Google tests fingerprinting block to bolster chrome incognito privacy

Google is taking serious measures to strengthen the privacy of Incognito Mode of its Chrome browser.

The tech giant is in the process of testing a new capability that would prevent an advanced tracking method called fingerprinting, which websites apply in order to recognize and track users even with cookies turned off.

The feature is an experimental feature that is being referred to as blocking canvas readbacks, which is seen in the latest Canary builds of Chrome.

When switched on under Incognito Mode, it will stop sites using scripts to read the contents of an invisible element in the page called a canvas, a usual technique of creating a distinct, consistent digital fingerprint of a gadget due to its particular presentation of pictures and text.

This action directly solves one of the biggest weaknesses of the private browsing mode. 

On the one hand, they make it impossible to store any local history and cookies, but on the other hand, they are traditionally not effective against external and server-side tracking, such as fingerprinting. 

The new reef would align the privacy protection provided by the Chrome in its private mode with other privacy protections already provided by extensions like uBlock Origin and built-in protections by browsers (such as Safari and Firefox).

The system will, according to documentation, be based on a list called a Marked Domain List (MDL) which lists known third-party fingerprinting scripts exploiting APIs and canvas, WebGL, fonts and audio.

When a script in a flagged domain attempts to execute, Chrome will block the script, thus no unique identifier can be created to follow. An eye icon in the address bar will alert the user of active protection.

The functionality is already platform-agnostic, implying it will one day also benefit users of Chrome on windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. 

Nevertheless, Google has said that it will only upgrade Incognito Mode and that it has no intentions of extending it to regular browsing on all the Chromium-based browsers. 

No official time frame is given on a public release, with the feature still in early development. Should it be successful, it will be one of the largest privacy-enhancements to Chrome Incognito Mode in years.