What is Device Fingerprinting?
Device fingerprinting identifies individual devices by collecting unique characteristics about their hardware, software, and configuration—creating a fingerprint that distinguishes them even without cookies.
How It Works
When a user visits a website, JavaScript code collects various attributes about their device. Individually common, combined they create a unique identifier that can identify 83%+ of browsers.
Data Points Collected
Hardware Signals
- Screen resolution & color depth
- CPU cores & architecture
- GPU renderer (WebGL)
- Available memory
Browser Signals
- User agent string
- Installed plugins
- Timezone & language
- Do Not Track setting
Advanced Signals
- Canvas fingerprint
- Audio context fingerprint
- Font enumeration
- WebRTC leaks
Fraud Detection Applications
- Identify repeat clickers across sessions
- Detect bot traffic using device inconsistencies
- Link suspicious activity to specific devices
- Build blocklists of known fraudulent devices
- Identify click farms using multiple devices
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about fraudulent devices and how to protect against it.
What is device fingerprinting?
Device fingerprinting collects information about a device's hardware, software, and configuration to create a unique identifier that can identify a device even without cookies.
How accurate is device fingerprinting?
Modern device fingerprinting achieves 90-99% accuracy in uniquely identifying devices, depending on the number of signals collected.
Is device fingerprinting legal?
Device fingerprinting is legal but subject to privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. It's generally accepted for fraud prevention purposes with proper disclosure.
Related Terms
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