Fingerprinting: Difference between revisions

Line 1:

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 ~~connection~~), 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.

==How it works==

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.

Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint by adding extensions and changing settings ~~it can~~ have the opposite ~~indented affect~~.

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==

Line 11:

==Remedies==

Device fingerprinting is ~~notoriously~~ difficult to avoid. ~~IP addresses can be masked, hidden, or modified, while cookies can be blocked, cleared, and avoided. The only notable~~ remedies ~~are~~ 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. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-fingerprinting |url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ |website=tb-manual.torproject.org}}</ref>

==References==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{StubNotice}}{{ToneWarning}}
-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 connection), 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.
 ==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.
-Because of the many different variables used to generate a fingerprint by adding extensions and changing settings it can have the opposite indented affect.
+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==
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Remedies==
-Device fingerprinting is notoriously difficult to avoid. IP addresses  can be masked, hidden, or modified, while cookies can be blocked, cleared, and avoided. The only notable remedies are 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. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-fingerprinting |url=https://tb-manual.torproject.org/anti-fingerprinting/ |website=tb-manual.torproject.org}}</ref>
 ==References==