From Newsgroup: alt.privacy
John wrote:
In summary, if every time you go to the same site, it treats that as your >>very first visit (as if it had never seen you before), then, I think, then >>maybe, possibly, we're getting somewhere on privacy. Or so I hope...
Could it be that you are deleting cookies and things when you close
your browser?
Of course. Every browser is set up to wipe out everything for all time upon both exit and invocation, where I even have scripts that punch the buttons.
https://www.autohotkey.com/download/ahk-v2.exe
Name: AutoHotkey_2.0.19_setup.exe
Size: 3032064 bytes (2961 KiB)
SHA256: FD55129CBD356F49D2151E0A8B9662D90D2DBBB9579CC2410FDE38DF94787A3A
; C:\data\sys\ahk\aloha_vpn.ahk version 3.0 20250910
; Launches the freeware Aloha VPN Browser [Version 4.9.0.0 (64-bit)]
; "%localappdata%\Aloha Mobile\Aloha\Application\aloha.exe"
; (Uses a read-only Preferences file to lock window position)
; "browser": {
; "window_placement": {
; "bottom": 1134,
; "left": -257,
; "maximized": false,
; "right": 653,
; "top": 74,
; "work_area_bottom": 1080,
; "work_area_left": 69,
; "work_area_right": 1920,
; "work_area_top": 0
; },
; "ui_click_targets": {
; "delete_data_button": { "x": 1080, "y": 801 },
; "vpn_shield_icon": { "x": 602, "y": 75 }
; }
;
; What AutoHotkey does is
; 1. Aloha is set to open the browser in the same place always
; 2. Clicks "Delete data" on aloha://settings/clearBrowserData
; Screen coordinates: 1080, 801
; 3. Clicks the VPN shield icon to turn it on
; Screen coordinates: 602, 75
; These coordinates are absolute screen positions (CoordMode "Screen")
; and assume the locked-in window placement from the Preferences file.
If so, the cookie-monsters will possibly give you new
ones but they may link them to the old data in their archives.
Yes. Understood. You bring up an excellent point that privacy is more than
just cookies. It's the IP address too for example. And browser
fingerprints, all of which I have been working on since Epic Privacy
Browser turned belly up and I had to build my own DIY privacy browser.
Thay
may still know that Marion has arrived - again - and may be able to
link you by MAC and IP numbers to the previous visits.
Yup. My MAC isn't seen by them (and it's randomized per connection anyway),
but you're correct that we have to set a different IP address each visit.
Luckily I randomly rotate through time zones and IP addresses given scripts that have been published on this newsgroup (some written by Herbert
Kleebauer), where I have thousands of free public IP addresses to choose
from (again, this is all written up very many times on this ng already).
Hence I absolutely agree with you that you are correct that a normal person
who doesn't know how to randomize the IP address could be tagged by it.
And a normal person who doesn't know how to randomize the browser
fingerprint, operating system, time zone, etc., could also be tracked.
Easily.
They may still be tracking you, just doing it more sneakily. :)
That's why I wrote a tutorial for creating a DIY privacy browser.
One of the steps is to load almost a score of privacy extensions.
Here's a brave://system dump of the currently installed extensions:
bhchdcejhohfmigjafbampogmaanbfkg : User-Agent Switcher: version 0_6_4
cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm : uBlock Origin : version 1_65_0
fhcgjolkccmbidfldomjliifgaodjagh : Cookie AutoDelete : version 3_8_2
fhkphphbadjkepgfljndicmgdlndmoke : Font Fingerprint Defender : v 0_1_6
fjkmabmdepjfammlpliljpnbhleegehm : WebRTC Control : version 0_3_3
gjldcdngmdknpinoemndlidpcabkggco : Extension Manager : version 9_5_2
hhnhplojcganfmfimkeboiipphklcbih : Location Guard (V3) : version 3_0_0
hnkcfpcejkafcihlgbojoidoihckciin : Referer Control : version 1_35
jaoafjdoijdconemdmodhbfpianehlon : Skip Redirect : version 2_3_6
jjbikklopibeimjelkohlldbjcdnofei : StayInTab : version 1_0
lckanjgmijmafbedllaakclkaicjfmnk : ClearURLs : version 1_26_0
ldpochfccmkkmhdbclfhpagapcfdljkj : Decentraleyes : version 3_0_0
nffaoalbilbmmfgbnbgppjihopabppdk : Video Speed Controller : version 0_9_5
njdfdhgcmkocbgbhcioffdbicglldapd : LocalCDN : version 2_6_79
njkmjblmcfiobddjgebnoeldkjcplfjb : Trace Tracking Protection : v 3_0_6
nomnklagbgmgghhjidfhnoelnjfndfpd : Canvas Blocker: version 0_2_2
pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp : Privacy Badger : version 2025_5_30
pmcpffnpjncfplinfnjebjoonbncnjfl : CthulhuJs: version 8_0_9
Just for you, I'm experimenting with writing user scripts lately,
where I'm not ready yet to donate a tutorial to the tribal knowledge of the newsgroup, as I am just starting to use it, but I find it useful.
Here's the unique extension id and name for writing those scripts:
aloha://system/
dhdgffkkebhmkfjojejmpbldmpobfkfo : Tampermonkey : version 5_3_3
In summary, yes, you are fully correct that "just deleting cookies" likely accomplishes almost nothing - where not having a Google Account (or not
logging into it, which is essentially the same thing) is the most important privacy feat you can accomplish (especially on mobile devices).
After not logging into Google Accounts (just use the email account but
never use the GMail app on Android - although the GMail app on iOS is
fine). Luckily privacy is easier on Windows than it is on mobile devices.
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