BLUF

Browser fingerprinting is a sneaky way advertisers and others use cookies to track you online—but there are ways to hide your digital fingerprint.

Summary

Internet advertisers and data brokers want to know exactly where you go, how you act, and what you buy. Browser fingerprinting lets them quietly manage that tracking without you even knowing. So, how can you avoid being fingerprinted?

Switch to a browser with protection built-in or take advantage of existing browser-based protection. 

Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection protects against fingerprinting but does so simply by blocking access to known trackers.

The TOR browser routes all your web traffic through the TOR network but is notorious for slowing down connections.

Avast AntiTrack can help obfuscate your fingerprint by injecting false information into the elements of your digital fingerprint. Your fake fingerprint keeps changing, so trackers get nothing useful. 

In the end, you have two main choices—choose a browser designed to foil fingerprinting or add an app dedicated to that purpose.

Learn more about preventing advertisers having your digital fingerprints.

References

Oct 2020 NetSafe Digital Fingerprinting And Ibsa

Mar 2021 BBC The hidden fingerprint inside your photos

May 2021 Digital Trends Your digital fingerprint is tracked everywhere online. Brave wants to change that

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