5 ms·

So, an extremely unique identifier for tracking purposes, that effectively no one knows exists, and no one knows can be changed at all? With an obscure white p

So, an extremely unique identifier for tracking purposes, that effectively no one knows exists, and no one knows can be changed at all? With an obscure white paper that allows Google to claim they comply with the law because "they totally offer a way to change that and they even published that information to the web for anyone to find"? Gotcha.

x0x0 7y ago
Are you talking about the same thing? Because the identifier above is claimed to have 13b of entropy. Is there another high entropy identifier?
- rvnx 7y ago
  13b, if usage statistics are disabled (not the default). Otherwise, unspecified amount of entropy.
  - x0x0 7y ago
    thanks. and ugh.
    - rvnx 7y ago
      Just referred as High Entropy: https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/metrics/entropy_state.cc?type=cs&sq=package:chromium&g=0&l=58 https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/metrics/entr...
  - asvitkine 7y ago
    Actually, the low entropy provider is used for any field trials that get included in the header. See: https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/variations/variations_seed_processor.cc?rcl=ddac4c3cc1528254008f9e7a2aea5d4426906bfd&l=258 https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/variations/v...
- clarry 7y ago
  13b plus IP is already huge, but browsers leak so much more than that.
  - rvnx 7y ago
    By default it's much more than 13b. Seems to be 13b only if you disable analytics/crash reports.
winternett 7y ago
Don't be evil... Until we are deployed enough that users don't have a choice... Now that Google has cornered the market for Internet browsing, they're using that foothold to change how it works to suit their dominance. This is why they are not concerned about per-site tracking that Google Analytics does, as long as THEY as a company have direct browser-based tracking, they no longer need to provide tracking services to other private companies to know what is trending everywhere. This is also probably why they're trying to kill ad blockers and certain browser privacy extensions.... But they won't really matter to Google if everything is done at the browser level to begin with from now on. :/ If they make moves to scale back [free] Google Analytics, which they probably will at some point, it will only highlight this ideal... They may turn to selling their privately collected metrics and qualitative studies to companies after Google Analytics is rendered useless, and then that's unadulterated monopolistic profit for them and shareholders... Diabolical.
- tigroferoce 7y ago
  True. But luckily you actually have a choice. Many opt for DuckDuckGo on Firefox, for instance.
  - LinuxBender 7y ago
    You are right, but they also know most people won't switch. They have an entire generation of folks that don't even think about privacy.
    - K0SM0S 7y ago
      There's also the subset of all of us who must use Chrome because <solution X> needed for work requires said browser. Google's dominance through Chrome extends to the whole ecosystem. Same thing with Apple inside their own (which is nowhere near a monopoly at 10-15% market share worldwide, thus totally fair game by comparison).
    - Ygg2 7y ago
      On the other hand, people hate ads, so going to Firefox might actually be better option for new users.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
vkou 7y ago
Your comment is factually incorrect. 13 bits of entropy is not an extremely unique identifier. The first three letters of your first name have more bits of entropy than that. It would be quite a trick to uniquely identify you by the first three letters of your first name.
- TheRealPomax 7y ago
  I fear the factual incorrectness isn't mine: the random string used is 13 bits of entropy only if usage statics is disabled, which isn't the case by default. By default, it uses an unspecified entropy (and you can bet real dollars that it'll be more then 13 bits worth).
reddit_clone 7y ago
Reminds me of this. "There’s no point acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you’ve had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it’s far too late to start making a fuss about it now"
- Lio 7y ago
  Beware of the leopard!

x0x0 7y ago

Are you talking about the same thing? Because the identifier above is claimed to have 13b of entropy. Is there another high entropy identifier?

rvnx 7y ago
13b, if usage statistics are disabled (not the default). Otherwise, unspecified amount of entropy.
- x0x0 7y ago
  thanks. and ugh.
  - rvnx 7y ago
    Just referred as High Entropy: https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/metrics/entropy_state.cc?type=cs&sq=package:chromium&g=0&l=58 https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/metrics/entr...
- asvitkine 7y ago
  Actually, the low entropy provider is used for any field trials that get included in the header. See: https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/variations/variations_seed_processor.cc?rcl=ddac4c3cc1528254008f9e7a2aea5d4426906bfd&l=258 https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/components/variations/v...
clarry 7y ago
13b plus IP is already huge, but browsers leak so much more than that.
- rvnx 7y ago
  By default it's much more than 13b. Seems to be 13b only if you disable analytics/crash reports.

winternett 7y ago

Don't be evil... Until we are deployed enough that users don't have a choice... Now that Google has cornered the market for Internet browsing, they're using that foothold to change how it works to suit their dominance. This is why they are not concerned about per-site tracking that Google Analytics does, as long as THEY as a company have direct browser-based tracking, they no longer need to provide tracking services to other private companies to know what is trending everywhere. This is also probably why they're trying to kill ad blockers and certain browser privacy extensions.... But they won't really matter to Google if everything is done at the browser level to begin with from now on. :/ If they make moves to scale back [free] Google Analytics, which they probably will at some point, it will only highlight this ideal... They may turn to selling their privately collected metrics and qualitative studies to companies after Google Analytics is rendered useless, and then that's unadulterated monopolistic profit for them and shareholders... Diabolical.

tigroferoce 7y ago
True. But luckily you actually have a choice. Many opt for DuckDuckGo on Firefox, for instance.
- LinuxBender 7y ago
  You are right, but they also know most people won't switch. They have an entire generation of folks that don't even think about privacy.
  - K0SM0S 7y ago
    There's also the subset of all of us who must use Chrome because <solution X> needed for work requires said browser. Google's dominance through Chrome extends to the whole ecosystem. Same thing with Apple inside their own (which is nowhere near a monopoly at 10-15% market share worldwide, thus totally fair game by comparison).
  - Ygg2 7y ago
    On the other hand, people hate ads, so going to Firefox might actually be better option for new users.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

vkou 7y ago

Your comment is factually incorrect. 13 bits of entropy is not an extremely unique identifier. The first three letters of your first name have more bits of entropy than that. It would be quite a trick to uniquely identify you by the first three letters of your first name.

TheRealPomax 7y ago
I fear the factual incorrectness isn't mine: the random string used is 13 bits of entropy only if usage statics is disabled, which isn't the case by default. By default, it uses an unspecified entropy (and you can bet real dollars that it'll be more then 13 bits worth).

reddit_clone 7y ago

Reminds me of this. "There’s no point acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you’ve had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it’s far too late to start making a fuss about it now"

Lio 7y ago
Beware of the leopard!