Do you care if your Browser leaves "chicken tracks" on the web?

[AZgl1800]

reading a security newsletter tonight, they mentioned a website that can test how well your browser blocks trackers and fingerprinting.

mine does well on the 1st and 2nd tests,
but on the 3rd test, it has a "unique fingerprint"


https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/learn


I once used NoScript, but it was such a PITA, that I threw it away.

Now I use NoTrace and Privacy Badger...
which, unfortunately, invokes me having a more unique fingerrprint

[AZgl1800]

I dumped the two addons that I had, and used Firefox's available options to screw it down tighter.

Just like the article pointed out, doing that, almost, made me damn well the only guy on earth with my fingerprint

[absque fenestris]

.
Hmm, is it time for the Great Exorcism again?



I'll leave it this year ...

[MikeNovember]

Hi

Still more people abused by the fingerprinting test of Cover your tracks!

Whatever your configuration, you will have some 18 bits of identifying configuration, and a unique fingerprint among some 250,000...

Why? Cover Your Tracks, (formerly named Panopticlick) has a big problem: not enough people use it, and its statistical sampling is, as a consequence, poor.

Wanna test? Go to Cover your tracks and test your smartphone, preferably one produced by millions... And what will be the result ? some 18 bits of identifying configuration, and a unique fingerprint among some 250,000... So, your smartphone is unique

What to keep in mind with this test?
- tracking results are good,
- advices to reduce fingerprinting are good,
- bits of identifying configuration and unique fingerprint among... is just ABSOLUTELY WRONG!

And don't bother too much with browser fingerprinting: it is not such efficient as tracking, and if you combine "/etc/hosts" IP filter + 3 extensions in your browser such as HTTPS Everywhere, Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin, you cannot be tracked.
(for paranoid use, replace you browser by TorBrowser).

Regards,

MN

[karlchen]

Ha! I stopped reading at the top, because

Our tests indicate that you have strong protection against Web tracking

Plus:

IS YOUR BROWSER:
Blocking tracking ads? Yes
Blocking invisible trackers? Yes

What more do I want? My fingerprints have been unique since the day I was born. So why should it scare me to death that my browser carries my fingerprints? Or did I misunderstand anything there perhaps?

[JohnBdigital]

Yes I care, and I use uMatrix which blocks all the hidden scripts used to tap into most/all info...
It works well for me in Linux Mint / Firefox

[gittiest personITW]

I also care, BUT, almost every website I need or want to visit I end up disabling some of the security features in order to be able to use the website.
So, unfortunately it is convenience over privacy sometimes.
One thing you might want to try is an extension like Random User Agent (Chromium) which changes your fingerprint and is configurable to some degree. Still pretty unique but at least it changes regularly. Sometimes I happen to be using a MacOS which anyone who knows me would know that it would be more likely that the oceans would turn to strawberry jelly.

[t42]

You can't hide from fingerprinting because exact algorithms and methods used by companies / organizations are not known.
And sometimes fingerprinting may be a good thing helping banks to identify fraudulent access analyzing unrecognized patterns.

[gittiest personITW]

One does what one can.
It is either that or keep bits of computer on the desk in front of me.
Basically there is more lower hanging fruit than you and I.

Think it might have been Plato or Aristotle who said that the only way to keep your privacy was to keep your computer in the box it came in. Hence the Antikythera mechanism being found where it was. Talking of which, anyone heard from Antikythera?

[Pierre]

One does what one can.

or, you just don't go online . .


it would seem that I've an dirth shortage of Social Media Accounts, for some strange reason.

and I'm running an Linux System, too.

but, that Android Phone are well, you can't do everything.

[vvv511]

The idea to hide or mask your fingerprint is because even though you block trackers, through fingerprinting like your browser configuration, operative system, screen resolution and so on, sites can still uniquely identify you, and to avoid it you need to be as common as possible with other users, that's one of the things that Tor Browser does. You have to find a balance because even though you may use 3 or 4 extensions to block trackers, that will make you stand out among other users and easier to track anyway.
If anyone is interested in digging deeper I'd suggest this github page https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js which goes into much more detail about balancing between privacy, security and avoiding tracking and fingerprinting. Just a heads up, it may break stuff.

[AZgl1800]

You can't hide from fingerprinting because exact algorithms and methods used by companies / organizations are not known.
And sometimes fingerprinting may be a good thing helping banks to identify fraudulent access analyzing unrecognized patterns.

This is why I gave it all up.

Everything that I incorporated, to lower my Fingerprint, caused my Credit Union to call "whoa Nellie" who the hell are you?

[AZgl1800]

Yes I care, and I use uMatrix which blocks all the hidden scripts used to tap into most/all info...
It works well for me in Linux Mint / Firefox

Following your Recommendation on uMatrix, installed it and immediately ran into problems and had to remove it.

Amazon.com website will NOT function properly at all, if uMatrix is enabled.

e.g., move the mouse over the little icons below a Product, and it should change the view of what you are looking at.

Tonight, I was looking for Anderson Pole connectors and Crimpers...
WTH??? I can't get the bigger Views to pop up....

what did I do to stop that?
then it occurred to me, that I had installed uMatrix, I disabled it, and every thing started working again.

[Schultz]

e.g., move the mouse over the little icons below a Product, and it should change the view of what you are looking at.

You need to figure out which script allows this and make an exception for it. Not too difficult.

[AZgl1800]

e.g., move the mouse over the little icons below a Product, and it should change the view of what you are looking at.

You need to figure out which script allows this and make an exception for it. Not too difficult.

I have used NoScript in the past, and it is a Super PITA, no thanks

[donten]

I suspect that anything that doesn't leave "chicken tracks" will appear unique among the unwashed masses...

[benc]

You can't hide from fingerprinting because exact algorithms and methods used by companies / organizations are not known.
And sometimes fingerprinting may be a good thing helping banks to identify fraudulent access analyzing unrecognized patterns.

This is why I gave it all up.

Everything that I incorporated, to lower my Fingerprint, caused my Credit Union to call "whoa Nellie" who the hell are you?

No need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. You just needed to modify your approach. Use your locked down browser for everyday use. If you have to use some websites like banking, etc (never for me), keep a plain jane copy of firefox around with no protections for those sites. Be sure to turn off the VPN.

Boot your machine, do your business at those websites and then reboot. Use bleachbit after every session at powerdown. Use macchanger or the network applet to change your MAC address to a random MAC on boot (I haven't figured out if I can change my router's ID yet). With minimal practice, it becomes very, very fast and easy.

Every single scrap of info we deny them works to dis-empower the bad guys. If enough of us worked toward defeating the spying ........

[t42]

Anyone is free to use any privacy, security and encryption means. But why so often it is not enough and there is a need in some form of self-justification and propaganda?

[benc]

Anyone is free to use any privacy, security and encryption means. But why so often it is not enough and there is a need in some form of self-justification and propaganda?

I disagree. Depending on location. some people around the world risk their freedom and even their lives by using privacy, security and encryption.

You mention propaganda. Interesting. The 1st Amendment (U.S.) is a very effective means of combating propaganda. Censorship aids and abets propaganda. This morning, a post was censored that showed how to block some bad guys. That same post will be making the rounds thru various means until enough people have seen it to raise awareness.

Posting something like that definitely shines a light on who, what and where.

[t42]

Anyone is free to use any privacy, security and encryption means. But why so often it is not enough and there is a need in some form of self-justification and propaganda?

...so it was a reasonably technical discussion about browser fingerprinting until it wasn't