[email protected] : Does Firefox block websites from uploading data that could be used for fingerprinting like resolution, installed fonts, etc.? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Fingerprinting works by collecting bits of information about the browser and device to identify users. Couldn't browsers like Firefox see when a website gets such info with JS and either prevent or ask permission from the user for the website to make HTTP requests to upload such information to the website. Idk if they do something like this already.

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[-] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

once the javascript gets that information from the browser it's kinda impossible to prevent it from being included in a request without just blocking all requests. It could be anywhere in arbitrarily structured data and/or encrypted

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

But couldn't the JS runtime track which objects and variables interact with such information, so if they make any HTTP requests with the info after getting it and maybe processing it then it could be rejected?

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

It would at least be a very intensive process to do so, and that doesn't even solve that there would be other ways to glean the same information without accessing it directly. For example, one could create an element with 100% screen width set by CSS and query the element's size instead of using the simpler window.innerHeight. How do you detect every possible way a script could determine the viewport dimensions?

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this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024

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