Digital fingerprint (browser fingerprint) — is a set of technical data about the browser and device that allows a platform to distinguish one user from another. It includes the browser and operating system version, language, time zone, screen resolution, installed fonts and other parameters. Individually, they reveal little, but together they form a fairly recognizable profile.
Why Websites and Platforms Collect Digital Fingerprints
A fingerprint helps a website understand that the same browser has visited before, even if some common identifiers have changed. This technology is used for analytics, fraud prevention and tracking suspicious activity.
In traffic arbitrage, a digital fingerprint is especially important when working with multiple accounts. If different profiles constantly log in from the same device and send identical browser parameters, anti-fraud systems may link them together.
What a Fingerprint Consists Of
A website can consider dozens of parameters. Among the most noticeable:
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browser and its version;
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user-Agent;
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operating system;
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language and time zone;
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screen resolution and size;
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installed fonts;
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browser settings;
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device characteristics and available web features.
Anti-fraud systems analyze not a single parameter but their combination. Therefore, simply changing the User-Agent is not enough — the other browser and device characteristics will remain the same.
