Brave Browser: strict fingerprinting protection will be removed

[harlan4096]

Brave Software announced that it will remove the strict fingerprinting option from its Brave Browser. The company cites several reasons for the removal, including that it has been a major website breakage cause in the past.

Fingerprinting refers to a tracking technique on the Internet that uses information to create unique fingerprints of users. The technology combines open data, such as the browser's user agent or operating system of the device, with data that can be retrieved through APIs.

Fingerprints are created and then compared whenever a user visits a resource.

In the past, technologies have emerged to fingerprint users using custom browser protocol handlers, graphics processing units, or language and font information.
Fingerprinting has gotten better over time, thanks to the introduction of new APIs and also technological advancements. In 2023, a proof of concept site claimed that it could track users with a 99.5% accuracy.

Browser makers like Brave Software or Mozilla have introduced anti-fingerprinting capabilities into their browsers long ago. These are designed to render fingerprinting attempts useless. Some protective features may block access to certain information while others may generate data that is useless for the purpose of tracking users.
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