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Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

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Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#21

Post by djflutt3rshy »

DenisM wrote: post #15

Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…

>The last fit of madness will be a hidden session in Chrome browsing the web on your behalf, building up a bogus profile for the ad networks, and the ad networks trying to figure out if the clicks in your fake session are sufficiently human-like.

The first parts of this have already been tested by Mozilla: https://trackthis.link/

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#22

Post by denkmoon »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #10
adrianmonk wrote: post #4

Workaround for now: 1. Open the profile menu. (This is the icon in the top right, just to the left of the three vertical dots.) 2. Click "Manage people", click "Add person" (lower right). 3. Type "Darned Newspapers!" and click "Add". 4. When you get blocked, copy URL, use the profile menu to navigate to open a new "Darned Newspapers!" window, paste URL. It's a real profile, so it should behave quite closely and shoul…

Another workaround: Disable javascript on the newspapers' sites. They load the full article and then use JS to hide it. (They also use JS to do the incognito detection in the first place.)

Often doesn't work, they now take a new approach by only loading in the extra content if you pass their checks (using JS). Not using JS will get you the first paragraph.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#23

Post by tfha »

DenisM wrote: post #15

Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…

Just don't use sites that dont respect your privacy. If it doesn't like you blocking cookies, walk away.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#24

Post by TylerE »

tfha wrote: post #23
DenisM wrote: post #15

Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…

Just don't use sites that dont respect your privacy. If it doesn't like you blocking cookies, walk away.

So, don't use the internet? Because that's what you're describing.

Better cut the power cord, too, just to be safe.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#25

Post by TylerE »

samtheprogram wrote: post #20
foota wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't allow for bytes to sit around on disk in case of crash. Maybe they could encrypt with a key kept in memory? That'd still allow detection of use though.

Why not just use a temporary file system like /tmp? EDIT: I suppose these are often backed by memory anyway, so not sure if this would solve the problem, but interested in hearing arguments around it nonetheless.

Because there is zero guarantee /tmp gets cleared regularly, if ever.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#26

Post by Forge36 »

jacquesm wrote: post #18
PeterisP wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One part of the "web's contract" is that googlebot and other scrapers should get what the users get. And vice versa - if you're telling googlebot that there's a particular text available to the public; I'd expect to get the same content that you just gave googlebot and not something else, thank you very much.

That used to be the case. But Google has long ago given certain sites a pass on that.

Did they? This fight against Incognito mode suggests otherwise

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#27

Post by rasz »

Rapzid wrote: post #2

Pretty embarrassing TBH. Both of those detection methods immediately come to mind when reading about their in-memory solution to the storage API problem. I can only imagine Google phoned it in on this one.

in a galaxy far far away Opera 12.x offered fully customization local storage, with per domain/subdomain enable/disable/quota/delete on exit options. Google owns our browsers and wont let us do anything crazy like configure away stuff useful for ad targeting.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#28

Post by Sir_Cmpwn »

DenisM wrote: post #15

Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…

How about passing laws which forbid tracking users like this and levying steep, business-ending fines against the companies who don't step in line?

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#29

Post by nashashmi »

DenisM wrote: post #15

Can this fight ever be won? If you've been browsing the internet for more than 5 minutes you already have cookies from some of the major ad networks. Therefore if you do not have cookies from the major ad networks, you're either a brand-new device or an incognito browser. All that is left to do is get in bed with the ad network to ask them if they have good cookies for this session. As it so happens most of the compa…

As for cookies against ad networks, I browse with all third party cookies blocked. Some cookies from third parties are allowed. So that would not be the effective against people with high security settings.

And there is also the possibility of a brand new computer with no cookies. Then that kind of detection will not necessarily work for every one.

Re: Google Chrome Incognito Mode Can Still Be Detected

#30

Post by madars »

This is annoying so I just use fresh browser profile every time I encounter such site, i.e. have a short-cut for:

  $ cat ~/bin/chrome-new 
  #!/bin/sh
  TMPDIR=`mktemp -d /dev/shm/chrome-XXXXX`
  google-chrome --user-data-dir=$TMPDIR --no-first-run --no-make-default-browser "$@"
  rm -rf $TMPDIR
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