![]() In addition to tracker blocking, Cover Your Tracks measures the uniqueness of your browser. If the simulated ad or beacon trackers load, but with their cookies blocked, those results are reported as “partial protection”, since the site doesn’t get an easy unique identifier, but tracking by IP addresses and other means remain possible. The first URL simulates tracking by a visible ad (if the ad is blocked, the test passes) the second simulates a non-visible tracking beacon (if the beacon is blocked, the test passes) and the third interaction with a domain that has implemented the Do Not Track Policy (if the domain’s scripts are unblocked, the test passes). ![]() ?action=tracking_tally&random=123456Įach of these URLs attempts to set cookies, and is loaded from three first party domains in order to trigger heuristic blocking. ![]() ?action=tracking_tally& trackingserver=123456 The Cover Your Tracks site generates third-party requests like: In order to detect these different approaches, we have simulated tracking that triggers all three types of blocking. Still other blockers (such as our own Privacy Badger) use a heuristic approach, blocking the inclusion of trackers by detecting their use across domains. Other blockers (such as AdAway or Disconnect) match on a per-domain basis, and we strive to have our test domains included in such tools’ lists. Some blockers (such as Adblock Plus or Ghostery) are triggered by URL parameters that match ads or tracking beacons. The results of Cover Your Tracks use several simulated tracking domains to trigger tracker blockers. We generate a report about your tracker protections and browser fingerprint for your own use, and we’ll use anonymous results from your test when generating uniqueness results for others when they take the test. So we also analyze the uniqueness of your browser and let you know how it stacks up to other visitors we’ve observed recently. The test simulates loading of various types of trackers, and determines your level of protection based on if the trackers load or not.Įven if your privacy add-ons are working well, you may still be vulnerable if your browser fingerprint is unique. We analyze how well you are protected against online tracking by checking the privacy protections you have in place. Our new version of the project, rebranded and launched in 2020 as Cover Your Tracks, researches both how unique your browser is and how effective tracker blockers are. But how well do these add-ons actually protect users from invasive tracking? Millions of Internet users are using privacy add-ons and other tools to block trackers, including tools like AdBlock, Ghostery, and Disconnect. In 2015, we upgraded the project with a new feature: tracker blocker testing. A paper reporting the early statistical results of this 2010 experiment was published in the Proceedings of the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS). Then, we generated a uniqueness score letting you see how easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web. We gathered information about the configuration and version information from your operating system, your browser, and your plugins, and compared it to our database of many other Internet users' configurations. In 2010, EFF launched this project as “ Panopticlick,” a research project to investigate how unique each browser is. Running tests on Cover Your Tracks gives you information about your own browser’s privacy protections, and also helps EFF use statistical methods to evaluate the capabilities of third-party trackers and the best forms of protection against them. Cover Your Tracks is two things: a tool for users to understand how unique and identifiable their browser makes them online, and a research project to uncover the tools and techniques of online trackers and test the efficacy of privacy add-ons.
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