Browser Fingerprinting. Marketing Uses Digital Traces

photo: ar130405/CC0/Pixabay

- There’s no doubt that the internet tracks us – or rather, tracking scripts and files placed on our devices and websites do, - says Karolina Rut from Sparkbit in an interview with Newseria Innowacje. - A sophisticated form of tracking is called browser fingerprinting, a unique browser fingerprint that cannot be removed. So even if we visit a site and delete cookies, the site can still track our online activities.

Browser fingerprinting collects information even when cookies are disabled. Visiting a site transmits data about the browser, creating a user profile. This means online presence is never anonymous, even though it was once believed that we were completely safe and anonymous behind our computer screens.


Social media, such as the unauthorized use of data from 50 million Facebook users, and browser history are a wealth of information about users. Many websites determine the IP address of a computer during a visit, thus identifying its location. The data is often sold and ends up on the black market.

- Our online traces are a commodity. All the data we leave behind, browsing history, IP address – where we use browsers from – become items for internet auctions - emphasizes Karolina Rut. - All this information is precious because, for companies that understand our income, preferences, and dreams, we become easy targets for services offered.

Individual data points don’t carry much meaning. Only when combined do they form a complete picture of an internet user, whose preferences can then be matched to specific ads. Internet content providers share information on gender, age, financial situation, and purchase history with demand platforms programmed to locate users from specific segments identified by media agencies.

Cookies Are Just the Beginning. Sophisticated Tracking Methods

- Marketing firms receive detailed client profiles on the type of customer they’re seeking - explains the Sparkbit expert. - Suppose we previously searched for vacations. Likely, when visiting another site, we’ll see ads for more trips, as we’re a preferred customer for a potential marketing agency, which might have as a client a company offering different vacation packages.

Theoretically, data collection from internet users creates a win-win situation. Users see ads for products or services they’re interested in, and companies can offer useful products. But this is only in theory. People searching for airline tickets know it well: after checking the same route several times, the prices can significantly increase.

- Companies can determine our income based on the data we leave behind. Some have found that Mac users typically spend 30% more in stores, so they may offer much higher prices for the same products - states Karolina Rut. - It’s not unusual now that the same product may be cheaper for a PC user than for someone using a Mac.

Online privacy protection has thus become a pressing need for many users. Effective solutions exist to protect against data leaks, such as using TOR networks or VPN encryption. Special browser extensions and apps can also help. However, none guarantee complete safety and privacy.

- We weren’t and aren’t anonymous on the web, but it’s essential to always protect our online data - reminds Karolina Rut. - Every website now must inform us if it uses cookies. These should generally be deleted, but more sophisticated tracking methods, such as fingerprinting, mean companies can still try to obtain our information, even if we try to protect it.

Psychological Targeting. Tailoring Messages to Personality Traits

Traces left by users on the internet can also reveal their psychological profiles. Characteristics reflecting users’ preferences and needs at a deeper psychological level can be used to influence people’s behavior through messaging tailored to psychological profiles (e.g., levels of extraversion).

• Research from Stanford University showed that it is possible to accurately predict a person’s psychological traits when they allow access to their Facebook profile.
• Companies can target ads to users based on their psychological profiles without their consent.

For example, liking the “Parties” page on Facebook correlates with extraversion, while liking the "Stargate" page correlates with introversion. Targeting ads to users who liked these pages allows advertisers to reach extraverts and introverts effectively.

Scientists conducted three studies covering 3.5 million Facebook users. During the experiments, researchers posted ads on Facebook, alternating between ads tailored to an individual’s psychological profile and generic ads. After the study, they measured user responses to ads that users “clicked” on and purchased (conversion).

In one experiment, ads promoted a cosmetics company, and specially created ads were addressed respectively to extraverts and introverts, identified through Facebook likes.

• Results showed that tailoring persuasive messages to the psychological characteristics of the audience led to a 40% increase in clicks
• and a 50% increase in product sales compared to ads not tailored to the user’s personality.

Unfortunately, these techniques can exploit personality weaknesses and influence people to do things that may not be in their best interest. Over the past year, psychological targeting’s potential to influence election outcomes has been widely discussed. Although the validity of this claim is not fully verified, Stanford University research results demonstrate how mass psychological persuasion could be used to manipulate people into acting against their best interests.