What is browser fingerprinting?

Browser fingerprinting is a surreptitious yet immensely potent technique that can gather a plethora of details about your device, encompassing but not limited to the operating system, keyboard preferences, hardware, geographical location, time zone, display dimensions, browser, device memory, vendor, and other properties. In point of fact, some sophisticated websites can even discern the applications installed on your computer. This data aids the website in identifying you with an accuracy rate of 99 percent.

One might be under the impression that using a proxy or VPN service would render them completely untraceable. Nevertheless, in reality, these two methods can merely alter your location and encrypt your traffic, leaving you vulnerable to being detected by your fingerprint. Even without a browser fingerprint test, data transfer logs can reveal the information that your device has transmitted. This data is extremely perilous for those who seek to remain anonymous. In the event that a website or hacker gains access to your browser fingerprint, they can easily trail your online activity, purloin your personal data, or even perpetrate identity theft.

What is browser fingerprinting used for?

• Privacy concern

Despite the fact that personalized digital advertising is accepted by many, and even welcomed, we must remain cognizant of the possibility of its exploitation for more concerning purposes.

Due to the lack of transparency in the development and dissemination of personalized advertising, it is challenging to provide specific instances of potential risks. However, the potential applications of fingerprint data could encompass pre-qualifying users for services or informing dynamic pricing.

For instance, a travel company could leverage your device fingerprint to gauge the affluence of your area and charge you more than others based on this information, all unbeknownst to you.

Although digital fingerprints may not directly disclose your personal identity, they could be utilized to construct a comprehensive user profile that could be tracked or manipulated. Therefore, we must remain vigilant and mindful of the potential privacy concerns.

• Marketing campaign

Undoubtedly, this efficient method of identifying and tracking user activity has raised significant concerns in the digital advertising industry.

As per statistics, the global digital advertising revenue totaled $378.16 billion in 2020, a substantial portion of which relies on targeted advertising. In an industry of this magnitude, data is deemed exceptionally valuable because it enables marketers to personalize their advertising campaigns with precision.

For instance, imagine that you search for a new phone online and browse various websites for different phone brands and models. Subsequently, you may encounter ads promoting recently released smartphones or ads related to phones you have recently searched for. These ads may appear on your social media platforms or other websites you visit. Although this precise and personalized AD targeting technology brings higher return on investment for advertisers, it also poses potential privacy risks.

By collaborating with websites, Adtech companies are capable of identifying users' device fingerprints as soon as they enter a webpage and instantly serving ads that align with their behavioral characteristics. This rapid and precise advertising targeting technology has yielded a greater return on investment for advertisers, while also providing users with a more personalized advertising experience.

How to make sure an antidetect browser is available?

On the internet, one can find multiple services referred to as checkers or scanners which serve to authenticate your digital fingerprint data. These services are valuable as they can be:

Provide insight into how websites and their security protocols perceive and process your digital fingerprint data.

Detect any flaws and facilitate adjustments to ensure your digital fingerprint aligns with your specifications.

These checkers can inspect various parameters and volumes of data. Some may only assess the IP address, while others can comprehensively scrutinize all parameters of your device. The benefit of utilizing these services is that they help you ensure the accuracy of your digital fingerprints, which in turn protects your online privacy and security. Therefore, if safeguarding your digital fingerprint data is a concern, we recommend availing of these services.

Top tools that check browser fingerprint

1. Browserleaks

Browserleaks is an essential tool for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of their device. It presents as much information as possible that a website can obtain about the user, with each category having its own tab dedicated to device, browser, location, and provider details. Differing from other checkers, Browserleaks abstains from subjectively evaluating the anonymity of one's identity. Instead, it solely provides data, allowing users to draw their own conclusions. This unbiased approach has established Browserleaks as a trustworthy tool, applicable to those who seek to protect their privacy or perform other tests. Therefore, if a complete and dependable tool is what you require, Browserleaks is undoubtedly the optimal choice.

2. IPhey

IPhey is a dependable instrument that assesses the reliability of your digital identity through comprehensive scrutiny of various device parameters. Not limited to examining solely IP addresses and user agents, IPhey also scrutinizes additional parameters such as screen resolution, language settings, browser plug-ins, and operating system versions. This meticulous evaluation enables IPhey to deliver a more comprehensive assessment of your digital identity, thereby yielding more dependable outcomes.

3. Pixelscan

Pixelscan is a reliable identification tool that can assist you in identifying the use of proxies, automation frameworks, and fingerprint masking techniques.

Pixelscan is not limited to detecting agents and automation frameworks, but also scrutinizes other device parameters such as IP addresses, user agents, and canvases, among others. Even the slightest disparities in these parameters can reveal your genuine identity and geographic location, underscoring the significance of safeguarding this information in the digital sphere. Boasting an accuracy rate of 99%, Pixelscan can aid in pinpointing anomalies in your digital fingerprints and implementing timely adjustments, ultimately shielding your privacy and digital security.

IPhey's precision in detection is so outstanding that it can accurately identify any dubious digital identities. In the event of detecting any issues with your digital identity, IPhey offers detailed reports and recommendations to assist you in taking necessary measures to safeguard your personal information and digital security.

4. Whoer

When compared to its counterparts, Pixelscan and iPhey, Whoer's method of evaluating digital identities is more concise and effective. By concentrating on only a handful of crucial parameters, such as operating system, DNS, and proxy usage, Whoer's approach ensures that critical information can be obtained more rapidly without expending additional time and effort on analyzing extraneous data. Therefore, if a swift, streamlined, and user-friendly web tool is needed, Whoer is the ideal choice.