Browser & Connection Info

Why this much detail is available at all

Almost everything shown on this page exists for a legitimate reason. Sites need your screen size to lay out responsively, your language to serve the right translation, your time zone to display timestamps correctly, and your graphics capabilities to decide whether to enable hardware acceleration. None of it required your permission, because none of it was designed as personal data.

The problem is what happens when those values are combined.

Browser fingerprinting explained

Individually, none of these details identifies you. Plenty of people use the same browser version on the same operating system. But stack a dozen of them together — screen resolution, colour depth, time zone, language list, GPU model, available fonts, platform, touch support — and the combination is frequently unique across millions of devices.

That combination is a fingerprint. Unlike a cookie, it is not stored on your device, so clearing your history does nothing to remove it. Private browsing does not help either, because the same characteristics are still transmitted. Advertisers and data brokers use fingerprinting to follow people across sites; fraud-prevention systems use the same technique for more defensible reasons.

The values worth understanding

GPU and renderer

Exposed through WebGL so pages can decide how much graphical work to attempt. It is also one of the most distinguishing single values available, because it often names your exact hardware model.

Client hints

A newer, more structured replacement for the traditional user-agent string. Browsers send a reduced user agent by default and provide finer detail only when a site asks for it — more privacy-respecting in principle, though sites can simply ask.

Connection information

Some browsers report an effective connection type and estimated bandwidth so sites can serve lighter pages on slow links. This is an estimate based on recent activity, not a live measurement.

Time zone and language

Together these narrow your location considerably, often more reliably than IP geolocation, and they are unaffected by a VPN. A connection routed through a server in another country while the browser still reports its original time zone is a well-known mismatch.

Reducing what you reveal

• Use a browser with anti-fingerprinting protection. Several actively normalise these values so your device looks like everyone else's.
• Stay on a current version. Running an unusual or outdated build makes you more distinctive, not less.
• Install fewer extensions. Each unusual one adds detectable signal.
• Do not over-customise. Rare font sets and unusual window sizes are themselves identifying.

Complete invisibility is not achievable. Blending in is.

Frequently asked questions

Is any of this information sent to your server?

No. Every value on this page is read from your own browser using standard web APIs and displayed locally. Nothing is transmitted, logged or stored.

What is browser fingerprinting?

It is the practice of combining many small, individually harmless details about your browser and device into a profile that is often unique enough to recognise you again. Because it is not stored on your device, clearing cookies does not remove it.

Does private or incognito mode hide this?

No. Private browsing prevents local history and cookies from being saved, but your browser still transmits the same screen size, time zone, language, GPU and platform details to every site you visit.

Why can a website see my graphics card?

The WebGL API exposes the renderer name so pages can decide how much graphical work to attempt. It is a legitimate feature, but it is also one of the most distinguishing single values available for fingerprinting.

Does a VPN prevent fingerprinting?

No. A VPN changes your visible IP address but does not alter your screen size, time zone, language settings, fonts or GPU. A mismatch between a VPN's country and your reported time zone is itself a detectable signal.