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> Resources > What is Browser Fingerprinting?
What Is Browser Fingerprinting? What It Is And

How To Stop It.
Browser fingerprinting identifies you and collects data about

your online travels. In this article, we'll discuss what is browser
fingerprinting, how it works and how you can protect against it.
Chris Hauk
@CLHauk | Updated: August 16, 2022
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What is Browser Fingerprinting? What It Is And How To Stop It. https://pixelprivacy.com/resources/browser-fingerprinting/
Have you ever heard of browser fingerprinting? It’s okay if you haven’t, since almost
nobody else has ever heard of it, either.
Browser fingerprinting is an incredibly accurate method of identifying unique

browsers and tracking online activity.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to wipe all of your fingerprints from the
internet. But first, let’s start by exploring what, exactly, browser fingerprinting is.
What Is Browser Fingerprinting?

Wikipedia defines browser fingerprinting as follows:
“A device fingerprint, machine fingerprint, or browser fingerprint is information

collected about a remote computing device for the purpose of identification.
Fingerprints can be used to fully or partially identify individual users or devices even
when cookies are turned off.”
That means that, when you connect to the internet on your laptop or smartphone,
your device will hand over a bunch of specific data to the receiving server about the
websites you visit.
Browser fingerprinting is a powerful method that websites use to collect

information about your browser type and version, as well as your operating
system, active plugins, time zone, language, screen resolution and various
other active settings.
These data points might seem generic at first and don’t necessarily look tailored to
identify one specific person. However, there’s a significantly small chance for another
user to have 100% matching browser information. Panopticlick found that only 1 in
286,777 other browsers will share the same fingerprint as another user.

Websites use the information that browsers provide to identify unique users and track
2 of 26 22/11/22 15:04
their online behavior. This process is therefore called “browser fingerprinting.”
Browser Fingerprinting Examples

Websites mostly use browser fingerprinting to track your online travels. The large
majority of sites use this data to personalize the advertisements and
information that they serve up to you.
When you use a search engine, you leave behind quite a bit of sensitive data, which
data brokers glean to sell to interested third parties, like health and life insurance
companies. When a data broker sells your data to an insurance company, the insurer
may decide that you’re a health risk due to the information you looked up, charging
you higher rates.
Online merchants will set your pricing due to your location. If browser fingerprinting
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shows that you live in an affluent usesmay
area, you cookies.
seeMore
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in-browser pricing increase. ×
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Heck, I learned the other day that Target “targets” its customers with different pricing
related to their location. If you check pricing from across town from your local Target,
the price will likely be cheaper than if you check it while you’re in their parking lot.
How Browser Fingerprinting Works

The uniqueness of browser information is closely related to the investigation method
of the police and forensic teams, who identify suspects and criminals based on
fingerprints at the crime scene.
The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is a massive

database that stores fingerprints of 70 million subjects of criminal cases, as well as
31 million prints from civil cases. That means that a large chunk of these fingerprints
was collected for analysis purposes.
Browser fingerprinting works like that as well. Websites bulk-collect a large set of
data of visitors in order to later use it to match against browser fingerprints of
known users.
All of this information does not necessarily reveal exactly who you are, your name,
and/or your home address, but it’s incredibly valuable for advertising purposes, as
companies can use it to target certain groups. These groups have been formed by
matching people based on browser fingerprinting.
Why Do Websites Use Browser Fingerprinting?

Now, you might be wondering: why do websites browser-fingerprint you, and why is
your data so incredibly valuable to these companies?
The international advertising industry and marketing machines love your data. They’ll
do anything to get their hands on your data in order to track your online activities.
PixelPrivacy
Tracking methods and data collection areuses cookies. More
extremely info. because it allows
valuable ×
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advertising businesses to create a profile based on your data. The more data these
businesses have, the more accurately they can target you with advertisements,
which (indirectly) means higher revenue for the company.
Fortunately, it’s not all bad. Browser fingerprinting is also used to identify the
characteristics of botnets because the connections of botnets are established by a
different device every time.
Such analysis could lead to the identification of fraudsters and other suspicious
activities that require investigation.
Also, banks use this method to identify potential fraud cases.
If an account is showing questionable online behavior, for example, a bank’s security

system would be able to identify that the account is being accessed from multiple,
different locations during a short period of time by analyzing unique fingerprinting.
By doing so, the bank can potentially identify a hacker who logged into the account
using a device that had never accessed the account before.
All of these signs suggest potential fraud and usually trigger a further investigation or
the preventative freezing of an account.
Methods for (Fingerprint) Tracking

Websites use several different methods to track users on the internet. By doing so,
they can collect information and fingerprint your browser – and you wouldn’t even
know or see that websites are doing this!
Now, the question is: how do they do it?
The technology allows websites to interact with your browser and retrieve
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information. In the following sections, I’ll provide you with information about how ×
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websites interact with your browser and how they obtain information.
Cookies & Tracking
A common way for websites to obtain your data is by using cookies. Cookies are
small packets of text files that your computer stores, which contain certain
data that may give websites information to improve the user experience.
Websites remember and track individual computers and devices by loading the
cookies (small data packets) onto your computer.
Every time you visit a website, your browser will download cookies. When you visit
the same website at a later time, the website will assess the packets of data and
provide you with a personally PixelPrivacy
customized user
uses experience.
cookies. More info. ×
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Think about the font size or screen resolution you view on a website. If a website
knows you’re always using an iPhone 8, it will provide you with the best settings for
your iPhone. Also, this way, the website knows whether you’re a unique visitor or a
returning visitor. Cookies also store data on browsing activity, habits, interests and
much more.
Furthermore, websites employ Javascript, which will interact with visitors in order to
carry out certain tasks, such as playing a video. These interactions also trigger a
response, and as such, they receive information about you.
Canvas Fingerprinting
The newest method to obtain browser information is called “Canvas Fingerprinting.”
Simply put, websites are written in HTML5 code, and inside that code, there is a
little piece of code that takes your browser’s fingerprint.
So, how are websites doing that, exactly? Let me explain.
This new tracking method that websites employ to obtain your browser fingerprint is
enabled by new coding features in HTML5.
HTML5 is the coding language used to build websites. It’s the core fundamentals of
every website. Within the HTML5 coding language, there’s an element which is called
“canvas.”
Originally, the HTML <canvas> element was used to draw graphics on a web page.
Wikipedia provides the following explanation on how exploiting the HTML5 canvas
element generates browser fingerprinting:
“When a user visits a page, the fingerprinting script first draws text with the font and
size of its choice and adds background colors. Next, the script calls Canvas API’s ×
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ToDataURL method to get the canvas pixel data in dataURL format, which is
basically a Base64 encoded representation of the binary pixel data. Finally, the script
takes the hash of the text-encoded pixel data, which serves as the fingerprint.”
In plain English, what this means is that the HTML5 canvas element generates
certain data, such as the font size and active background color settings of the
visitor’s browser, on a website. This information serves as the unique fingerprint
of every visitor.
In contrast to how cookies work, canvas fingerprinting doesn’t load anything onto
your computer, so you won’t be able to delete any data, since it’s not stored on your
computer or device, but elsewhere.
Browser Fingerprinting vs. Your IP address

I believe that many online privacy-minded people, like myself, are aware of the fact
that covering up your IP address is an important method to use to hide your online
identity.
The IP address protocol is designed to send a request to a receiving web server

every time a user interacts with a website or service because the receiving server
needs an IP address to send a response to.
That means that your IP address is a unique string of numbers that points
directly to your device. Tech-savvy website owners are even able to track what
other websites you visit, the account you’re logged into, and sometimes even your
geo-location.
Of course, this would require a bit more effort, but it’s kind of scary that it’s possible.
Test Your Browser’s Fingerprinting

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There are various tools available usesitcookies.
that make possibleMore
to info.
test your browser identity. ×
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You can use “Am I Unique,” “PANOPTICLICK” or “Unique Machine” to test the identity
of your device.
Note: at the time of this writing, Unique Machine’s test tool is still in development but
should be released soon.
Any of these tools will review your browser’s fingerprint and assess how
unique your data actually is.
Am I Unique uses a comprehensive list of 19 attributes (data points). The most

significant attributes include whether cookies are enabled, what platform you’re
using, what type of browser (as well as its version) and computer you’re using, and
whether tracking cookies are blocked.
On Am I Unique’s website, simply click “View my browser fingerprint” to run the test.
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When you click “View more details,” you can see all of the specific information that
your browser is providing to the server. My browser is unique among all the test
samples they’ve gathered so far (almost 700,000)!
You can also run a test with Panopticlick. It’s a research project of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF).
On Panopticlick’s website, click “TEST ME” to run the test to see how safe your
browser is against tracking.
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Panopticlick also runs various tests to assess your browser identity. I’ve published my
test results below.
Panopticlick tests whether your browser:
1. Blocks tracking ads

2. Blocks invisible trackers
3. Blocks “Whitelisted” trackers
4. Unblocks sites that promise to honor “Do Not Track”
5. Is, overall, protected against browser fingerprinting
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As shown in the analysis, the results are mixed. I have “some protection” against web
tracking, but it’s clearly not good enough.uses
PixelPrivacy Mycookies.
browser is blocking
More info. certain items ×
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partially while not blocking other things at all.
This tracker concludes that my browser fingerprint is unique. Panopticlick

recommends installing their Privacy Badger – more about that below.
How to Defend Yourself Against Browser

Fingerprinting
It’s probably not possible to protect yourself completely against fingerprinting.
Perhaps new software or other ways to sufficiently combat browser fingerprinting will
be developed in the near future.
However, there are quite a few tools and methods available to enhance your online
privacy and minimize the possibility of identification.
Find the most effective methods to protect yourself below.
Use AdsPower
AdsPower allows you to avoid revealing your real browser fingerprints by allowing
you to use separate browser environments, providing protection for your privacy and
anonymity. The service offers a free level of service, which allows you to use two
separate profiles. Also available are paid levels of service, offering more profiles for
your use.
AdsPower allows users to bypass the tracking and security mechanisms of websites,
create profiles that use cookies or username/password authentication, multiple
fingerprint configurations, mobile browser profiles and more.
Additional paid features include team collaboration, profile sharing, an application

library with extensions, a local API, importing and exporting, auto-matching proxies,
automation of routine browser tasks, and much more. These additional features –
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while requiring a paid subscription, is anuses cookies.
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teams to manage and ×
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control Facebook ads and tracking.
You do get a chance to try all of AdsPower’s feature set, thanks to a 7-day trial period
that allows your free account to access the features offered by the paid levels. I’ve
found that the nominal fee requested by the company is well worth it for the benefits
you gain.
For more information and to subscribe, visit the AdsPower website.
Use Private Browsing Methods
Browsers like Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox allow users to browse in incognito
mode.
Incognito mode makes your browsing private by setting your “profile” to

PixelPrivacy
certain standard data points. These datausespoints
cookies.
areMore info.
part of your fingerprint, so, ×
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since many people use the same “profile” settings, the fingerprints look similar.
This will greatly reduce your chances of having a unique fingerprint.
Use Plugins
You can also opt to install plugins that disable trackers, which are employed by
certain websites, from running on your browser.
Plugins like AdBlock Plus, Privacy Badger, Disconnect, and NoScript are designed to
block scripts that potentially enable spying ads and invisible trackers from
running in your browser.
For some websites, this means that the user experience might be somewhat less
satisfactory. But it’s also possible to disable the plugins from running on websites that
you trust by whitelisting them.
Panopticlick recommends using their Privacy Badger, which is a browser extension

that blocks advertisers and other third-party tracking software from tracking your
online activities.
NoScript requires more time to set up and use effectively because the plugin blocks
JavaScript on every website by default. That means that you’ll have to enable
JavaScript manually on every trusted website.
Disable JavaScript and Flash

One of the more effective methods you can use to protect yourself against browser
fingerprinting is to disable JavaScript and Flash.
When JavaScript is disabled, websites won’t be able to detect the list of active
plugins and fonts you use, and they also won’t be able to install certain
cookies on your browser. PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×
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The disadvantage of disabling JavaScript is that websites won’t always function

properly, because it also makes websites run smoothly on your device. This will
impact your browsing experience.
On the other hand, Flash can be disabled without a negative impact on the user
experience. Generally, Flash only impacts the browsing experience when you visit
very old websites.
Install Anti-Malware Software
Anti-malware software is always helpful, regardless of whether you’re looking for

online privacy protection or you just desire overall protection for your device and
personal files/data.
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Malwarebytes and HitmanPro are both outstanding anti-malware software tools that
run seamlessly alongside your antivirus software and serve as a second layer of
protection.
In most instances, anti-malware blocks ads, harmful or annoying toolbars, and

spyware software that might be running in the background on your system.
These software tools and scripts are directly linked to your browser’s fingerprint. So,
it’s better to have a clean browser and delete these threats with an anti-malware tool.
When you install an anti-malware tool, be smart and go to the settings in order to
enable automatic weekly or (at least) monthly full-system scans.
Use the Tor Browser
If you’re extremely serious about secure browsing and preventing browser

fingerprinting, you should consider installing the Tor (The Onion Router) Browser.
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The best way forward would be to run the Tor Browser in combination with a proper
VPN. Due to the fact that Tor uses certain default settings, which are identical
for every user, it’s harder to identify unique browser fingerprints.
Additionally, the Tor Browser aggressively blocks JavaScript code on websites.
The major downside of using the Tor Browser is the slow browsing speed, and the
fact that it only protects the internet traffic sent through the Tor Browser and not
others, like Firefox or Chrome.
Use a VPN
One of the most popular methods to hide an IP address is to install a Virtual Private
Network (VPN).
As shown in the image below, a VPN is like a middle man. Instead of connecting
directly to a web server, you connect to the VPN’s server first, and the VPN will
connect you to a website. By doing so, your IP address will be unknown to the
webserver.
Using a VPN is a very effective method to hide your IP address because the
web server can only see the IP address of the VPN (which many other users use ×
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as well).
But, your IP address is only one aspect of your online identity.
Regardless of what IP address the webserver can see, a VPN can’t block out your
browser settings, version, and so forth, which generate unique browser fingerprinting
data.
That means that the data of your browser still allows the webserver to identify you as
a unique visitor regardless of whether you’re using a VPN, since your IP address is
only one aspect of your browser fingerprinting profile.
A VPN is great at hiding your real IP address, but it’s not the most effective method to
protect you against browser fingerprinting, as many other attributes are part of your
fingerprint as well. Used in conjunction with other methods, though, a VPN can be a
great asset.
Read my article, “What Is A Virtual Private Network (VPN) And What Does It Do?“ for
more information.
My Final Thoughts
Browser fingerprinting is a serious threat to online privacy, and it goes a lot further
than simply checking an IP address.
Browser fingerprinting uses an extensive list of data points that, altogether, create
your browser fingerprint. Your browser fingerprint is likely to be extremely unique.
Websites can use your unique fingerprint to gather and generate an in-depth
personal file of websites that you’ve visited or target you with very personalized ads.
There are various methods you can employ to cover up your prints on the internet.
Let’s quickly review the most PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info.
effective methods. ×
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1. Use incognito mode

2. Implement security plugins
3. Disable JavaScript and Flash
4. Install anti-malware tools
5. Use the Tor Browser
6. Use a VPN
As shown in the “Test Your Browser’s Fingerprinting” section, my browser ended up

having a unique fingerprint. However, after I put the methods listed above into
practice, my browser became significantly more protected against fingerprinting.
As you can see below, I managed to reduce the level of uniqueness from 1 in
286,777 to 1 in 93.25, which is a huge difference.
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What is Browser Fingerprinting FAQs
Are Plugins Available to Disable Trackers?
Yes, plugins like AdBlock Plus, Privacy Badger, Disconnect, and NoScript are
designed to block scripts that potentially enable spying ads and invisible trackers
from running in your browser.

Is a Browser Fingerprinting Test Available?
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Various online tools are available to test your browser identity. You can use “Am I
Unique,” “PANOPTICLICK” or “Unique Machine” to test the identity of your device.
Do Any Browsers Automatically Block Browser

Fingerprinting?
Firefox and Tor both employ techniques for blocking browser fingerprinting. Both
browsers require websites to ask for user permission before collecting data.
Is browser fingerprinting legal?
Yes, at the time of this writing, browser fingerprinting is legal in most areas of the
world. There are some caveats in various countries. For example, the European
Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires companies to get
consent from a user before tracking them using browser cookies. Additional
regulations to be put in place by the ePrivacy Regulation do address browser
fingerprinting, but the
In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires
companies to get consent from users before tracking them with cookies. An
additional layer of regulation, the ePrivacy Regulation, is supposed to address
browser fingerprinting. However, it has not yet come into effect.
What Is cross-browser fingerprinting?
Cross-Browser Fingerprinting allows sites to track users across multiple browsers,

and it is also more accurate than single-browser fingerprinting.
While this can be beneficial, for example, a banking site could use it to determine that
a person logging into an online account isn't using the computer that has been used
on every previous visit, which could then raise a red flag security-wise. However, it
can also be used to violate a user’s privacy by being used to serve up customized
ads across all of the browsers a user accesses.
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What types of fingerprinting technologies do websites use?
While users may think of browser fingerprinting as using browser cookies to track you
across the web, it is a different technology. Browser fingerprinting uses scripts to
track your activity across multiple websites. Most sites that practice browser
fingerprinting use scripts to track your internet travels. While you can delete cookies
to foil that tracking method, you cannot delete your browser fingerprint.
Scripts can find out a lot about a user’s device, including its operating system, which
browser is being used, what software is installed on a device, the user’s timezone,
whether an ad blocker is being used, and much more. With enough information,
browser fingerprinting scripts can track you, wherever you travel on the web. Device
fingerprinting is able to identify users with 90-99% accuracy.
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Contents
What Is Browser Fingerprinting?
Browser Fingerprinting Examples
How Browser Fingerprinting Works
Why Do Websites Use Browser Fingerprinting?
Methods for (Fingerprint) Tracking
Test Your Browsers Fingerprinting
How to Defend Yourself Against Browser Fingerprinting
My Final Thoughts
What is Browser Fingerprinting FAQs
Are Plugins Available to Disable Trackers?

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Is a Browser Fingerprinting Test Available?
Do Any Browsers Automatically Block Browser Fingerprinting?
Is browser fingerprinting legal?
What Is cross-browser fingerprinting?
What types of fingerprinting technologies do websites use?
VPN testing methodology
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> Resources > What is Browser Fingerprinting?

What Is Browser Fingerprinting? What It Is And

Browser fingerprinting identifies you and collects data about

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

Browser fingerprinting is an incredibly accurate method of identifying unique

What Is Browser Fingerprinting?

“A device fingerprint, machine fingerprint, or browser fingerprint is information

Browser fingerprinting is a powerful method that websites use to collect

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

their online behavior. This process is therefore called “browser fingerprinting.”

Browser Fingerprinting Examples

How Browser Fingerprinting Works

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is a massive

Why Do Websites Use Browser Fingerprinting?

Also, banks use this method to identify potential fraud cases.

If an account is showing questionable online behavior, for example, a bank’s security

Methods for (Fingerprint) Tracking

Now, the question is: how do they do it?

Cookies & Tracking

So, how are websites doing that, exactly? Let me explain.

Browser Fingerprinting vs. Your IP address

The IP address protocol is designed to send a request to a receiving web server

Test Your Browser’s Fingerprinting

Am I Unique uses a comprehensive list of 19 attributes (data points). The most

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

Panopticlick tests whether your browser:

1. Blocks tracking ads

partially while not blocking other things at all.

This tracker concludes that my browser fingerprint is unique. Panopticlick

How to Defend Yourself Against Browser

Find the most effective methods to protect yourself below.

Additional paid features include team collaboration, profile sharing, an application

control Facebook ads and tracking.

For more information and to subscribe, visit the AdsPower website.

Use Private Browsing Methods

Incognito mode makes your browsing private by setting your “profile” to

This will greatly reduce your chances of having a unique fingerprint.

Panopticlick recommends using their Privacy Badger, which is a browser extension

Disable JavaScript and Flash

The disadvantage of disabling JavaScript is that websites won’t always function

Install Anti-Malware Software

Anti-malware software is always helpful, regardless of whether you’re looking for

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

In most instances, anti-malware blocks ads, harmful or annoying toolbars, and

Use the Tor Browser

If you’re extremely serious about secure browsing and preventing browser

Additionally, the Tor Browser aggressively blocks JavaScript code on websites.

But, your IP address is only one aspect of your online identity.

1. Use incognito mode

As shown in the “Test Your Browser’s Fingerprinting” section, my browser ended up

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

What is Browser Fingerprinting FAQs

Are Plugins Available to Disable Trackers?

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

Do Any Browsers Automatically Block Browser

Is browser fingerprinting legal?

What Is cross-browser fingerprinting?

Cross-Browser Fingerprinting allows sites to track users across multiple browsers,

What types of fingerprinting technologies do websites use?

PixelPrivacy uses cookies. More info. ×

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