Every time you connect to websites,using a browser, a mobile application, or a program that supports Internet, your information is automatically stored somewhere on the internet.
Every time a device or program makes a connection to you with the so-called header, your information is sent to the server you connected to. As you can see in the image below, each page you connect to can "see" your IP, where you come from (referer), what browser you are using, your operating system, whether it is 32 or 64bit, and the location you are in.
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IP Address Can reveal your approximate geographical location and ISP company.
User Agent reveals information about the operating system and web browser
Cookies can be used to track users across all domains they visit.
Geolocation – can detect your geographic location.
JavaScript These scripts can reveal a lot, from the language and system you are using, to the resolution of your screen, and much more.
HTML5 uses new options, such as Canvas Fingerprinting
Plugins like Flash, Java, or Silverlight can search for and store even more information about you. They can reveal your installed fonts and other details about your system environment.
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You can see what is revealed by your system when you connect to the websites Panopticlick, Browser Fingerprinting , and Browserleaks.
How to protect yourself
It's what we call "there is no one-size-fits-all" solution. However, there are guidelines and optimization practices that will limit your exposure to the Internet.
For your IP: You can use a web proxy, virtual private network, or a system like Tor to hide your address.
For User Agent: The User Agent can be changed in the browser. Firefox users can use an add-on like User Agent Switcher for example, and Chrome users can use User-Agent Switcher for Chrome.
Cookies: It is highly recommended to disable third-party cookies in your browser. This means that only the site you are connected to can give you cookies while other sites will not be able to "load" their own tracking data to you. This gets rid of tracking cookies planted in systems by advertisements or social media.
Geolocation: Browsers are usually set to ask before enabling the feature. Unless the default setting has been changed.
JavaScript and HTML5: If you use NoScript or another blocker, you have already disabled JavaScript. Many websites work without JavaScript, while some have problems. However, you can create a list of allowed trusted websites, and this way the scripts will be able to work without causing problems in the appearance of the website. Of course, you can disable JavaScript completely from your browser. Some HTML5 features, such as Canvas, can be disabled in some browsers either directly or by using add-ons.
Plugins: Set your plugins not to open automatically or disable them permanently, so that they cannot be used by websites unless you allow them first.
Source: secnews.gr
