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Sites like this and the EFF’s panopticlick err on the side of saying you can be tracked when that might not be true. For example: I visited this same site a wh
by ggreer 7y ago
Sites like this and the EFF’s panopticlick err on the side of saying you can be tracked when that might not be true.
For example: I visited this same site a while ago with the same device, and both times it has said I was unique. A new version of iOS came out, so my user agent changed. Unless sites are also storing unique data on your machine (through cookies or localstorage), browser fingerprinting is a crapshoot. This goes double for mobile devices.
- segfaultbuserr 7y agoAnother unusual circumstance is when you're the first users who have just installed the latest software update, a fingerprint testing website will identify you as an unique user. But you won't be unique anymore within a few days. It happens a lot in the Tor mailing list. Often, a new major release of Tor Browser comes out, a user is shocked by the upgrade, "OMG! I'm unique and trackable!". Don't panic, just keep using it.
- clarry 7y agoOf course most sites that try to track you are also storing cookies or local storage. It only takes one to tie your two unique fingerprints together... of course your IP address might suffice. Or account/email address, if you're logged into a site that shares data with third parties and use the same address. I'm sure someone's also devised a way to guess how to bind two fingerprints together when OS or browser updates but many other parameters (timezone, ip, language, screen size, fonts, etc) remain similar enough.