Meet The Online Tracking Device That Is Virtually Impossible To Block

Introduction
In Julia Angwin’s article “Meet the Online Tracking Device That is Virtually Impossible to Block,” a new web tracking mechanism known as canvas fingerprinting is discussed. Canvas fingerprinting is the act of instructing a web browser to draw a hidden image to track a user. When a web browser draws the hidden image, there are small differences between other web browsers that have drawn the image. In conjunction with assessing the differences in the image rendered, companies can also monitor differences in the browsers. These differences, found in the rendered image and browser, can be associated with a particular user to allow for extremely effective tracking.
Traditionally, cookies have been used to accomplish the task of user

During the course of online interaction, a user may leave an advertiser’s website. Using current tracking technologies, advertisers are able to track the user’s actions on other websites [4]. Users may be unable to block the tools used to track their behavior. Canvas fingerprinting is extremely difficult for users to block. Traditional cookie technologies can be limited, or prevented, with web browser security settings or ad blocking extensions [1]. Although, when using traditional cookies, mobile device behavior and activity is not easily traceable. Many mobile devices do not use cookies which traditional behavior tracking depends on. Canvas fingerprinting eliminates these problems because the device only needs to display an image to allow for tracking. Many advertisers also fail to provide easily accessible ways to opt-out of tracking ensuring that all user behavior, including mobile interaction, is more likely to be tracked. Facebook, for example, does not provide a page for opting out of behavior tracking activities. They have stated that the user should use the opt-out page of the company associated with each individual ad displayed

Used in concurrence with traditional cookie methods, the ubiquitous data collection has become an ethical issues because it violates the privacy of many users. These companies also collect information on the behavior of users that is associated with identifiable information. In most cases, it is difficult, or impossible, for users to opt out of collection and marketing practices. Companies have benefitted greatly from these practices through increased revenue and return on investment. Although some users may view the marketing practices as convenient, many users feel their privacy has been invaded and web developers are often also losers in these situations. There are not many avenues, for either of these groups of individuals, to combat the use of these