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> While access times cross-references and identification is still theoretically possible, it should be an entirely different game. How are you planning to hand

by jefftk 6y ago

> While access times cross-references and identification is still theoretically possible, it should be an entirely different game. How are you planning to handle communicating identity across sites with link decoration?

3np 6y ago
Could you elaborate on what you mean by this specifically? query params like fbclid? That could be stripped client-side, e.g. via a browser extension. There are already extensions that do this. Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22386388 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22386388
- jefftk 6y ago
  It sounds to me like your threat model here is that two sites (A and B) which would like to share identity, and you want to stop them? Perhaps A has identity (for example, you log in), A gives you links to B, and B runs some third-party JavaScript served from A. For example, A could be FB/Google/etc and B could be a news site. Site A can add any query parameter it wants to the outgoing link, and then parse it on B in their third-party JavaScript. If they always used the same params (ex: fbclid/gclid) it would be easy to detect and block, but if they were trying to get around the blocking it would be easy to rotate these parameters as often as they wanted because the same entity (A) controls both the producer and the consumer. Now your two identity bubbles have been joined. (Disclosure: I work on ads at Google, speaking only for myself)
  - 3np 6y ago
    Yeah, you summed it up pretty well I think. It's definitely an arms race, and IMO it makes sense to push back on areas where one can. Are you implying that it's not a worthwhile effort and that the battle is lost? I'm thinking 1) DNS control with block lists 2) browser extensions (restricting canvas, removing tracking parts of urls) 3) be restrictive of disclosing PIIs 4) IP obfuscation along the lines I laid about above should make it a lot less deterministic and decrease confidence in merging of datasets. Rule lists obviously have to be continuously updated. Only a sith deals in absolutes but from your perspective am I missing something?
    - 3np 6y ago
      I know meta-talk like this is frowned upon, but to the people downvoting, I would really like to hear your thoughts.

by jefftk 6y ago

3np 6y ago

Could you elaborate on what you mean by this specifically? query params like fbclid? That could be stripped client-side, e.g. via a browser extension. There are already extensions that do this. Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22386388 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22386388

jefftk 6y ago
It sounds to me like your threat model here is that two sites (A and B) which would like to share identity, and you want to stop them? Perhaps A has identity (for example, you log in), A gives you links to B, and B runs some third-party JavaScript served from A. For example, A could be FB/Google/etc and B could be a news site. Site A can add any query parameter it wants to the outgoing link, and then parse it on B in their third-party JavaScript. If they always used the same params (ex: fbclid/gclid) it would be easy to detect and block, but if they were trying to get around the blocking it would be easy to rotate these parameters as often as they wanted because the same entity (A) controls both the producer and the consumer. Now your two identity bubbles have been joined. (Disclosure: I work on ads at Google, speaking only for myself)
- 3np 6y ago
  Yeah, you summed it up pretty well I think. It's definitely an arms race, and IMO it makes sense to push back on areas where one can. Are you implying that it's not a worthwhile effort and that the battle is lost? I'm thinking 1) DNS control with block lists 2) browser extensions (restricting canvas, removing tracking parts of urls) 3) be restrictive of disclosing PIIs 4) IP obfuscation along the lines I laid about above should make it a lot less deterministic and decrease confidence in merging of datasets. Rule lists obviously have to be continuously updated. Only a sith deals in absolutes but from your perspective am I missing something?
  - 3np 6y ago
    I know meta-talk like this is frowned upon, but to the people downvoting, I would really like to hear your thoughts.