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Chrome published an intent to freeze the user-agent string: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!msg/blink-dev/-2JIRNMWJ7s/yHe4tQNLCgAJ https://gro

• lonelappde 7y ago
  And replace it by Client Hints. How does that prevent fingerprinting?
  • floatingatoll 7y ago
    In a nutshell, to my best understanding; User-Agent is divulged publicly with all requests to all sites, so no protections exist around using it, because it is freely offered up by the user without requiring consent. Client Hints have to be specifically requested by the remote website, which demonstrates intent to collect data, and thus falls under data collection laws.
    • thaumasiotes 7y ago
      > User-Agent is divulged publicly with all requests to all sites, so no protections exist around using it, because it is freely offered up by the user without requiring consent. This seems like an argument you'd lose if your website failed to respond to requests that were missing the User-Agent.
      • floatingatoll 7y ago
        Perhaps, but I know of no case law precedence one way or the other with respect to User-Agent.
  • jefftk 7y ago
    Forcing fingerprinters to switch from passive methods to active methods means you can apply a privacy budget: https://github.com/bslassey/privacy-budget https://github.com/bslassey/privacy-budget Then sites that need some information can get it, but won't be allowed to get so much identifying information that you're unique. (Disclosure: I work for Google)