I've had this happen a number of times as well.

That said, you can minimize the intrusion with some effort. Don't use MS or Google browsers (e.g. Chrome, Edge, IE); stick to Firefox, Opera*, Brave or Vivaldi. Install ad blockers on your browsers like Privacy Badger or Adblock Plus. You can run script blockers, too, but in many cases this may break the functionality of a website.

Minimize time on Facebook and Messenger, and only use them through a browser rather than their native apps. If the apps are installed on your phone, uninstall them or use your system settings to put them in a suspended state.

If you really want to get down to it, Windows is compromised as well, so you're better off going with Mac OS or installing and using a flavor of Linux like Ubuntu or Mint.


*Opera is a nice browser, and has a functional and easy to use built-in VPN, but it is owned by the Chinese, so use with care.