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In computer science, '''fingerprinting''' is a procedure that maps an arbitrarily large data item (such as a computer file) to a much shorter bit string, its '''''fingerprint''''', that uniquely identifies the original data for all practical purposes just as human fingerprints uniquely identify people for practical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is fingerprinting in Computer Science? |url=https://tolumichael.com/what-is-fingerprinting-in-cybersecurity/ |access-date=30 August 2025}}</ref>
In computer science, '''fingerprinting''' is a procedure that maps an arbitrarily large data item (such as a computer file) to a much shorter bit string, its '''''fingerprint''''', that uniquely identifies the original data for all practical purposes just as human fingerprints uniquely entify people for practical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is fingerprinting in Computer Science? |url=https://tolumichael.com/what-is-fingerprinting-in-cybersecurity/ |access-date=30 August 2025}}</ref>


==How it works==
==How it works==
Fingerprinting works by…
<!-- Can someone knowledgable enough please check this? -->Fingerprinting works by getting a data item and turning it into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself.


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

Revision as of 11:06, 30 August 2025

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In computer science, fingerprinting is a procedure that maps an arbitrarily large data item (such as a computer file) to a much shorter bit string, its fingerprint, that uniquely identifies the original data for all practical purposes just as human fingerprints uniquely entify people for practical purposes.[1]

How it works

Fingerprinting works by getting a data item and turning it into a much shorter bit string that uniquely identifies itself.

Why it is a problem

Fingerprinting can be used to identify individuals, flagging privacy concerns and letting companies do things like targeted advertising, selling personal data and more.

Examples

Some examples of fingerprinting include some types of cookies,

References

  1. "What is fingerprinting in Computer Science?". Retrieved 30 August 2025.