New campaign against browser fingerprinting started in France...

General Topics
1

See: https://stopfingerprinting.irisa.fr/
You could install the extension for both Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Your browser-OS combination is unique and stands out so tracking and building your complete online profile is possible without using cookies, frames, web beacons etc
Folks, this profiling is not that hard to do. Just making a snapshot of your browser against which there is no protection.
Do you think such a research campaign makes sense to reclaim at least a tiny bit of your browser privacy
or are you just ready to give up ALL of your privacy online.
A lot of users think according this line “as long as they make it free I couldn’t care less”,

polonus

2

Watch here to see your browser being fingerprinted: http://panopticlick.eff.org/index.php?action=log&js=yes
In combination with geo-location, zip code and installed browser extensions this could mean a serious privacy issue,

polonus

P.S. For an example of what I mean: http://www.spyderweb.eu/

3

Isn’t it a new scam campaign? I have Firefox with NoScript, Request Policy and Ghostery on (all - lattest versions) and can see only endless “Please wait…” blinking at Panopticlick.

4

I use Ghostery and NoScript along with Flashblock. I like having control of a website, instead of it having control of my browser.

If you are really concerned with privacy, here is an article worth reading.

https://www.grc.com/fingerprints.htm

5

I checked my browser with the Panopticlick website given.
Then installed the StopFingerprinting addon for Firefox.
Checked my browser again with Panopticlick and it showed no difference.

(cleared my cache in between tests)

6

Hi Kilia,

The extension is not to bring any difference yet. First they are going to collect data to evaluate the fingerprinting problem.
So installing the extension makes you take part in that particular research (if you allow access and javascript to run)
I agree with George Yves that with NoScript and RequestPolicy add-ons installed there could/should be no fingerprinting performed,
because javascript lies at the root of the problem. So probably they are tackling this problem from the wrong end.
as does extensions like Ghostery, Disconnect and the like.
But of course for the average user without extensions to block this profiling
profile data harvesting goes on unhindered and also interlinked,

polonus

7

Hi Polonus,
Thank you for replying and explaining. Much appreciated. :slight_smile:

8

This about the fingerprinting - tried that with our forum page:
forum.avast.com *.avast.com FF:D3:7B:43:95:81:1E:92:EC:6A:DE:8E:31:A3:37:A8:81:38:A9:9D
FF:D3:7B:43:95:81:1E:92:EC:6A:DE:8E:31:A3:37:A8:81:38:A9:9D for a second time
and got this 05:0A:A7:C3:5F:85:F0:A8:5B:14:1D:B6:7F:67:8C:60:4F:2D:DE:D3
Who could try this after me here: https://www.grc.com/fingerprints.htm?domain=www.pbs.org ?

polonus

9

I tried it 3 times, and got this every time:

FF:D3:7B:43:95:81:1E:92:EC:6A:DE:8E:31:A3:37:A8:81:38:A9:9D

10

I will have to change my previous post. I can’t check the security certificate of the Avast forum.

The Avast forum website supplies no security information. When I try to get it, I get this message.

This website does not supply identity information.
Your connection to this website is not encrypted.

According to my Firefox settings, my connection is encrypted. Anyway, I can’t check the security certificate in my browser, so I will just have to believe I’m on the Avast Forum website with no proof.

11

Thanks Polonus for the great info as usual.

There is a way to turn geo-location off in Firefox.

  1. Type about:config into address bar
  2. type geo. into search
  3. double click geo.enabled which will turn this feature off.

I researched this when every time I would go to my movie theater site it would ask if I wanted it to find my location.

Please see attachment.