Re:The Web MiniDisc App (2020)
by moron4hire on Friday April 09, 2021 @09:34AM
(#26750344)
What does it matter if there are 1000 variables or 999 variables if it only takes 5 variables to identify people? What point is there to anti-fingerprinting practices if the only way to achieve less than 100% fingerprintability is to stop using the internet entirely?
And why, in this sisiphian effort, is the answer to hobble Web APIs, rather than request permissions, as native mobile apps do? Why should there be a functional difference between native mobile apps and web apps? The app stores don't vet submissions, so malicious apps are apparently quite trivial to get into the stores. Users don't really think twice about installing apps. Why do web apps need to be uniquely hobbled in comparison?
Yes, it will.
I don't know of anyone who would seriously argue that less variation between client data doesn't also offer less uniquely identifiable variation between users.
Less remotely-viewable variables, less rolls of chance to be unique.
>Are users any less fingerprintable because WebAudio now requires a user activation to run, and timing information needed to have artificial noise added? No, users are still 100% fingerprintable.
Less fingerprint-able doesn't mean completely un-fingerprintable.
These very edge cases and seemingly unnecessary inclusions into the spec are the very things that allow you to keep the technology in place while reducing possible privacy concerns.
These changes and inclusions are designed as a compromise between the two goals of technological innovation and privacy infringement.