Some publishers and providers of scientific information track users' search behavior on their websites, create profiles, and analyze the data for their own purposes without users' consent.
How we protect you from data tracking
The authentication technologies used by the University Library for licensed resources do not transmit personal data to publishers. Our authentication portal eAccess utilizes a rewrite proxy method, ensuring that only the IP address of the University Library's eAccess server is passed on to our business partners.
The institutional login service Shibboleth, also used at TUM, allows users to verify which data is transmitted to service providers. The data sets usually do not allow conclusions to be drawn about individuals.
The University Library generally rejects licensing models from publishers or agencies that aim to identify users or use corresponding technologies.
How you can protect yourself from data tracking
Regardless of our authentication methods (such as eAccess and Shibboleth), many publishers offer personal accounts, for example, to save settings and research histories.
We recommend avoiding these features whenever possible, adjusting privacy settings, and carefully reading provider's privacy policies. In general, most scientific resources licensed by the University Library can be accessed without personal accounts with the publishers.
To protect yourself from conventional website tracking technologies, we recommend using appropriate browser functions (e.g., Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection) and following guidelines provided by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
