Amidst the glossy marketing for VPN services, it can be tempting to believe that the moment you flick on the VPN connection you can browse the internet with full privacy. Unfortunately this is quit…

Amidst the glossy marketing for VPN services, it can be tempting to believe that the moment you flick on the VPN connection you can browse the internet with full privacy. Unfortunately this is quite far from the truth, as interacting with internet services like websites leaves a significant fingerprint. In a study by [RTINGS.com] this browser fingerprinting was investigated in detail, showing just how easy it is to uniquely identify a visitor across the 83 laptops used in the study.

As summarized in the related video (also embedded below), the start of the study involved the Am I Unique? website which provides you with an overview of your browser fingerprint. With over 4.5 million fingerprints in their database as of writing, even using Edge on Windows 10 marks you as unique, which is telling.

  • Chivera@lemmy.worldEnglish
    181·
    13 hours ago

    I bought a used laptop from a yard sale and only use public Wi-Fi and never use the laptop for anything with my name on it.

    • CluckN@lemmy.worldEnglish
      29·
      10 hours ago

      Pfft amateur, I break into my local Applbee’s after 2AM and use their POS terminal browser to look at used cars.

      • ByteOnBikes@discuss.onlineEnglish
        201·
        9 hours ago

        Applebee’s at 2AM which leaves a physical trail? Noob. I strap meshtastic nodes on wild dogs, using them as a Internet relay at 1-2kb a second, to look at manga leaks.