We all know the trick. You want to check something online without leaving a trace, you fire up an incognito window and feel like a digital ninja. No history saved, no cookies left behind, no evidence. At least, that’s the hope.
Unfortunately, we’re living in delulu-land. Incognito mode may hide your browsing from your significant other or workmate borrowing your laptop, but it’s useless against the real trackers online.
There’s this thing called browser fingerprinting and it’s a ninja-type, cookie-less method websites use to keep tabs on you no matter what tricks you think you’re pulling.
What is browser fingerprinting?
Every time you open a website, your browser says hello, and shares a lot of detail about your device. We’re talking about things like:
- your screen resolution,
- system fonts,
- installed plugins,
- timezone,
- hardware specs,
- even what graphics card you have.
Alone, these details seem harmless. But if you combine them, they create a unique signature (the digital fingerprint) that identifies you just like a name tag would.
Here’s an analogy I was given. It’s like you showing up to every website with the same satchel, same shoes, same walk, and the same accent. They know it’s you, even if you’re not logged in and even if you’re in incognito mode.
This goes beyond cookies
Cookies aren’t just for spying, they’re actually useful. Without them, you’d have to log into everything every single time you open a tab.
However, the EU may have helped in getting Apple to adopt USB-C among other things but they made the cookie experience suck big time with those annoying consent banners we now have to click through.
But, privacy-wise, at least cookies are out in the open. They live on your device and can be deleted. Browser fingerprints can’t be seen. You can’t delete them as a result. And yet they follow you from site to site.
And researchers have shown that advertisers are already using fingerprints in real-time to track and profile users.
So if you thought deleting cookies or switching to incognito mode was enough to stay off the grid, think again.
So what can we do?
Let’s be realistic. Most of us in Zim are just trying to get stable internet and avoid bundles running out mid-download. We don’t have time to turn into cybersecurity experts. But here are some steps that can make a difference:
- Use privacy-friendly browsers.
Brave is a solid option. Firefox can work too, especially if you tweak the settings to resist fingerprinting. - Install tracker blockers.
Extensions like Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, and DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials can help. - Consider a VPN.
Your IP address + fingerprint = super tracker. A VPN hides your IP, making the fingerprint less useful. - Pressure for stronger regulation.
Laws like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA are starting to deal with cookie abuse, but fingerprinting is still going on unchecked. Our own authorities are probably not thinking about this yet, and probably never will.
Incognito isn’t private
The only reminder/lesson in all this is that incognito mode only protects you locally. It keeps your browsing history off your own machine. But it does nothing against websites, trackers, and ad networks. To them, you’re still you, just a slightly quieter version.
So yes, open that incognito tab to check something you don’t want your brother or workmate seeing. But don’t think it makes you anonymous online.
They still know you’re there. They just stopped asking for permission.
I mean, for a free internet where you search for stuff, utilise some powerful AI, get your communications going and even get free entertainment in stuff like YouTube and Spotify, you can’t possibly be surpised to find out that this is funded by some commerce in the background.
