Cookie conundrum
in [UK Mac]
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From: Woody on 2 Feb 2010 09:57 James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: > <http://panopticlick.eff.org/about.php> > > Go to the homepage and click the "Test Me" button. It would be > interesting to see what kind of results Apple users get. I get a > uniqueness rating of one in 256,032, but then I'm using Linux and have > my browser fairly heavily locked down, which is unusual. It seems the > more securely configured you are the more trackable you are, so you > can't have both security and privacy at the same time. Damn. :-( Unique on both firefox and safari to 512,000. 18.93 bits On the iPhone though, I am one in 3745, 11 bits. so better off on the iPhone for privacy -- Woody
From: chris on 2 Feb 2010 10:23 On 02/02/10 14:33, James Taylor wrote: > Woody wrote: > >> Jack Campin wrote: >> >>> The commonest kinds of cookie I see are called "_utma" and "_utmz". > > That's Google Analytics; the ultimate Big Brother watching you as you > browse the web regardless of whether you use Google as your search > engine or not. Just filter them out by disabling Javascript. [big snip] > <http://panopticlick.eff.org/about.php> > > Go to the homepage and click the "Test Me" button. It would be > interesting to see what kind of results Apple users get. I get a > uniqueness rating of one in 256,032, but then I'm using Linux and have > my browser fairly heavily locked down, which is unusual. It seems the > more securely configured you are the more trackable you are, so you > can't have both security and privacy at the same time. Damn. :-( I have a uniqueness of one in 513,287. Also in Linux with Firefox. On my Mac I am 513,970 (Chrome) or 513,994 (Firefox) unique. I always thought I was 1 in a million... ;)
From: Graeme on 2 Feb 2010 10:17 In message <7sqrehFuljU1(a)mid.individual.net> James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: [snip] > There is a uniqueness test from the EFF here: > > <http://panopticlick.eff.org/about.php> > > Go to the homepage and click the "Test Me" button. It would be > interesting to see what kind of results Apple users get. I get a > uniqueness rating of one in 256,032, but then I'm using Linux and have > my browser fairly heavily locked down, which is unusual. It seems the > more securely configured you are the more trackable you are, so you > can't have both security and privacy at the same time. Damn. :-( > Using bog standard OSX and Safari I get 1:513458, hmmm! Mind you I followed the link about methodology and when I went back to the results page I got 1:513709 If I clicked back and forwards between the two pages, the ratio went up each time. -- Graeme Wall My genealogy website <www.greywall.demon.co.uk/genealogy/>
From: Pd on 2 Feb 2010 10:45 James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: > <http://panopticlick.eff.org/about.php> > > Go to the homepage and click the "Test Me" button. It would be interesting > to see what kind of results Apple users get. I get a uniqueness rating of > one in 256,032, but then I'm using Linux and have my browser fairly > heavily locked down, which is unusual. I'm not sure you've represented that right. I've just done it on Safari, and it says "Your browser fingerprint appears to be unique among the 513,301 tested so far." Which means a website can identify me pretty accurately. It would be interesting to try again from a different internet connection, and see if it says I'm one of two in half a million, so probably the same one who logged in earlier. Chrome also provides a unique fingerprint, but parts of it (like the fonts available) are identical, so the "1 in x browsers have this value" is half the total browsers tested. Interestingly Firefox doesn't give the same list of fonts, as the results suggest that the value returned is unique in the half million or so. -- Pd
From: Peter Ceresole on 2 Feb 2010 11:12
James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: > <http://panopticlick.eff.org/about.php> > > Go to the homepage and click the "Test Me" button. It would be > interesting to see what kind of results Apple users get. I get a > uniqueness rating of one in 256,032 I had a look. It tells me that my Firefox 3.5.7/10.4.11 setup is 'unique', out of the 512,000 or so they have tested. Which in terms of their expressed concerns is as bad as it could possibly be. Luckily, my concerns and theirs don't coincide. -- Peter |