Fingerprinting And The Surveillance Economy | Avast

Fingerprinting And The Surveillance Economy | Avast
Chandler Givens, 22 August 2019

Consumers can delete their cookies, but this is not the case for fingerprinting



Many consumers are aware of cookies that track web activity, and their use is fairly well-regulated. But online fingerprinting (also called device fingerprinting) is not as well understood. We believe mainstream media is vastly underestimating how prevalent it is.
Device fingerprinting refers to tracking software on websites used to collect information about the device you are using, such as the make, model, operating system, browser, even software installed on the device. This information is used to identify your unique device fingerprint online. 
Consumers can delete their cookies, and websites have to notify and gain permission from users to use them. This is not the case for fingerprinting, which is becoming more prevalent as cookie-tracking becomes less common.
The New York Times recently shined a light on the issue, but suggested the tactic is used by fewer than 5% of websites. We believe that understates the impact. 
The concerning thing about fingerprinting is that, because of the uniqueness of your hardware and software components, users are identifiable with greater than 95% accuracy. This allows whoever has identified this fingerprint to have a clear picture of who you are, regardless of whether you’ve granted permission for these third parties to collect information about you. After it’s collected and combined with your record of internet use and browsing history, a complete picture of your online history, preferences, activities, and even life circumstances can be traced directly back t ..

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