When you use the internet, you might think that deleting cookies or browsing in incognito mode will keep your browsing private (spoiler alert: it won’t). The reality is that websites can still track and identify you without your knowledge.
One of the more advanced methods is called browser fingerprinting. In essence, this is when information is collected about your browser, hardware, and settings to make a unique profile that can follow you around the internet.
For privacy advocates in particular but also the public at large, it’s important to be aware of browser fingerprinting and its huge potential privacy concerns.
Luckily, there are a few ways you can actively reduce your online footprint and reclaim some of your online identity.
What Is Browser Fingerprinting?
Browser fingerprinting works by gathering seemingly harmless pieces of information from your computer.
Websites can potentially determine your browser type, operating system, screen resolution, fonts, plugins, time zone, and even something as subtle as your preferred language. Altogether, these pieces give a distinct “fingerprint” that can uniquely identify you.
Unlike cookies, fingerprints are harder to delete. Even when you clear your browser cache or browse in incognito mode, the information websites collect based on your system settings can still link your activity between visits.
You might be wondering why websites would bother tracking their users in such a deeply personal way. As is often the case these days, the most common reason is advertising.
The goal of advertising is revenue; as a result, advertisers want to produce highly-targeted, personalized advertisements, and browser fingerprinting allows them to trace users and gather as much data as possible – even when cookies are disabled or deleted.
Apart from advertising, fingerprinting also holds the promise of analytics, personalization, and anti-fraud.
Occasionally, it might even disclose sensitive activity, such as what websites you visit to look up health concerns or carry out financial transactions. That is why privacy-conscious users must be aware of the risk and proactively do something to protect themselves.
How to Limit Your Exposure to Browser Fingerprinting
Unforunately, there’s no single magical solution to prevent browser fingerprinting, but there are still some actionable steps you can take to make it harder for websites to track you.
Here are some useful ways to reduce your exposure:
Use Privacy-Focused Browsers
A few browsers are designed with anti-fingerprinting in mind. These browsers prevent scripts and standardize some data so that your device won’t become identifiable. Browsing on this type of browser can make it more complicated for websites to develop a good profile of you.
Limit Browser Plugins and Extensions
You might not realize it, but every plugin or extension you’ve installed can add its own set of identifiers to your browser fingerprint. Removing unnecessary plugins and limiting extensions to trusted, privacy-focused options reduces the number of available data points for trackers.
Clear Cookies and Cache Regularly
While erasing cookies doesn’t eliminate fingerprinting entirely, it stops trackers from combining fingerprinting with stored cookie data. Clearing your cache, cookies, and local storage periodically is a simple measure that makes tracking just that little bit more difficult.
Use a Virtual Private Network for Additional Privacy
A VPN helps protect your privacy by hiding your real IP address – a key part of browser fingerprinting. Exposed IPs have been exploited by famous hackers to track or intercept data. So by encrypting your connection and masking your location, a VPN makes it harder for trackers to link your browser fingerprint to you.
Explore Browser Extensions against Anti-Fingerprinting
There are extensions specifically tailored to minimize fingerprinting; these programs aim to block or randomize scripts gathering device data. They’re certainly not foolproof, but together, they complement the use of privacy-oriented browsers and a VPN.
Isolate Browsing Environments
For the more advanced or tech-savvy user, splitting activities into multiple browsers or virtual machines can help diversify your fingerprint. For example, using one browser for personal use and another for work or online shopping can reduce how easily your activities can be connected.
By doing all of these things at once, you make it much harder for sites to track you through browser fingerprinting. No single method is impossible to defeat. But doing all of these methods together, such as using privacy browser software, selective add-ons, and a VPN, gives you more power over your online anonymity.
Combining Strategies for Better Privacy
There is no single move that will entirely eliminate browser fingerprinting. As mentioned, the best approach is to employ a mixture of various methods for added protection.
Running a privacy-focused browser, disabling plugins, frequent cookie removal, and concurrent usage of a VPN offer several layers of protection. Every layer reduces the amount of unique data submitted to trackers. And it becomes much harder for them to piece together your online experience.
Think of it as blocking many doors instead of one. Each fence hinders trackers and makes it much more difficult for them to trace you online.
Stay Informed and Be Proactive
The online world is dynamic. New tracking technologies seem to appear every day, and what keeps your information private today might not be applicable tomorrow.
Staying up to date on new threats and following the best practices is crucial in order to have control over your digital life – while it can seem time-consuming, it’s a worthy investment for those who value their privacy.
For most, total anonymity on the web is inherently impossible. But by taking these steps, you’ll be making it considerably more difficult for sites to track your activity.
Conclusion
Browser fingerprinting is a powerful tracking mechanism that works behind the scenes and is essentially undetectable – not as simple as an assigned identifier or deletion when closing a browser, and capable of revealing far more personal information than you would expect.
By using privacy-minded browsers, limiting plugins, deleting cookies, and using a VPN, you can often reduce your digital footprint back to an acceptable size.
Learning about browser fingerprinting and taking steps to protect yourself isn’t about being paranoid; it’s about taking control of your online experience as well as transparency.
With a little effort and a few simple changes, you can make your browsing safer and more private, without constantly being tracked.
