What is a browser fingerprint?

When you visit some social network sites such as Facebook, or Instagram, or some e-commerce sites such as Amazon, or etsy, these sites are collecting all sorts of details related to your browser: such as your IP address, the operating system you are using (e.g., Windows or macOS), the resolution of the screen, and even what fonts you have installed, and so on. These seemingly insignificant pieces of information, when put together, form a browser fingerprint. This fingerprint is in most cases unique, and like a real-life fingerprint, it allows a website to recognize you as a unique visitor - even if you have cleared cookies or are in "Incognito mode” - and it can still be collected using technical means.

Why do the websites collect my browser fingerprint?

Browser fingerprint is important because it allows websites to remember who you are. E-commerce sites and social media platforms want their user to be a real person, and they usually do not ant to see one person holding a large number of accounts.

But in reality, especially with needs,  it's necessary for a team or a company to operate multiple accounts. This is why understanding what browser fingerprint is becomes very important. Knowing each browser fingerprint parameter allows them to set up their browser fingerprint more wisely and ensures each account run securely.

Fingerprint parameters in AdsPower profile

User Agent

You can check your User-Agent in the overview sidebar

What is a User Agent?

A user agent is any software that interacts with web servers on behalf of Internet users. They can also be seen as a bridge between you and the Internet.

Any software that sends web requests to web servers is a user agent whether its works independently of human interaction as it is in the case of automation tools or bots or in the case of web browsers and other software that accept direct commands from humans.

Take, for instance, if you want to send access content online, you will have to make use of a web browser that serves as the user agent that deals with retrieving, rendering, and making it possible for you to interact with the content.

To learn more about User Agent, please refer to: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/useragent

WebRTC

WebRTC, which stands for Web Real-Time Communication, allows for real-time communication between web browsers without the need for plugins or third-party applications. Besides Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Discord, Google Meet, and Zoom, there are numerous other applications that utilize WebRTC technology. These applications include various communication platforms and services.

To learn more about WebRTC please refer to: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/webrtc-fingerprinting

Timezone

When we visit a website, an IP address is required. Each IP address has a geographical location: country, state/province, city, longitude and latitude. As we learned in geography class, each country/region has a time zone. Some countries, due to their vast size, span several time zones. For example, Russia has 11 time zones, and the United States and its territories have 9 time zones.

To learn more about Timezone please refer to: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/ip-time-zone-and-system-time

There are three options for Timezone setting in AdsPower.

• Based on IP(Default): Use timezone based on Ip location
• Real: Use system timezone
• Custom: Choose the timezone yourself

Location

The Geolocation API provides websites with a high-level interface that enables them to query physical location information, such as latitude and longitude, potentially compromising the user's anonymity. This page will check if the Geolocation API works in your browser, display all retrievable data, and ensure that websites cannot access the API without your explicit permission.

To learn more about Location please refer to:  https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/geolocation

There are three options for Location setting in AdsPower.

•Based on IP(Default): Use location based on Ip location

You can choose Ask each time(the website will ask for your location when needed) or Always allow(allow website to access your location)

•Custom: set the location yourself

•Block: Block your location from the webstie

Language

Language is one of the basic fingerprints of the browser. The basic fingerprint of the browser is a characteristic identifier that any browser has, including screen resolution, hardware type, operating system, user agent, system font, language, browser plug-in, Browser extensions, browser settings, time zone differences and many other information, these fingerprint information is similar to human height, age, etc., there is a high probability of conflict, can only be used as auxiliary identification.

To learn more about Language please refer to: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/language

There are two options for Language setting in AdsPower

•Based on IP(Default): Use language based on IP location

•Custom: Choose language  yourself

Display language

Display language is NOT part of the browser fingerprint, but the language shown on the interface of the profile, so it will not be detected by the website.

Screen Resolution

Screen resolution refers to the clarity of text and images displayed on the screen. The larger the monitor, the higher the resolution usually supported. Whether the screen resolution can be increased depends on the size and capabilities of the monitor and the type of video card used. Technically speaking, “resolution” is the number of pixels per unit area, not the total number of pixels.

There are three options for Screen Resolution setting in AdsPower

• Random: The screen resolution is set randomly
• Predefined(default):  the screen resolution is set based on User-Agent

1. Use the current device's resolution for User-Agent of pc type.

2. Match the resolution to your mobile device for User-Agent of Mobile type.

• Custom: Set it yourself

Fonts

Font fingerprinting techniques rely on measuring the dimensions of HTML elements filled with text or single Unicode glyphs. However, font rendering in web browsers can be affected by multiple factors, leading to subtle differences in these measurements.

There are two options for Fonts settings in AdsPower

• Default: use the default fonts based on the Operation System of the profile.
• Custom: edit the fonts yourself

Hardware noise

All of the fingerprint settings below are related to the device hardware. So when you turn on the "noise", that means the fingerprint masking algorithm intercepts it in the middle of the way and adds a random but consistent noise to the read-out. The best analogy to understand how it works would be a voice modifier. When you apply a voice modifier with a particular preset, it changes your voice, making it significantly different from your original voice but consistent over time.

Canvas

Canvas fingerprinting is a recognition method that captures distinctive device characteristics through the Canvas element in HTML5. The Canvas element is an HTML5 tag used for drawing graphics and images on a web page. It enables the dynamic generation, display, and modification of images using JavaScript code. Canvas fingerprinting exploits the subtle variations in how browsers render the Canvas element, resulting in the creation of a unique fingerprint.

Reference: BrowserScan

WebGL

WebGL is a JavaScript API used to render interactive 2D and 3D graphics in any compatible web browser without using plug-ins. WebGL is fully integrated into all webpage standards of the browser, and GPU acceleration of image processing and effects can be used as part of the webpage Canvas. WebGL elements can be added to other HTML elements and mixed with other parts of the web page or web page background. The WebGL program consists of a handle written in JavaScript and a shader code written in OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL), which is similar to C or C++ and runs on the graphics processing unit (GPU) of the computer.

To learn more about WebGL please refer to: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/webgl-fingerprinting

AudioContext

Audio fingerprinting is a relatively new fingerprint tracking technology. The basic principle is that due to minor differences in hardware and software configurations, different devices will produce minor differences when playing the same audio. These differences can be captured and used to generate a unique identifier for the device, i.e., the "Audio Fingerprints".

The technical principles involved in audio fingerprinting technology mainly include audio processing and signal analysis, and specific operations usually require the use of the browser's Web API, such as the AudioContext interface.

Reference: BrowserScan

Media Device

Media Device fingerprinting refers to the creation of a unique identifier by detecting and analyzing the properties of media devices on a user's device. These media devices include cameras, microphones, and so on. The technology of media device fingerprinting utilizes the subtle differences between devices to identify and track users for purposes such as user identification and targeted advertising.

Reference: BrowserScan

Client Rects

Client Rects is a browser API that provides layout information for webpage elements, including the position and size of the elements. This information is referred to as "rectangles" (rects).

The reason why Client Rects can become a browser fingerprinting technology is that even if two devices open the same webpage, due to differences in their hardware configuration, operating system, browser type and version, screen resolution, font settings, etc., the layout information of the rendered webpage elements may differ. These differences can be used to generate a unique identifier, that is, a browser fingerprint.

Reference: BrowserScan

SpeechVoices

The Web Speech API SpeechSynthesis interface is the control interface for the speech service; it can be used to obtain information about the synthesized sounds available on the device.

WebGPU

WebGPU is a new technical standard that allows web applications (such as browser games, online video editing tools, etc.) to efficiently use the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) of the computer for graphics rendering and computation. Its goal is to provide more powerful, faster and safer graphics performance than the existing WebGL technology.

Reference: BrowserScan

There are three options for WebGPU setting in AdsPower

•Based on WebGL(default): Use a compatible WebGPU fingerprint for websites

• Real : Allow websites to access your device's WebGPU fingerprint.
• Disabled : Websites cannot access your WebGPU.

Mac Address

Just like each house has its own postal address, every device connected to a network has a Media Access Control (MAC) address, that uniquely identifies it.

The MAC address is tied to the Network Interface Controller (NIC), a subcomponent of the larger device. The NIC is where you make your physical connection to the network, by plugging in an Ethernet cable or connecting to a WiFi signal.

Reference: https://blog.browserscan.net/docs/mac-addresss-vs-ip-address

There are two options for Mac Address settings in AdsPower

•Real: Use the real MAC address of the current device

•Custom (default): Set a compatible value to mask your device's MAC address.

Do Not Track

The principle of Do Not Track is based on a special flag in the HTTP request headers. It sends a request to websites and advertisers indicating that the user does not want to be tracked.

As you may have noticed, Do Not Track only provides an option for users to express whether they want to be tracked or not. Whether websites and advertisers will comply with the user's request depends entirely on their own policies and ethical standards.

It's a bit like an agreement between gentlemen. If a website doesn't comply with the DNT request, there isn't much a user can do.

Reference: BrowserScan

There are three options for Do Not Track settings in AdsPower

• Default: Set Do Not Track as default.
• Open: Send a "Do Not Track" request to websites
• Close: Websites may track your browsing activity