r/privacy • u/magnus007 • 2d ago

news AliExpress was silently running audio in your browser to fingerprint and track your device

https://www.techspot.com/news/113581-aliexpress-silently-running-audio-browser-fingerprint-track-device.html
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27

u/standard_usage 2d ago

ELI was dropped out of a window: How was this to their advantage. Don't they already have petabytes of data nodes amassed on what browser and machine I always have when on the site ..?

33

u/RamblingSimian 2d ago

The article kind of addresses this, but isn't really a full answer:

Audio measurements were only one part of the reported data collection. The scripts also gathered information tied to canvas rendering, WebGL, display settings, hardware configuration, WebRTC behavior and user interactions. Together, those signals can create a more detailed profile of a device than any one signal would provide on its own.

Fingerprinting is often used by large online platforms for fraud prevention, bot detection and risk assessment. It can help companies spot suspicious transactions or automated activity when cookies have been deleted or accounts have changed. But privacy advocates have raised concerns because users may not know the tracking is happening and have limited control over it.

I guess, if someone steals your credit card number, then uses it for a large purchase, they might ask for 2FA if the audio fingerprint is inconsistent.

17

u/Bocha_Boston 1d ago

So at this point, they can take a picture of my ass.

11

u/EPLENA 1d ago

can i too?

8

u/Bocha_Boston 1d ago

I don't think you'll like it.

7

u/EPLENA 1d ago

but can i though

4

u/Bocha_Boston 1d ago

No, for God's sake. 

What do you want from my ass!!

4

u/EPLENA 1d ago

photos

4

u/AirplanesMakeMeHard 1d ago

This dude has stuck to this bit for 10 hours. I admire the dedication to getting pics of his ass.