Your data is worth more than you can imagine, and this is why advertisers turn to all kinds of tactics to collect information about you, including a method that is known as fingerprinting.
In essence a type of tracking, fingerprinting comes down to an entire profile that ad companies create about you. This profile contains super-detailed information about you, including not only the browser that you use, the operating system resolution, and things like that, but also fonts, screen size, and other unique data that is then used to make a difference between your profile and another.
Obviously, not everyone agrees to give up on this data when browsing the web, so such info is often collected without users to even know about it.
Fingerprint scripts are in many places on the web, and unless you run advanced protections to block them, your data is collected and then stored for longer than you can think. In some cases, fingerprinting leads to profiles being stored for many months after their creation, and sometimes they are saved even if you turn to features that are supposed to boost your privacy, such as private browsing.
Organizations across the world agree that fingerprinting shouldn’t happen, but at the same time, blocking scripts without breaking down sites has been quite a challenge. Until recently, that is, as modern browsers now come with anti-fingerprinting systems that take care of everything without the need for any kind of user input.
Mozilla Firefox 72, which is now available for download, protects users against fingerprinting by default, so once you install this latest version, the new feature is automatically enabled on the device.
First and foremost, Firefox blocks JavaScript third-party trackers that attempt to collect information about the device, such as browser and operating system details. Then, it blocks them from collecting data that is typically revealed by a network request, including here the IP address or the user agent.
Mozilla says its fingerprinting protection is powered by Disconnect, the provider of a comprehensive list of companies that are known for turning to such trackers online. Using this list, Firefox is able to block scripts before they load, and given Disconnect periodically updates it with new entries, Firefox users are technically provided with up-to-date protections all the time.
Fingerprinting has been added to the Standard level in the Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection feature. The Standard setting is enabled by default on all devices.
Furthermore, fingerprinting is also included in the Strict level, so the only way to allow it is to switch to the Custom setting which provides you with more advanced controls over the tracking protection available in Firefox. At this point, the Standard level blocks social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, tracking content in private windows, cryptominers, and fingerprinting.
Mozilla says this configuration has been balanced for protection and performance, so pages will load normally while users will benefit from advanced protection when browsing the web.
The Strict level provides the same protections but with additional blocking of tracking content in all windows. Enabling this setting, however, could lead to some websites or content to fail to load correctly, so have this in mind if you enable it.
“Firefox’s blocking of fingerprinting resources represents our first step in stemming the adoption of fingerprinting technologies. The path forward in the fight against fingerprinting will likely involve both script blocking and API-level protections. We will continue to monitor fingerprinting on the web, and will work with Disconnect to build out the set of domains blocked by Firefox,” Mozilla promises.
Fingerprinting protection is also available in other browsers, and more are likely to get as the industry unites against this type of tracking.