Privacy

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Is brave the only browser with fingerprint randomization? (lemmy.world)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

29 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I use brave for this reason.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (3 children)

But isn't randomization supposed to give you a different unique fingerprint each time? So yes, you would be unique and easily tracked but only until your fingerprint changes

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

So what's the benefit of this over blending in each time?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

That was addressed above, you ever see "identical" twins? They look exactly the same if you see then once, twice, 3 times, but if you see both of them constantly, you'll start seeing the small difference in them and then be able to identify who's who. Same exact thing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I don't think there is any proven results, but I think the reason the EFF prefers Braves decision is the philosophy that there are so many data points that it could be possible to link you to it using the ones not standardized by anti fingerprinting.

Like ways to incorrectly describe someone. One describes a guy correctly but generically. One describes a guy with a lot of detail but the wrong race and two feet too short.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yes it is, and that's why the EFF recommends it.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Where do the EFF recommend randomisation? From the EFF's surveillance self defence course.

This can be an effective method for breaking persistence, but it is important to note that a tracker may be able to determine that a randomization tool is being used, which can itself be a fingerprinting characteristic. Careful thought has to go into how randomizing fingerprinting characteristics will or will not be effective in combating trackers.

They don't directly recommend either... But then on https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/learn

In practice, the most realistic protection currently available is the Tor Browser, which has put a lot of effort into reducing browser fingerprintability. For day-to-day use, the best options are to run tools like Privacy Badger or Disconnect that will block some (but unfortunately not all) of the domains that try to perform fingerprinting, and/or to use a tool like NoScript( for Firefox), which greatly reduces the amount of data available to fingerprinters.

So the EFF seem to recommend generic over randomisation...

Maybe ask yourself why the Tor project decided against randomisation?