What Is Browser Fingerprinting And How Does It Help Websites Track Your Online Activity?

A browser fingerprint functions similarly to an online fingerprint; it may be used to identify you, track your online activity, and locate your device, among many others. As you may be aware, every fingerprint is distinct and can only be found on one person. Browser fingerprinting configurations in the online world point to specific people.

This implies that even when individuals use identical browsers, their hardware and software configurations differ and serve as unique user IDs. Through cookies, a lot of big businesses and corporations covertly gather user data. Data is becoming the internet’s currency, which companies may profit from due to the rising demand for user information.

What is Browser Fingerprinting?

A current and precise method for tracking a user’s behavior across browsers while recognizing individual browsers is called browser fingerprinting. Websites can gather user data in this way and utilize it to enhance their services, live up to client expectations, and support business expansion.

Scripts are collections of instructions that tell the browser what to perform, and modern approaches require them to operate in the background discreetly. It assists in identifying details about the operating system, time zone, language, plugins, screen resolution, and other aspects of the device and browser that are being used.

Although browser fingerprinting was first created for security reasons, numerous businesses today utilize it to gather user data.

Marketers can use it to gain insight into the demographics and online behaviors of their visitors. The key thing to remember is that browser fingerprinting is very accurate, so businesses can trust and utilize the information they collect.

Thus, every time a user accesses a website, all of their online information—passwords, login credentials, and other information they may have provided—is securely saved. This information is often that person’s fingerprint.

The prevention of cybersecurity fraud can be greatly aided by this strategy. By employing spoofing tools or emulators, website administrators can quickly identify individuals and infer their intentions from their online behavior.

Browser fingerprinting is used in online tracking, whereby data analytics is collected through your online activities without the need for traditional tracking methods like cookies. They can recognize returning users and link their current browsing session to previous ones, allowing them to personalize content, remember login credentials, and gather data for analytics.

Data analytics gained from browser fingerprinting can help you identify businesses and individuals you can form a business partnership.

The following information about users’ software and hardware specifications can be obtained by browser fingerprinting:

• Fonts used by systems
• System of operation
• If cookies are allowed,
• Surface
• OS lingo
• Extensions for web browsers
• HTTP header characteristics
• Agent-user
• Whether the browser being used by the user is secure
• If the person is utilizing the Tor browser,
• Contextual analysis of audio
• Touch assistance
• Examine nearby databases
• Sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity
• Navigator attributes

Example: When a consumer logs in from the same browser, ad marketers utilize browser fingerprinting to determine their wants and display the same ads to them. Businesses such as Google and Facebook profit billions off user data while also protecting it from hackers.

Techniques for Browser Fingerprinting

The process of creating a precise browser fingerprint using JavaScript involves numerous methods. After combining the raw data, they display a distinct set of information that creates a digital fingerprint of the consumer.

It can collect data on the device type, browser version, operating system, time zone, desired language, screen resolution, and installed ad blocker, in addition to additional fine-grained technical details about the user’s CPU, graphics card, and other hardware.

Now let’s talk about the various methods employed in browser fingerprinting.

1. WebGL identification

Similar to canvas fingerprinting, WebGL is another method of browser fingerprinting. Additionally, it renders unique graphics off-screen using the browser. Users are distinguished by these visuals according to their hardware and graphics drivers.

2. Sound-based bioprinting

Other methods require browsers to generate text or images, but the audio fingerprinting method listens for sound on the device. The sound waves produced by the digital oscillator and several CPU architectures are used in the browser versions.

Marketers and website administrators can quickly distinguish between users and obtain their unique information by using this strategy.

3. Media device fingerprinting

This technique collects a list of connected devices on a user’s PC or laptop, along with their IDs. It includes all internal media components, like audio cards, linked devices, video cards, headphones, and more. It is not commonly used because it requires the user’s permission to authorize access to their camera and microphones in order to obtain the list of linked devices. However, services like video chat that require a microphone or webcam access can be used.