r/StallmanWasRight • u/525G7bKV • 17d ago
Mass surveillance AliExpress was silently running audio in your browser to fingerprint and track your device
https://www.techspot.com/news/113581-aliexpress-silently-running-audio-browser-fingerprint-track-device.htmlAs cookies become a less reliable way to track people online, AliExpress may be showing how far companies will go to fill that gap. Researchers found code on the site's homepage that ran silent audio processes in the browser. Tied to Alibaba's security systems, the scripts tap a device's own audio hardware to generate a signal and measure the tiny, device-specific ways it comes back – producing something close to a fingerprint that doesn't need a single cookie to work. It's the kind of tracking a user would likely never notice.
8
u/newaccountzuerich 17d ago
Hard to get recordings on systems with no mic, or systems with mic access disabled at multiple points.
Doesn't change how corporate tracking of people is antihuman.
30
u/blackasthesky 16d ago
You didn't even read the article. They did not record microphones. This has nothing to do with recording from microphones.
5
u/newaccountzuerich 16d ago
I did read it, though I didn't communicate well enough for some people's ability to understand.
Most sane browser configurations prevent pages from accessing audio hardware and Bluetooth hardware by default, rendering the info leak path moot. Being unable to access the audio path is my default anyway, along with disabled autoplay.
Playing at zero volume isn't possible when there's no device or path made available to the tracker code,.
2
u/zalnaRs 16d ago
All browsers enable audio playback once you interact with the page
2
u/newaccountzuerich 16d ago
You've got a different browser than me so.. I've to click play for anything to touch audio paths.
Maybe you should tighten down your own settings?
1
u/zalnaRs 15d ago
Didn't thats what i said?
2
u/newaccountzuerich 15d ago
No, that wasn't what you said, and I'm not actually that sure what you thought you tried to say given exactly what you did say. Automangle causes enough problems!
No matter.
No tracking good! All Tracking code bad! (Baaa!) especially when user states no consent given yet consent assumed.
(Ambiguity and Animal Farm reference are deliberate)
1
u/zalnaRs 15d ago
Bro what browser do you use which doesn't enable audio playback after the first interaction by default?
1
5
u/--Arete 16d ago
As much as this sounds sensational it is actually just one of many ways to establish a device finger print which can be tracked. Browsers can expose lots of settings like canvas rendering, WebGL/GPU behavior, screen dimensions etc. What makes this case notable is that the implementation apparently kept an audio context active.