How Advertisers Build a Profile of You Across the Web
An identifier, an auction, and a set of segments attached to it. Here is the chain that turns scattered page views into a profile, and what actually breaks it.
Michelle JohnsonEvery article, free to read
Browser Guides
Clear, no-hype writing about how browsers, networks and websites recognise and track you, and what you can actually do about it. Every guide pairs with a test on this site, so you can read the theory and then measure it on your own device.
What Incognito Mode Actually Hides, and What It Does Not
Private browsing clears local traces, not identity. Here is what incognito does, what it leaves untouched, and why your fingerprint is unaffected either way.
Michelle JohnsonCan Websites Tell You Are Using a VPN? The Honest Answer
Usually yes, but by inference rather than detection. Here are the tells a site can use, and which ones a residential proxy does and does not fix.
Michelle JohnsonHow to Understand Your Browser Fingerprint Test Results
A plain guide to the numbers a fingerprint test shows you: what the hash means, what the entropy estimate claims, and which signals are worth worrying about.
Michelle JohnsonIs Browser Fingerprinting Legal? GDPR and Consent Rules
Fingerprinting can be personal data even without cookies. Here is how consent rules apply in general terms, and where the honest uncertainty lies.
Michelle JohnsonBrowser Permissions Explained: What a Page Can Ask For
Camera, microphone, location, notifications and more all work through the same prompt system. Here is what each permission does and how to audit and revoke it.
Michelle JohnsonHow to Hide Your IP Address — VPNs, Tor, Proxies and Their Limits
Your IP address reveals your rough location and ties your activity together. Here are the real ways to hide it, how they compare, and what each one cannot do.
Michelle JohnsonHow to Reduce Your Browser Fingerprint — A Practical Guide
You cannot delete a fingerprint, but you can make yours far less distinctive. A realistic, step-by-step guide to blending in — and the common mistakes that backfire.
Michelle JohnsonTimezone and Clock Skew: Small Signals That Give You Away
Your timezone should match your IP address, and small clock drift is quietly identifying. Here is how both are read and what you can realistically do.
Michelle JohnsonCookies vs Fingerprinting — Why Clearing Cookies Isn't Enough
Deleting cookies feels like a fresh start, but fingerprinting can recognise you the moment you return. Here is how the two forms of tracking differ and why they are used together.
Michelle JohnsonLocal Storage and Evercookies: Where Trackers Hide
Cookies are only one of several places a site can store an identifier. Here is every storage a page can reach, and what clearing your browsing data really removes.
Michelle JohnsonWebRTC Leaks Explained — Why Your VPN Might Not Be Enough
A WebRTC leak can expose your real IP address even while a VPN is running. Here is what causes it, how to test for it, and how to close the gap.
Michelle JohnsonWhat Is an ASN, and Why Your ISP Is Part of Your Fingerprint
An autonomous system number identifies the network your traffic enters the internet from. It is coarser than your IP address, and harder to shake off.
Michelle JohnsonWhat Is Browser Fingerprinting and How Does It Track You?
Browser fingerprinting identifies you without cookies by combining dozens of small, ordinary details your browser reveals. Here is how it works and why it is so hard to stop.
Michelle JohnsonCan Websites Detect Which Browser Extensions You Use?
Sites cannot read your list of installed extensions, but they can often infer the ones that leave traces. Here is how that detection works for you.
Michelle JohnsonFonts Are a Fingerprint: Why Your Typefaces Give You Away
The fonts on your machine are a surprisingly individual signal. Here is how pages measure your font list and why deleting fonts will not help.
Michelle JohnsonMobile Browsers Are Easier to Fingerprint Than You Think
Phones leak device model, screen metrics, touch support and more. Here is why mobile browsers are often more identifiable than desktop ones, and what helps.
Michelle JohnsonTracking Pixels, Third-Party Cookies and What Changed
A single invisible image can record that you opened a page. Here is how tracking pixels worked with third-party cookies, what browsers changed, and what replaced them.
Michelle JohnsonIPv4 vs IPv6: What Dual Stack Means for Your Privacy
Most connections now carry two addresses at once. Here is why a VPN that only covers IPv4 can leave your IPv6 exposed, and how to check yours.
Michelle JohnsonYour Screen Size and Resolution Are a Tracking Signal
Screen and window dimensions look mundane, but a handful of measurements together narrow you down sharply. Here is what a page reads from your display.
Michelle JohnsonAudio Fingerprinting: Tracking Without a Microphone
Audio fingerprinting measures how your machine processes sound, not what it hears. Here is how the pipeline works and why it differs from device to device.
Michelle JohnsonHardening Firefox Against Fingerprinting: A Practical Setup
A step-by-step look at the Firefox settings that reduce fingerprinting, which extensions genuinely help, and why an over-customised profile can backfire.
Michelle JohnsonDNS Leaks Explained: Where Your Lookups Actually Go
Every site visit starts with a name lookup. Here is how that request travels, how a VPN can fail to capture it, and how to check whether yours leaks.
Michelle JohnsonDo Not Track vs Global Privacy Control: What Each One Does
Both are signals your browser sends to ask sites not to track you, but only one carries legal weight. Here is what each header does and how to check yours.
Michelle JohnsonWhat Your GPU Says About You: WebGL Fingerprinting
WebGL lets pages ask your graphics card to identify itself. Here is what a site learns from your GPU, why those strings identify you, and what browsers do.
Michelle JohnsonUser-Agent Client Hints: The New Way Browsers Describe You
Client hints split browser details into a small default set and a larger set a site must request. Here is what each field carries, and which one matters most.
Michelle JohnsonWhat Your IP Address Actually Reveals About You Online
An IP address is a fact; the location and provider attached to it are inferences. Here is what is certain, what is guessed, and why it still links your visits.
Michelle JohnsonCanvas Fingerprinting Explained: How a Hidden Drawing IDs You
A hidden canvas drawing can recognise your browser without permission or stored files. Here is how the pixels are read, hashed and turned into an identifier.
Michelle JohnsonBrave, Firefox and Tor: Which Resists Fingerprinting?
Brave, Firefox and Tor fight fingerprinting in different ways. Here is how randomisation, standardisation and hardening compare, and what each one costs.
Michelle JohnsonWhat Your User-Agent String Reveals, and Why It Shrinks
A user-agent string is a short line of text your browser sends with every request. Here is what each part means and why browsers are shrinking it.
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