Fingerprinting - Revision history

Rudxain: more accurate "How it works"; mention cookies

2026-04-26T02:47:00Z

more accurate "How it works"; mention cookies

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:47, 26 April 2026
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	==How it works==		==How it works==
	<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting can work in 2 ways~~, depending on how much access the fingerprinter has~~:		<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting can work in 2 ways:

	*~~'''Low access''':~~ By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning ~~them~~ into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate ~~device~~ activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		*By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning the data into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate subject activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.
	*~~'''Full access''':~~ By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding [[wikipedia:Zero_width\|invisible]] and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] (see [[wikipedia:Homoglyph\|homoglyphs]]) characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>		*By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding [[wikipedia:Zero_width\|invisible]] and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] (see [[wikipedia:Homoglyph\|homoglyphs]]) characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref> A more common example is tracking [[Web cookie\|cookies]].

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==

Rudxain: link Homoglyph

2026-04-17T14:40:59Z

link Homoglyph

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:40, 17 April 2026
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	*'''Low access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		*'''Low access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.
	*'''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding [[wikipedia:Zero_width\|invisible]] and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>		*'''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding [[wikipedia:Zero_width\|invisible]] and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] (see [[wikipedia:Homoglyph\|homoglyphs]]) characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==

Rudxain: link invisible to WP:ZW

2026-04-17T14:35:27Z

link invisible to WP:ZW

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 17 April 2026
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	*'''Low access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		*'''Low access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.
	*'''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding invisible and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>		*'''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding [[wikipedia:Zero_width\|invisible]] and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==

Rudxain: min->low

2026-04-17T14:33:24Z

min->low

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:33, 17 April 2026
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	<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting can work in 2 ways, depending on how much access the fingerprinter has:		<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting can work in 2 ways, depending on how much access the fingerprinter has:

	* '''~~Minimal~~ access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		*'''Low access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.
	* '''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding invisible and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>		*'''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding invisible and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==

Rudxain: expand "How it works" with 2 kinds, mention Unicode steganography; add many links

2026-04-17T14:31:45Z

expand "How it works" with 2 kinds, mention Unicode steganography; add many links

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:31, 17 April 2026
Line 5:		Line 5:

	==How it works==		==How it works==
	<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting works by getting one or more data items and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]). Such data points include device hardware, web browser, browser plugins and configuration, ~~screen resolution, installed fonts, and many other methods.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/~~how~~-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|~~access~~-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http~~://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025}}</ref> Even the '''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint''', as certain data is unlikely to be missing.		<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting can work in 2 ways, depending on how much access the fingerprinter has:

	Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		* '''Minimal access''': By collecting one or more data items (e.g. device hardware, web browser, browser plugins, configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, etc...)<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025 \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> from the subject and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]), this string can be recomputed and then matched against a database, to repeatedly correlate device activity. Even the ''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint'', as certain data is unlikely to be missing. Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.
			* '''Full access''': By inserting unique (or mostly unique) data into the subject, there's no need to recompute the fingerprint, so it can be compared and matched faster. An example of this is ''Unicode [[wikipedia:Steganography\|steganography]]'', which consists on adding invisible and/or [https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-32.html#confusables confusable] characters in digital text, so that copy-pasting the text distributes the fingerprint.<ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2017-12-30-zero-width-characters</ref><ref>https://www.zachaysan.com/writing/2018-01-01-fingerprinting-update</ref>

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==
	While there are some benefits from a security perspective (e.g. trusted-device recognition and fraud prevention), fingerprinting allows ~~websites~~ to identify individuals even while masking their IP address, flagging privacy concerns and letting companies do things like targeted advertising, selling personal data and more. It also allows another avenue for tracking across websites as services implemented on many different sites on the web will be able to follow device browsing from one website to another. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Browser Fingerprinting: What It Is and How to Block It \|url=https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|access-date=10 October 2025 \|website=techreviewadvisor.com \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121085958/https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>		While there are some benefits from a security perspective (e.g. trusted-device recognition and fraud prevention), fingerprinting allows entities (such as web servers) to identify individuals even while masking their IP address, flagging privacy concerns and letting companies do things like [[Personalized ads\|targeted advertising]], selling personal data and more. It also allows another avenue for tracking across websites as services implemented on many different sites on the web (such as [[CDN\|CDNs]]) will be able to follow device browsing from one website to another. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Browser Fingerprinting: What It Is and How to Block It \|url=https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|access-date=10 October 2025 \|website=techreviewadvisor.com \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121085958/https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>

	==Remedies==		==Remedies==
	Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or ~~the~~ Tor ~~browser~~ which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251029015145/https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=29 Oct 2025}}</ref>		Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as [[Mullvad]], [[Brave browser\|Brave]], or [[wikipedia:Tor_(network)#Tor_Browser\|Tor]], which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251029015145/https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=29 Oct 2025}}</ref>

	For those looking to test browser protection against web fingerprinting, the [[wikipedia:Electronic_Frontier_Foundation\|Electronic Frontier Foundation]] has a tool called [https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ Cover Your Tracks] to display unique hardware and software fingerprints.		For those looking to test browser protection against web fingerprinting, the [[wikipedia:Electronic_Frontier_Foundation\|Electronic Frontier Foundation]] has a tool called [https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ Cover Your Tracks] to display unique hardware and software fingerprints.

Rudxain: add general definition

2026-04-17T14:01:13Z

add general definition

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:01, 17 April 2026
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	{{StubNotice}}{{ToneWarning}}		{{StubNotice}}{{ToneWarning}}
			[[wikipedia:Fingerprint_(computing)\|'''Fingerprinting''']] consists on attempting to uniquely identify someone or something, so that it becomes easier to [[wikipedia:Web_tracking\|track]].

	A '''[[wikipedia:Device fingerprint\|device fingerprint]]''' is a collection of information about a device's hardware and configuration. Unlike an IP address, which is a singular piece of data that users can manipulate for privacy and security (such as using a VPN service or resetting network connections), a device fingerprint holds a series of specified data that can be uniquely attributed to a device or user (or a group thereof), and are therefore much harder to protect from tracking and abuse of privacy.		A '''[[wikipedia:Device fingerprint\|device fingerprint]]''' is a collection of information about a device's hardware and configuration. Unlike an IP address, which is a singular piece of data that users can manipulate for privacy and security (such as using a VPN service or resetting network connections), a device fingerprint holds a series of specified data that can be uniquely attributed to a device or user (or a group thereof), and are therefore much harder to protect from tracking and abuse of privacy.

Rudxain: Rudxain moved page Device fingerprint to Fingerprinting: https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Device_fingerprint&oldid=45177#Petition_to_move

2026-04-17T13:42:36Z

Rudxain moved page Device fingerprint to Fingerprinting: https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Device_fingerprint&oldid=45177#Petition_to_move

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 17 April 2026
(No difference)

Dosjdhdjdjdhdjdjdj: Links to a fingerprinting test tool from eff

2026-02-26T04:16:33Z

Links to a fingerprinting test tool from eff

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:16, 26 February 2026
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	==Remedies==		==Remedies==
	Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251029015145/https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=29 Oct 2025}}</ref>		Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251029015145/https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=29 Oct 2025}}</ref>

			For those looking to test browser protection against web fingerprinting, the [[wikipedia:Electronic_Frontier_Foundation\|Electronic Frontier Foundation]] has a tool called [https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ Cover Your Tracks] to display unique hardware and software fingerprints.

	==References==		==References==

Banana: Added archive URLs for 3 citation(s) using CRWCitationBot

2026-02-16T04:02:35Z

Added archive URLs for 3 citation(s) using CRWCitationBot

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:02, 16 February 2026
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	==How it works==		==How it works==
	<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting works by getting one or more data items and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]). Such data points include device hardware, web browser, browser plugins and configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, and many other methods.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com}}</ref> Even the '''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint''', as certain data is unlikely to be missing.		<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting works by getting one or more data items and turning them into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself (typically by applying a [[wikipedia:Hash_function\|hash-function]]). Such data points include device hardware, web browser, browser plugins and configuration, screen resolution, installed fonts, and many other methods.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=How does device fingerprinting work? \|url=https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|access-date=31 August 2025 \|website=crossclasiffy.com \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250907041725/https://www.crossclassify.com/resources/articles/how-does-fingerprinting-work/ \|archive-date=7 Sep 2025}}</ref> Even the '''lack of data can be used to build a fingerprint''', as certain data is unlikely to be missing.

	Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.		Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint, adding extensions and changing settings intending to increase privacy may have the opposite effect.

	==Why it is a problem==		==Why it is a problem==
	While there are some benefits from a security perspective (e.g. trusted-device recognition and fraud prevention), fingerprinting allows websites to identify individuals even while masking their IP address, flagging privacy concerns and letting companies do things like targeted advertising, selling personal data and more. It also allows another avenue for tracking across websites as services implemented on many different sites on the web will be able to follow device browsing from one website to another. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Browser Fingerprinting: What It Is and How to Block It \|url=https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|access-date=10 October 2025 \|website=techreviewadvisor.com}}</ref>		While there are some benefits from a security perspective (e.g. trusted-device recognition and fraud prevention), fingerprinting allows websites to identify individuals even while masking their IP address, flagging privacy concerns and letting companies do things like targeted advertising, selling personal data and more. It also allows another avenue for tracking across websites as services implemented on many different sites on the web will be able to follow device browsing from one website to another. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Browser Fingerprinting: What It Is and How to Block It \|url=https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|access-date=10 October 2025 \|website=techreviewadvisor.com \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121085958/https://techreviewadvisor.com/browser-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>

	==Remedies==		==Remedies==
	Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org}}</ref>		Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251029015145/https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|archive-date=29 Oct 2025}}</ref>

	==References==		==References==

Rudxain: mention spoofing

2026-01-17T17:39:20Z

mention spoofing

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:39, 17 January 2026
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	==Remedies==		==Remedies==
	Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org}}</ref>		Device fingerprinting is difficult to avoid due to the aforementioned data points available. Notable remedies include using privacy-focused browsers such as Mullvad, Brave, or the Tor browser which either randomizes certain data points to hide unique attributes or modifies identifiers to make all users appear to be the same in an effort to reduce the uniqueness of the system (AKA [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Device_fingerprint&oldid=1330865841#Offering_a_spoofed_fingerprint spoofing]). <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Anti-fingerprinting \|url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ \|website=tb-manual.torproject.org}}</ref>

	==References==		==References==