Analyzing Societal Awareness and Perception of Digital Fingerprinting and Fingerprinting Countermeasures
Authors: Pascal Schramm (Technical University of Munich), Emmanuel Syrmoudis (Technical University of Munich), Alexandros Markou (Technical University of Munich), Jens Grossklags (Technical University of Munich)
Volume: 2026
Issue: 2
Pages: 397–435
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56553/popets-2026-0054
Abstract: We explore societal awareness and perceptions related to digital fingerprinting, a stateless tracking technology increasingly used for online security, advertising, and fraud prevention, as well as to countermeasures designed to mitigate its impact. Despite its widespread application, user awareness of fingerprinting remains significantly lower compared to other tracking mechanisms, such as third-party cookies. To deepen our understanding of user perceptions, we conducted a study surveying 734 participants to assess their knowledge of fingerprinting, acceptance of its use across different applications (cybersecurity, law enforcement, user experience), and their reactions to browsing inconveniences introduced by countermeasures. Countermeasures examined include privacy-focused browsers (e.g., Tor), browser extensions, and spoofing tools. While these solutions vary in effectiveness, they often compromise usability, resulting in issues such as website breakages and prolonged CAPTCHA challenges. Privacy-conscious users demonstrated greater tolerance for such disruptions, whereas others prioritized convenience over protection.
Keywords: digital fingerprinting, browser fingerprinting, user perceptions, countermeasures
Copyright in PoPETs articles are held by their authors. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
