4 ms·

I do appreciate the feature! But how feasible would be to limit the amount of info retrievable from the JS layer instead than relying on a black list of domain

I do appreciate the feature! But how feasible would be to limit the amount of info retrievable from the JS layer instead than relying on a black list of domains serving fingerprinters?

eli 8y ago
Depends what sites you’re ok with breaking. Users will blame the browser if it works in chrome but not firefox
gruez 8y ago
thats what privacy.resistfingerprinting is for
capnrefsmmat 8y ago
Mozilla devs seem to take this into account whenever adding new JS features, at least on their mailing lists. For example, this discussion of a new API for gamepads immediately turned to a discussion of its fingerprinting risks and how they can be mitigated: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.dev.platform/75GrJSPHAu0/V3DZcKyxBQAJ https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.dev.platform/75GrJSP...
- andrepd 8y ago
  The www has an API for gamepads. I need a moment.
  - mywittyname 8y ago
    It seems entirely appropriate for browsers to support input from devices other than keyboard, mouse, and touch screen.
  - bzbarsky 8y ago
    Browsers run on TVs...
  - wongarsu 8y ago
    You remember how HTML5 was sold as the replacement for Flash; as a platform perfect for browser games? This is the logical extension of that.
    - JohnFen 8y ago
      Yeah, that sort of thing is one of the reasons why I dislike HTML5 so much.
  - mrspeaker 8y ago
    Off topic, but besides being a really cool API for playing games - and heaps of games support it - I used this in a talk to control my "slides" via an xbox controller: https://mrspeaker.github.io/emacs_talk/ https://mrspeaker.github.io/emacs_talk/ - moving around topics, triggering slides forward/back, starting/stopping videos, and changing slide opacity using the d-pad, analog sticks, and triggers. I'll never use an apple remote again ;)
    - sitkack 8y ago
      This is the nerdiest thing I have seen a long time. It is lovely! Keep it up.
  - kalleboo 8y ago
    I already had that moment when I heard about the "Web Bluetooth API"
    - sitkack 8y ago
      https://wicg.github.io/webusb/ https://wicg.github.io/webusb/ and https://www.w3.org/TR/webmidi/ https://www.w3.org/TR/webmidi/ And I welcome them, it would be awesome to program an arduino from a web based dev env.
michaelt 8y ago
You can experience different levels of fingerprinting protection by (for an extreme option) using the Tor browser, or (for a less severe option) turning on privacy.resistfingerprinting in Firefox. Unfortunately such privacy measures come with a bunch of inconveniences. For both, Recaptca will become more obstructionist. Your window won't start maximised any more. Zoom levels will be forgotten when you open a link in a new tab. And if you use Tor Browser, by design there's also no saving passwords, no saving cookies, no saving tabs between sessions, and no browser/address bar history.

I do appreciate the feature! But how feasible would be to limit the amount of info retrievable from the JS layer instead than relying on a black list of domains serving fingerprinters?

eli 8y ago

Depends what sites you’re ok with breaking. Users will blame the browser if it works in chrome but not firefox

gruez 8y ago

thats what privacy.resistfingerprinting is for

capnrefsmmat 8y ago

Mozilla devs seem to take this into account whenever adding new JS features, at least on their mailing lists. For example, this discussion of a new API for gamepads immediately turned to a discussion of its fingerprinting risks and how they can be mitigated: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.dev.platform/75GrJSPHAu0/V3DZcKyxBQAJ https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.dev.platform/75GrJSP...

andrepd 8y ago
The www has an API for gamepads. I need a moment.
- mywittyname 8y ago
  It seems entirely appropriate for browsers to support input from devices other than keyboard, mouse, and touch screen.
- bzbarsky 8y ago
  Browsers run on TVs...
- wongarsu 8y ago
  You remember how HTML5 was sold as the replacement for Flash; as a platform perfect for browser games? This is the logical extension of that.
  - JohnFen 8y ago
    Yeah, that sort of thing is one of the reasons why I dislike HTML5 so much.
- mrspeaker 8y ago
  Off topic, but besides being a really cool API for playing games - and heaps of games support it - I used this in a talk to control my "slides" via an xbox controller: https://mrspeaker.github.io/emacs_talk/ https://mrspeaker.github.io/emacs_talk/ - moving around topics, triggering slides forward/back, starting/stopping videos, and changing slide opacity using the d-pad, analog sticks, and triggers. I'll never use an apple remote again ;)
  - sitkack 8y ago
    This is the nerdiest thing I have seen a long time. It is lovely! Keep it up.
- kalleboo 8y ago
  I already had that moment when I heard about the "Web Bluetooth API"
  - sitkack 8y ago
    https://wicg.github.io/webusb/ https://wicg.github.io/webusb/ and https://www.w3.org/TR/webmidi/ https://www.w3.org/TR/webmidi/ And I welcome them, it would be awesome to program an arduino from a web based dev env.

michaelt 8y ago

You can experience different levels of fingerprinting protection by (for an extreme option) using the Tor browser, or (for a less severe option) turning on privacy.resistfingerprinting in Firefox. Unfortunately such privacy measures come with a bunch of inconveniences. For both, Recaptca will become more obstructionist. Your window won't start maximised any more. Zoom levels will be forgotten when you open a link in a new tab. And if you use Tor Browser, by design there's also no saving passwords, no saving cookies, no saving tabs between sessions, and no browser/address bar history.