Websites Are Tracking You via Browser Fingerprinting
a year ago
- #browser-fingerprinting
- #privacy
- #online-tracking
- Websites use browser fingerprinting to track users across sessions and sites, even when cookies are cleared.
- Browser fingerprinting combines details like screen resolution and device model to create a unique identifier.
- Unlike cookies, fingerprinting is hard to detect or prevent, making it a significant privacy concern.
- Research introduces FPTrace, a framework to measure fingerprinting-based tracking by analyzing ad system responses.
- Fingerprinting affects ad bidding and HTTP records, proving its use in real-time user tracking.
- Users opting out of tracking under GDPR or CCPA may still be tracked via fingerprinting.
- Current privacy tools and policies are insufficient; stronger browser defenses and regulations are needed.
- The study was presented at ACM Web Conference 2025 and involved Texas A&M and Johns Hopkins University.