Re:The privacy nightmare of browser fingerprinting
by zelphirkalt on Sunday November 23, 2025 @05:47AM
(#46022403)
In the end all this shit we have to deal with is probably 99% used for deciding which ads to show you, which we are gonna block anyway, and it's all a complete and utter waste of computing power and electricity. This is how big tech "makes the world a better place" apparently.
-make client load something
-client doesn't load it
-add.fingerprint.point(client,'doesnltloadthings',1)
-detect if client does something only a certain browser does
-client does it
-add.fingerprint.point(client,'doesthisbrowsderthing',1)
-window was resized/moved, send a websocket snitch to the backend
- keep a consistent web socket open, or fetch a backend-api call for updates on X events - more calls are made, means user is probably scrolling, inject more things/different things.
I see some js obfuscators out there where I look at the js file and it's all mumbo jumbo.
It is indeed a privacy nightmare, where whatever we do feeds the algorithms to aide in making other people do things.
But it's also used in network security, organizations etc. Staff/employees will use the system a certain way, if something enters it without the behaviors, it's detectable. I assume that's what you mean in anti-fraud.
Sad part is we don't know what the data is ever used for, and it's often bought and sold and the cycle repeats.