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Google May Stop Using Cookies to Track Web Users
- alexforster 13y agoAnybody have references to the technical details behind this change? One way I can think of would be to use ETag headers, which are intended to be used for caching but can be abused for tracking purposes[1] since by definition the browser is required to send back the server-provided ETag value. Alternatively (or additionally), browser fingerprinting[2] seems like the perfect candidate technology to replace cookies for tracking purposes, since it can't easily be "cleared". [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_ETag#Tracking_using_ETags http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_ETag#Tracking_using_ETags [2] https://panopticlick.eff.org https://panopticlick.eff.org
- viennacoder 13y agoI would think you use a combination of IP address, browser fingerprint, and machine fingerprint. Much better than cookies, because the user can't delete anything. Plus the fingerprints would still work across browsers (I think).
- Encosia 13y ago> Google has resisted efforts to block cookies on its Chrome browser. This doesn't seem quite right to me. I've been using Chrome's built-in third party cookie blocking for at least a couple years now. Coming from Firefox, that was one of the biggest things I missed at first in Chrome, so it remember being relieved when it was added relatively quickly.