracking headers.
Some tracking headers do not collect vital information such as phone numbers.
Mobile phone users have many options to prevent this kind of interceptions. Let's say all connections in secure locations (HTTPS) can not be modified by the providers.
The use of a virtual private network also stops tracking and is now considered the best option to block tracking headers.
