On this page, you will find links to tools that can help improve your privacy on the Internet. With respect to fingerprinting, the best solutions that exist today are to simply block tracking scripts. We cannot recommend spoofers because there is a risk that fingerprinters can detect such spoofing techniques quite easily, which would quickly identify you as a liar. Because the number of spoofers is likely low, your other discriminating data (e.g. fonts and plugins) should be more than sufficient to fingerprint and track you.
Browser extensions
| Extension | Description | Website |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 uBlock Origin | An efficient ad and tracker blocker with a small performance footprint! | |||
 Ghostery | Protect your privacy by blocking trackers on the Web and by learning who is watching you! | |||
 HTTPS Everywhere | Encrypt the web! Enable HTTPS automatically on websites that are known to support it. A project by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). This extension includes an option to verify SSL certificates directly by the EFF SSL Observatory. | |||
 Lightbeam | Visualize in details the servers you are contacting when you are surfing on the Internet! Developed by Mozilla. Presentation of Lightbeam by Gary Kovacs, former CEO of Mozilla, in a TED talk. | |||
 AdBlock Plus | Block advertisements, trackers and more! We recommend the use of additional lists like the Fanboy Complete AdBlock list. | |||
 Disconnect | Stop tracking by third-party sites and visualize who is tracking you! | |||
 Privacy Badger | Block spying ads and invisible trackers! A project by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation). | |||
 NoScript | Take control of what is running in your browser by blocking unwanted scripts! | |||
 Self-Destructing Cookies | Remove cookies that are no longer used as soon as you close a tab! |
Search engine, browser and operating systems
Qwant Official webpage
The search engine that respects your privacy.
Qwant is a search engine launched in 2013 that doesn't track users or store personal information.
Qwant never try to find out who you are or what you are personally doing when you use their search engine.
DuckDuckGo Official webpage
"The search engine that doesn't track you."
Launched in 2008, DuckDuckGo differentiates itself from other search engines by emphasizing the protection of searchers' privacy. Moreover, it avoids the filter bubble of personalized search results. DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information.
Tor and the Tor browser Official webpage
The Tor network is a group of servers aimed at improving users' anonymity by routing all their traffic through a dedicated network. The Tor browser is based on Firefox and it uses the Tor network. It has been heavily modified to limit as most as possible known fingerprinting techniques so that users share a unique fingerprint (even if in practice, the reality is a little bit different).
Tails Official webpage
Based around the Tor browser and the Tor network, Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) goes a step further by providing the exact same environment to its users. The operating system has been heavily modified so that it does not leave a single trace on the computer. With the Tor browser, these are the strongest tools against fingerprinting at the price of a decline in usability.
TrackOFF Official webpage
TrackOFF, a Baltimore-based startup, has launched in mid-2015 a software suite that detects threats and changes your browser fingerprint to improve your digital privacy. Running on Windows for Chrome and Firefox, a trial is available to test this new service.
IP address
Contrary to what people may think, modifying the IP address has no impact on fingerprinting since no addresses are collected to form your fingerprint. Your computer can still be identified and tracked on several browsing sessions. On its own, the IP address is still a really strong form of identification since it may hardly vary over time depending on your internet service provider. Modifying your IP address is a good way to cover your tracks and hide your true location when you are browsing the web.
The most widespread way to change your IP address is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service that will route securely all your network traffic through a trusted server.
Cookies
Cookies can be used in addition to fingerprinting to track users on the web and identify with ease returning visitors. One way to counter unwanted tracking is to either limit authorized cookies or block cookies altogether. One recommended setting is to never accept cookies from third-party sites since it is one of the main way for advertisers to track you. You will find instructions on how to block them on Firefox and Chrome
For the more privacy conscious users among us, you can completely block them in the browser settings ( Firefox or Chrome ) or use an extension like Self-Destructing Cookies as mentioned in the browser extensions section. The only downside to these techniques is that you have to whitelist sites if you still want to authorize cookies on some on them.