SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Is this for real? DuckDuckGo has grown in popularity primarily on its claim: We don't track you. Is this no longer true?
DuckDuckGo now fingerprinting visitors
DuckDuckGo is using the Canvas DOMRect API on their search engine. Canvas is used to make unique geometry measurements on target browsers, and DOMRect API uses rectangles. This can be verified with the CanvasBlocker Firefox add-on by Korbinian Kapsner. DDG has recently been redirecting some website navigations to cute pictures with remarks about their privacy promises. The organization is now seeking to expand their Internet presence. DDG are without question data brokers, and commercial websites that make promises like DDG does will not survive for long if they actually keep them.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Freeman on Thursday January 10 2019, @05:25PM (4 children)
I just noticed yesterday that uBlock Origin was blocking something on DuckDuckGo. I looked at what it was blocking and it seems like what they're doing is tracking what browser is accessing the site. Perhaps they're doing more, but I'd be somewhat surprised. Really, I don't care, if they know what kind of browser is accessing their site. I also don't care, if they know what OS I have, etc. So long as they're not tracking my IP/MAC Address/Physical Location/Name/Ethnicity/Gender/Language/Financial Status/Marital Status/Etc/Etc/Etc. In reality, a lot of that I don't care about either, but most of that would require snooping into my private life and I don't want that. I especially don't want them to be building a profile for Full Name at Longitude/Latitude, with these socioeconomic statuses, and these beliefs. Though, at this point, it may all be for naught as Google, Facebook, and their ilk have without a doubt already amassed stupendous amounts of private data on everyone who's used their systems and even plenty who haven't.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 10 2019, @06:14PM (1 child)
They don't have to do anything on the page to determine Browser or OS, you've already sent them that in the User Agent.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 10 2019, @09:32PM
UA sniffing for feature detection is unreliable, and a prime reason why many sites appear "broken" in anything beside chrome/ff.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Thursday January 10 2019, @08:00PM (1 child)
> In reality, a lot of that I don't care about either
Okay, I'll try for the "most creepy" post award for today.
Who could you be? You might be Freeman Dyson! Nah, you probably just admire him. Or maybe you admire Morgan Freeman?
Maybe you're KFreeman732, a sports writer on Twitter? Nah, doesn't fit.
Maybe you have an account or two on the green site? Mr. Freeman (933986)? r.freeman (2944629)? Freeman-Jo (580965)? josh_freeman (114671)? Need a little language use analysis to check your use against those users to see if you might be any of them.
Well, my search-fu, energy, and nosiness isn't up to any more poking around at the moment. Now if someone were to give me a little cash incentive... but why would anyone bother? As for me, my main defense is much the same, no one cares who I might be, and running down my real name, which I think should be fairly easy, isn't going to be terribly illuminating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AERwgNvgMmc [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 10 2019, @11:08PM
This user is based on a popular video game character that hasn't spoken a word. At least as far as I know. I never got to Half-life 2 Episode 2.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"