These websites think they slick you know… *slams table* NOT ON MY WATCH. Here we are thinking cookies were the only way these websites could grab our data but I’m here to tell you they’re blindsiding us with cookies. What we really should look out for is browser fingerprints. Let’s delve into what it actually is and how it works.
Browser fingerprinting is a technique used to track and identify users based on their device settings. To explain further, it’s a collection of information about our device. This can include your location, operating system, and screen resolution (crazy right). Websites can use this information to track our online behaviour – but get this, this technique does not require our consent. Only a couple of years ago, due to GDPR, we started getting the website banners to let us know when a website is tracking our behaviour via cookies. The question now remains, When will we be notified that a website is using browser fingerprinting?
This technique is very good for marketing purposes, as it allows companies to target us based on our fingerprints. It’s a constant cycle, the more data these organisations have on us, the better they can tailor and target their adverts, which will generate more money for the organisation. I may be dramatic about cookies being used to blindside us, but, we move. However, It’s not all bad, like most things, there is some good that comes with it. Let’s take for example online banking, browser fingerprinting confirms your identity so the bank doesn’t need to ring you up, or send a text to confirm that you’re the person making the transaction.
One method used to gain browser information is via canvas fingerprinting. Websites are written using HTML 5. If you’ve ever coded before using HTML, you will have come across elements, and HTML has an element called <canvas>. This particular element produces data on the user’s browser such as font size and background settings, and this produces a fingerprint for each user. Unfortunately, it’s quite hard to circumvent browser fingerprinting as it’s not saved on our devices, unlike a cookie.
If you’re unsure about your browser, you can check using https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ which I have used to test my browser’s fingerprinting. It also checks to see whether tracking adverts and invisible trackers are blocked on your laptop. I’m not trying to throw shade at Android users, but if you use Safari, it protects users from being tracked through browser fingerprinting. Some browser extensions can also block websites from tracking us, such as Kaspersky protection. Furthermore, there are methods we can use to reduce the likelihood of being tracked.
Browsing the web in private mode is one method to reduce being tracked. This is because, private browsing can make your profile appear similar to other users, which makes it harder to pin an online behaviour to a user. I would also suggest using a VPN in addition to this. As we all know, a VPN will hide your IP address, but because this is only a small part of the data that makes up the browser fingerprint, a VPN will not fully protect you from browser fingerprinting.
I honestly believe this is just surface level and this can spiral into something deeper where nothing we do will ever be private. I say that because the current climate is making it very inconvenient to stay private. As much as I love technology and how it’s helped society, the issue of privacy still looms and it’s not being addressed properly.
Tips with T
- Leverage incognito mode when browsing
- Use a VPN
- Subscribe 🙂
Love & Guidance
TT
The TT Protocol 