Digital fingerprinting and how to avoid being tracked online

In the digital age, protecting our online privacy is increasingly important. Although many users are familiar with cookies as a common method for tracking web activity, there is another, less visible but equally effective technique called digital fingerprinting or browser fingerprinting . In this article, we explain what fingerprinting is, how it works, and give you tips to avoid being tracked without realizing it.

Fingerprinting is an advanced technique that collects unique information about your device and browser to create a kind of "digital fingerprint." This fingerprint allows you to be accurately identified when you visit websites, even if you block cookies or use incognito mode.

Unlike cookies, which are small files stored in your browser and can be deleted or blocked, fingerprinting relies on collecting unique technical and configuration characteristics, such as:

• Browser type and version
• Operating system and version
• Screen resolution
• Installed fonts and plugins
• Language settings
• Local time
• Hardware data, such as GPU and CPU
• Other technical parameters that vary between devices

These characteristics combined form a unique profile that can identify you online with great accuracy.

Companies and advertisers use this technique to improve user tracking, personalize advertising, and bypass ad blockers and privacy restrictions. It's also useful for detecting fraud and protecting systems from unauthorized access.

Although it may have legitimate uses, fingerprinting poses a risk to your privacy because:

• Allows tracking without your explicit consent.
• It is difficult to detect and block with common methods.
• It can be combined with other techniques to create detailed profiles of your habits and preferences.

Although it's nearly impossible to completely eliminate fingerprinting, there are several strategies to reduce its effectiveness and protect your privacy:

Some browsers, like Firefox or Brave , offer special settings or modes that make fingerprinting more difficult. For example, Firefox has a feature called Enhanced Tracking Protection that blocks many fingerprinting scripts.

Tools like Privacy Badger , uBlock Origin , or NoScript can block scripts and trackers that attempt to collect data for fingerprinting.

Reducing the number of plugins, fonts, and extensions installed in your browser makes your profile less unique and therefore harder to identify.

These tools hide your IP address and, in the case of Tor, provide an environment designed to make fingerprinting difficult. However, using Tor can affect your browsing speed and experience.

Fingerprinting relies heavily on JavaScript to collect information. Disabling it limits collection, although it may affect the functionality of many sites.

Keeping your software up-to-date reduces security risks and can improve defenses against invasive techniques like fingerprinting.

Fingerprinting is a sophisticated online tracking technique that goes beyond traditional cookies, collecting unique technical information to identify users. Protecting against this type of tracking requires a combination of tools and good privacy practices.

If you want to protect your privacy, it's best to use browsers with advanced protection, add extensions that block trackers, and browse with caution, limiting the information you share. With these actions, you can significantly reduce the possibility of being tracked without your consent on the internet.