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Earlier we talked a little about what a fingerprint is and what it is used for. In this article, we will analyze:
What is a fingerprint?
Every site wants to know as much as possible about its users. Since direct surveillance is prohibited, sites try to identify users using additional parameters that are not directly related to the person's identity.
For example, they analyze information about the device, browser, and connection that a person uses to visit a particular site. The combination of these data is called a fingerprint, fingerprint, or digital fingerprint. Collecting this data is called fingerprinting.
What does a fingerprint consist of?
The fingerprint includes:
☝ ️This data alone will not help you identify the user: for example, millions of people around the world use an Asus laptop and the Chrome browser. But the combination of these parameters helps to create a unique fingerprint.
At the same time, each resource independently decides which parameters to analyze in order to generate a browser fingerprint.
How does a fingerprint differ from cookies?
Cookies are a special text file that stores a set of data about the sites visited, usernames, passwords, and some data about the device settings. This file is stored on the user's computer and sent to the servers when they try to open the site.
The main purpose of cookies is to speed up access to websites.
Fingerprint also includes much more data and solves more problems.
Moreover, unlike fingerprint, the collection of cookies is regulated by law: sites must request the user's permission to receive cookies. But there are no restrictions on the collection of digital fingerprints.
What is the fingerprint used for?
Sites collect digital fingerprints of their users in order to:
How to understand that a site removes a fingerprint
Digital fingerprints are collected by all major websites, advertising platforms, search engines and social networks. However, you will not see notifications that the site collects fingerprints.
So far, there are not many programs on the market that can recognize which site collects fingerprints. For example, FPMON. Once installed, the extension will warn you when and what data your digital fingerprint collects a specific site.
Is it legal to collect fingerprints
Unlike cookies, which cannot be collected without the user's consent, there are no such requirements for digital fingerprints yet. For this reason, the fact of collecting fingerprints is not regulated in any way.
Who needs to change their fingerprint
Digital fingerprint substitution is required:
How to change your digital fingerprint
The best way to mask a fingerprint depends on your goals and objectives.
Manually
To do this, you need to replace or disable most of the data that makes up the fingerprint yourself. For example:
Web Extensions
It is not the first year that there are products on the market that help mask a real fingerprint.
For example, Avast Antitrack eliminates trackers and hides your digital fingerprint for 1250 rubles / year. Disconnect.me also promises to fully protect you from online surveillance and disguise your fingerprint. Mozilla Firefox released an updated version of its browser that also protects users from data collection and their fingerprints.
VPNs and proxy servers
These tools allow you to mask connection and IP information. This is enough to allow you to visit sites that are banned in some countries, but it will not hide data about your browser and its digital fingerprint.
Because of this, proxies and VPNs alone are not enough, for example, for traffic arbitration and working with cryptocurrencies.
Anti-detect browsers
These are special programs that allow you to replace a digital fingerprint. You can set up your fingerprint yourself, or get it ready-made in the anti-detect browser.
The main advantage of these browsers is that they completely solve the issue of replacing the fingerprint. All top anti-detection browsers perfectly cope with the task of spoofing the fingerprint, so more often users look at the cost, convenience, and additional features.
How to check your browser's fingerprint
To assess how well you have protected your digital fingerprint, use special scanners. They analyze information about the browser and connection, and then return the result.
Whoer
Shows your IP address, provider, and general connection data.
Panopticlick
The program shows how much your browser is protected from trackers and fingerprint reading. To check it, click Test your browser.
Canvas Fingerprinting
The site shows all visitors how unique their Canvas, User-agent, fingerprint are in general, and so on.
Am I Unique?
The service shows the uniqueness of a fingerprint based on 5 criteria: operating system, browser type and version, time zone, and language.
Pixelscan
A popular digital fingerprint scanner. It is often used to check the quality of fingerprints made in anti-detect browsers.
If you want to use an anti-detect browser to mask your digital fingerprint, please note that Dolphin{anty} has a 4-day trial period and free rate for 10 browser profiles.
- How does a fingerprint differ from a cookie?
- What is the fingerprint used for?
- How to understand that a site collects digital fingerprints
- Is it legal to collect fingerprints
- Who needs to change their digital fingerprint
- How to check your browser's fingerprint
What is a fingerprint?
Every site wants to know as much as possible about its users. Since direct surveillance is prohibited, sites try to identify users using additional parameters that are not directly related to the person's identity.
For example, they analyze information about the device, browser, and connection that a person uses to visit a particular site. The combination of these data is called a fingerprint, fingerprint, or digital fingerprint. Collecting this data is called fingerprinting.
What does a fingerprint consist of?
The fingerprint includes:
- User agent is a browser element that reflects a set of information about the device. It includes browser data, devices, language, etc.,
- IP and provider data,
- Canvas,
- Time zone,
- Fonts
- Extensions,
- Plugins,
- Cookies,
- etc.
☝ ️This data alone will not help you identify the user: for example, millions of people around the world use an Asus laptop and the Chrome browser. But the combination of these parameters helps to create a unique fingerprint.
At the same time, each resource independently decides which parameters to analyze in order to generate a browser fingerprint.
How does a fingerprint differ from cookies?
Cookies are a special text file that stores a set of data about the sites visited, usernames, passwords, and some data about the device settings. This file is stored on the user's computer and sent to the servers when they try to open the site.The main purpose of cookies is to speed up access to websites.
Fingerprint also includes much more data and solves more problems.
Moreover, unlike fingerprint, the collection of cookies is regulated by law: sites must request the user's permission to receive cookies. But there are no restrictions on the collection of digital fingerprints.
What is the fingerprint used for?
Sites collect digital fingerprints of their users in order to:
- Protect users from fraud. For example, if the system sees on the fingerprint that the user is visiting the site from an unusual location/device, it may suspect that the account was hacked. As a result, the account may be frozen, and the user will be sent instructions to restore access.
- Fight against fake users. For example, if an arbitrageur doesn't change the digital fingerprint and tries to create several Facebook accounts from the same browser at once, the social network will prohibit this at some point.
- Show ads. Digital fingerprint data: location, language, pages placed, etc., can be used by the site to display ads or pass them on to other sites. Unfortunately, this information can be used against you. For example, if the marketplace sees that you are visiting the site from a luxury resort, it can automatically increase the price of the product specifically for you.
How to understand that a site removes a fingerprint
Digital fingerprints are collected by all major websites, advertising platforms, search engines and social networks. However, you will not see notifications that the site collects fingerprints.
So far, there are not many programs on the market that can recognize which site collects fingerprints. For example, FPMON. Once installed, the extension will warn you when and what data your digital fingerprint collects a specific site.
Is it legal to collect fingerprints
Unlike cookies, which cannot be collected without the user's consent, there are no such requirements for digital fingerprints yet. For this reason, the fact of collecting fingerprints is not regulated in any way.
Who needs to change their fingerprint
Digital fingerprint substitution is required:
- Arbitrageurs, marketers, and other digital professionals who use multiple accounts. By changing their fingerprint, they can impersonate other users.
- Everyone who works with cryptocurrencies, betting and other financial areas. Similarly — you can use different fingerprints to impersonate different users.
- Any users who want to protect their online data.
How to change your digital fingerprint
The best way to mask a fingerprint depends on your goals and objectives.
Manually
To do this, you need to replace or disable most of the data that makes up the fingerprint yourself. For example:
- Delete cookies before starting a new session.
- Disable Flash and JavaScript. Then sites will not be able to analyze some of the data that makes up a digital fingerprint, such as fonts.
- Disable Canvas. For example, using CanvasBlocker.
- Change the time zone and language.
Web Extensions
It is not the first year that there are products on the market that help mask a real fingerprint.
For example, Avast Antitrack eliminates trackers and hides your digital fingerprint for 1250 rubles / year. Disconnect.me also promises to fully protect you from online surveillance and disguise your fingerprint. Mozilla Firefox released an updated version of its browser that also protects users from data collection and their fingerprints.
VPNs and proxy servers
These tools allow you to mask connection and IP information. This is enough to allow you to visit sites that are banned in some countries, but it will not hide data about your browser and its digital fingerprint.
Because of this, proxies and VPNs alone are not enough, for example, for traffic arbitration and working with cryptocurrencies.
Anti-detect browsers
These are special programs that allow you to replace a digital fingerprint. You can set up your fingerprint yourself, or get it ready-made in the anti-detect browser.
The main advantage of these browsers is that they completely solve the issue of replacing the fingerprint. All top anti-detection browsers perfectly cope with the task of spoofing the fingerprint, so more often users look at the cost, convenience, and additional features.
How to check your browser's fingerprint
To assess how well you have protected your digital fingerprint, use special scanners. They analyze information about the browser and connection, and then return the result.
Whoer
Shows your IP address, provider, and general connection data.
Panopticlick
The program shows how much your browser is protected from trackers and fingerprint reading. To check it, click Test your browser.
Canvas Fingerprinting
The site shows all visitors how unique their Canvas, User-agent, fingerprint are in general, and so on.
Am I Unique?
The service shows the uniqueness of a fingerprint based on 5 criteria: operating system, browser type and version, time zone, and language.
Pixelscan
A popular digital fingerprint scanner. It is often used to check the quality of fingerprints made in anti-detect browsers.
If you want to use an anti-detect browser to mask your digital fingerprint, please note that Dolphin{anty} has a 4-day trial period and free rate for 10 browser profiles.
