There are several ways to make website data stick around or identify you.
1. Cookies 2. Offline data 3. IndexedDB 4. Canvas fingerprinting 5. web rtc
Cookies can be cleared easily, oftentimes people set the browser to clear them when it is closed.
Offline data is a javascript memory storage that persists despite clearing your normal history, cookies, etc. It is there for javascript use and is limited to around 5 meg or so. It can be cleared by setting your browser to clear offline data.
IndexedDB is effectively a javascript database. That's not entirely correct but it's close enough for this. It persists like offline data but unlike offline data, it will handle as much data as you can throw at it within the limits of the browser and computer. It can be cleared by clearing "website data" as opposed to "offline data." Most people forget this when they clear their browser.
Canvas fingerinting is a combination of techniques to collect data points the browser exposes such as number and types of fonts installed, accelerometers, battery levels, phone and camera presence, location awareness, window size, browser version, user behavior (such as mouse tracking) and so on. By itself, it is relatively meaningless but when taken as a whole and with an eye for metrics analysis, it not only can identify your device uniquely, it has potential to identify YOU as a person though this is a rarer case scenario. It can be used in conjunction with other browser data to do things like record you mouse movement, scrolling habits, time spent on a specific part of a page and so on. Then it can send that recording to the server for saving and comparison.
Web RTC is a protocol used in teleconference calls and allows such software to work correctly even despite firewalls and vpns. The problem is that it leaks your REAL IP address.
All of this together can create a unique fingerprint of your device, potentially you.
totes_magotes 4 points 1.8 years ago
There are several ways to make website data stick around or identify you.
1. Cookies
2. Offline data
3. IndexedDB
4. Canvas fingerprinting
5. web rtc
Cookies can be cleared easily, oftentimes people set the browser to clear them when it is closed.
Offline data is a javascript memory storage that persists despite clearing your normal history, cookies, etc. It is there for javascript use and is limited to around 5 meg or so. It can be cleared by setting your browser to clear offline data.
IndexedDB is effectively a javascript database. That's not entirely correct but it's close enough for this. It persists like offline data but unlike offline data, it will handle as much data as you can throw at it within the limits of the browser and computer. It can be cleared by clearing "website data" as opposed to "offline data." Most people forget this when they clear their browser.
Canvas fingerinting is a combination of techniques to collect data points the browser exposes such as number and types of fonts installed, accelerometers, battery levels, phone and camera presence, location awareness, window size, browser version, user behavior (such as mouse tracking) and so on. By itself, it is relatively meaningless but when taken as a whole and with an eye for metrics analysis, it not only can identify your device uniquely, it has potential to identify YOU as a person though this is a rarer case scenario. It can be used in conjunction with other browser data to do things like record you mouse movement, scrolling habits, time spent on a specific part of a page and so on. Then it can send that recording to the server for saving and comparison.
Web RTC is a protocol used in teleconference calls and allows such software to work correctly even despite firewalls and vpns. The problem is that it leaks your REAL IP address.
All of this together can create a unique fingerprint of your device, potentially you.