How to prevent tracking:
- Run on TailsOS
- Use Tor Browser at the safest level
this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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Privacy
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This is the correct answer
There are so few sites that should leave a cookie I just set it to purge everything on browser close, and then make exceptions for the ones who actually should leave a cookie.
Pretty sure every browser now has the option to dump all the data when it closes.
Librewolf does that by default, among other things. And as thanksforallthefish mentioned, in settings you can whitelist some pages to prevent cookie deletion, if you want to remain logged in.
I would do that but I want to stay logged in on some websites like lichess.
The login scene is so terrible nowadays with 2fa, passkeys etc. It's not as easy as just remembering a password or using a simple password manager.
Just whitelist the ones you want to keep. Pretty sure Firefox now let's you whitelist, I use a plug in because I've been doing it that way for years (ie before ff had the option)
Wait, foxfire does it natively now? I’ve been installing cookie autodelete for years
Deleting cookies on close? I had my Firefox set up to do that about 20 years ago
Oh. Turns out I just wasn’t looking properly
I assumed you meant the whitelisting not the autodelete - cookie autodelete on close has been in FF for years, but some time recently they brought in whitelisting as well - go to settings, privacy and security, cookies and site data, manage exceptions
Might be worth deleting CAD and use the inbuilt option to reduce canvas fingerprinting
Pretty sure i saw it the other day and yeah me too on CAD
Look for 'manage exceptions' in the settings if your browser is Firefox-based.
Use two browsers. One for logins, the other dumps all data on close.
same I use IronFox for random stuff and Brave for website that actually requires a login
If you are using Firefox based browser get Consent-o-matic. It will actively opt you out of cookie windows instead of hiding them like others do.
Just note that using extensions can make you vulnerable to fingerprinting.
As is everything you do. Screen size, orientation, languages, browser, browser version, even battery level until recently.
But the more the worse
which is why tor is the answer. it blocks out these fingerprints and is consistent between others. unless you are using something like octobrowser maybe?
But the more the worse
Ironic.
they can very effectively track you by fingerprinting your browser + tracking your ip if applicable.
Ayup. For those not in the know... it's a huge industry now, called Identity Resolution.
They use every available signal. A million browser fingerprinting signals. Which are much worse if you run JS. But even TLS fingerprints. Timings. How long does it take for your browser to fetch resources from these 20 domains. Canvas readbacks. A million things.
This was predicted when govs started to clamp down on cookies. Cookies were the easiest thing in the damn world to block or delete. After the ad and surveilence industry lost cookies for tracking they moved to less savory methods. Ones much much harder to block or deter. We didn't get rid of tracking with cookie-consent. Instead we made it unimaginably more powerful.
I have a question about hiding system clock information from all browsers as well. Because this is a sanity check more and more apps and browsers are doing to disuade people from using a VPN.
From my tests none of the privacy browser are that good at privacy, I tested with https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ and some either have unique fingerprints or partial, while also providing other data useful for fingerprinting, with one exception being Mulvad browser that has the best score, all tested with JavaScript enabled, turning it off will stop a lot of data from being provided but will also break lots of sites.
I was thinking more along the lines of either obscuring system clock or changing it entirely as far as the apps or web browser can see. Say, making it so that it matches the time zone of your VPN.
I'm not sure there's a way other than manually, maybe you could set multiple timezones in the clock app and check the one you're in
I use Waterfox which forgets all data on exit, with Privacy Badger and Port Authority extensions with no exclusions.
So far, no sites really "break", if anything, they're a little quicker.. reading mode is nice to get passed paywall popups on most sites that want a subscribe.
If at work, I include the company-provided password manager for all my sites I need. Still works well (unless my post gets attention and companies try to break it)
A VPN is useless. You're introducing another entity that can track you.
Pick your poison.
A VPN actually hides your IP from the webpage.
Websites don't need your IP to accurately remember you and track you. Using a VPN only helps when you want to hide stuff from your ISP, nothing else.
Using a VPN only helps when you want to hide stuff from your ISP
...and that is a good thing as ISPs are some of the worst companies with the worst privacy policies and a penchant for selling any data they collect from you to the highest bidder...and any other bidder as well
Sure but without extra measures the same plus a lot of more data is just sold by all the other companies and chances are your VPN company is just taking over the role of your ISP. If you want to browser somewhat more privately try to reduce your fingerprint first before trusting some VPN company just because they say so.
I am pretty sure that my VPN provider (Mullvad) is not some shitty, fly by night company doing, say, Verizon-style shitty things
Does it hide your IP from the VPN provider?
So does CGNAT.