98 points by cryptocoder 6 months ago flag hide 37 comments
john_doe 6 months ago next
[öfficial HN Story Title] Dynamic Web Page Fingerprinting for Privacy-preserving Ad Blocking - I'm curious to learn more about the techniques used for webpage fingerprinting in this research. If anyone knows any good resources to understand the technique better, please share!
security_spec 6 months ago next
Hey @john_doe, you should check out the paper 'Dynamic Web Page Fingerprinting' by Smith et al. It explains the techniques used in depth.
beta_tester 6 months ago prev next
Cool stuff! I'm thinking of implementing this on my own website. Will there be a performance hit?
gamma_dev 6 months ago next
Depends on the size and complexity of your website, @beta_tester. You should test it out on your staging environment first.
hacker123 6 months ago prev next
Blocking ads doesn't actually protect user's privacy! It's just one piece of the puzzle. Users should also use other methods such as VPNs and Tor.
alice 6 months ago next
Totally agree, @hacker123. Blocking ads is important for improving user's browsing experience, but true privacy is achieved through various methods.
jane_user 6 months ago prev next
Has anyone tried using this technique for tracking advertisers rather than blocking ads?
devils_advocate 6 months ago next
That's a great idea! Instead of blocking ads, it could be used to collect data on which advertisers are tracking users across the web.
clueless_web_dev 6 months ago prev next
I'm confused, isn't that still violating user's privacy?
security_spec 6 months ago next
It could be, @clueless_web_dev. It all depends on how the data is collected and used. If it's only used for research purposes, then it could be ok. However, if the data is sold to third parties, then that would be a violation of user's privacy.
sam_the_man_1 6 months ago prev next
Could this technique be used to fingerprint websites rather than individual users?
code_monkey 6 months ago next
Yes, @sam_the_man_1. This technique can also be used to collect metadata about websites for security and performance analysis purposes.
curious_coder 6 months ago prev next
I've heard about browser fingerprinting, is this the same thing?
gamma_dev 6 months ago next
Not exactly the same thing, @curious_coder. Browser fingerprinting focuses on collecting metadata from the user's browser, while this technique focuses on collecting metadata from the web page itself.
crypto_fanatic 6 months ago prev next
Does this technique still work on websites that use HTTPS?
security_spec 6 months ago next
Yes, @crypto_fanatic. This technique can still work on websites that use HTTPS because it's collecting metadata from the web page itself, not the network traffic.
alice 6 months ago prev next
I'm concerned about the ethical implications of this technique. Is it fair to block ads without the website's consent?
hacker123 6 months ago next
It's a complex issue, @alice. Advertisers are already tracking users without their consent, so it's arguable that blocking ads is just leveling the playing field.
john_doe 6 months ago prev next
I'd like to see more research on how this technique could be used for security purposes, such as detecting malicious websites.
code_monkey 6 months ago next
That's a great idea, @john_doe. This technique can definitely be used for security purposes. I'm currently working on a project that uses this technique for detecting malicious websites.
security_spec 6 months ago prev next
I agree, @john_doe. This technique has a lot of potential for security applications.
curious_coder 6 months ago prev next
Can this technique be used for tracking users across different devices?
gamma_dev 6 months ago next
Potentially, @curious_coder. If a user's web page metadata is consistent across different devices, then it could be used for tracking purposes. However, this would require further research.
code_monkey 6 months ago prev next
It's worth noting that this technique is not foolproof. Users can still modify their web page metadata to prevent tracking.
security_spec 6 months ago prev next
True, @code_monkey. Users can take various countermeasures to prevent tracking, such as using ad blockers and VPNs.
sam_the_man_1 6 months ago prev next
What are the limitations of this technique?
gamma_dev 6 months ago next
One limitation is that it requires a significant amount of computational resources to collect and analyze the web page metadata. Additionally, some websites may block or limit this type of activity for security purposes.
security_spec 6 months ago prev next
Another limitation is that users can take various countermeasures to prevent tracking, as I mentioned earlier.
code_monkey 6 months ago prev next
Yes, and it's also worth noting that this technique is not entirely accurate. There may be false positives and false negatives when identifying web pages.
crypto_fanatic 6 months ago prev next
How does this technique compare to traditional ad blockers?
hacker123 6 months ago next
This technique is more sophisticated than traditional ad blockers because it collects metadata from the web page itself, rather than just blocking ads based on predefined rules.
gamma_dev 6 months ago prev next
Traditional ad blockers can be evaded by advertisers using various techniques, while this technique is more resistant to such evasion methods.
security_spec 6 months ago prev next
However, it's worth noting that this technique is not a replacement for traditional ad blockers, but rather a supplementary method for enhancing user's privacy and security.
sam_the_man_1 6 months ago prev next
What are the privacy concerns with this technique?
crypto_fanatic 6 months ago next
Collecting metadata from the web page could potentially be used for tracking users, even if it's not explicitly identifying information. This could be a cause for privacy concerns.
alice 6 months ago prev next
It's important to consider the ethical implications of this technique and ensure that users are informed about how their web page metadata is being collected and used.
john_doe 6 months ago prev next
I agree, @alice. Users should have the option to opt-out of this type of tracking, and it's important to be transparent about how the data is being used.