Skip to content

Journal

·5 min read

Why we do not fingerprint “just a little”

A canvas hash, an audio context, a font list — each is sold as a cookieless unique. Together they are a tracker that outlives the cookie banner you avoided.

PrivacyFingerprinting

A blurred night crowd on a wet street, no face recognizable
Uniques should be a daily count, not a silhouette you can follow home.

The moment a product promises cookieless uniques that survive a week, it is fingerprinting — or storing a hash that might as well be one. Vector 5 refuses both. The script sends path, referrer host, UTM, and screen width. It does not read canvas, WebGL, audio, fonts, or a stable device ID. The server hashes IP + user agent with a salt that dies at midnight, then drops the IP.

The bargain people actually want

Operators want “how many people today.” They do not need “the same person as last Thursday.” Cross-day identity is how retargeting, subpoenas, and accidental leaks get a handle. If your counsel is happier with a lower unique count than with a durable ID, the product is working.

  • No cookies, no localStorage identifiers, no cookie banner from the script.
  • No fingerprinting libraries, even as a “fallback.”
  • A visitor who returns after 00:00 UTC is new. That is documented in the manifest.
If the unique still works next week, you built a person. We built a day.