Browser fingerprint tool shows how easy you are to track using the latest sneaky tricks
Glassbox dev admits he had some help from Claude to build locally running tool
A new browser fingerprinting tool called Glassbox illustrates how effortlessly tech corporations can track users through subtle tactics. The browser-independent tool operates entirely within a user's web browser, only exhibiting behavior similar to other tracking mechanisms such as ad trackers, anti-fraud scripts, and browser fingerprinting methods.
Unlike other similar tools, Glassbox reveals comprehensive raw data, including an estimation of how easily the user's browser can be identified. Testing the tool, the developer, David Dale, observed identifiability percentages ranging from 99% in the Chrome browser he frequently uses, to a low of 56% in the Tor Browser with an active circuit.
Dale explained that this "identifiability" figure is an estimation, not a definitive measurement, as the tool does not have access to a live population database for comparison. The tool also incorporates Alibaba's silent sawtooth audio-based fingerprinting technique into its identifiability calculations, alongside 30 other probes for unique browser data.
In Dale's case, his Chrome session is likely to be found in just 1 out of 7.6 billion browsers, with his IP address further narrowing it down. However, Firefox and Tor users only have an identifiability rating of 89% and 56% respectively, meaning they share their fingerprint with fewer browsers. Dale advises that the best way to protect oneself online is to use a browser that effectively obscures its user and, most importantly, to use a VPN or Tor to mask their IP address, as well as to patch any WebRTC leak in their browser.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
