Your browser fingerprint
You did not fill in a form, you did not accept a cookie. And yet this page already knows this much about you. Every site you visit can read the same things.
Reading what this page can see…
What is a browser fingerprint?
To display a page correctly, your browser has to answer a number of technical questions: which screen, which fonts, which graphics chip, which time zone. Taken one by one, these answers say nothing. Combined, they form a set so particular that it often identifies one machine among millions, with no cookie and no login.
Why does it matter, if there is no cookie?
Because a fingerprint sidesteps everything built to protect you. It survives clearing your cookies, it works in private browsing, and it ignores your consent choices since nothing is stored on your device. Advertising networks use it to link your visits together, and so do fraud-detection systems, which is the one legitimate use of the technique.
What can actually be done about it
- A browser that deliberately lies about these values, such as Tor Browser or Brave with its fingerprint protection, is the only real answer.
- A content blocker reduces the number of parties that get to ask the question, without changing the answers.
- Private browsing changes nothing here: it clears history and cookies, not your screen size or your fonts.
- Paradoxically, an unusual configuration makes you more identifiable, not less: a rare browser with exotic settings stands out precisely because it is rare.
Frequently asked questions
Is my fingerprint sent to your server?
No. Everything on this page is read and combined inside your browser, and the resulting identifier is displayed only. Nothing is transmitted, nothing is stored. You can cut your connection: the tool still works.
Does clearing my cookies change my fingerprint?
No, and that is the whole point of the technique. A fingerprint is derived from your machine's characteristics, not from anything stored on it. Clearing cookies, changing browser profile or browsing privately leaves it almost unchanged.
Why are the detected fonts so identifying?
Because the list of fonts installed on a machine reflects the software people install and the language they work in. Two computers of the same model rarely have exactly the same list, which makes it one of the strongest signals in a fingerprint.
Does private browsing protect me from this?
Not for this. Private browsing clears history and cookies at the end of the session. Your screen size, your fonts, your graphics chip and your time zone do not change.
How do I actually reduce my fingerprint?
Use a browser that deliberately normalises or falsifies these values, such as Tor Browser or Brave with its anti-fingerprinting protection. A content blocker helps by reducing who gets to ask, but it does not change the answers.
Other tools
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