1633062 - Update "Learn More" page for HTML5 Canvas warning of fingerprinting resistance

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(support.mozilla.org :: Knowledge Base Content, enhancement, P2)

Description

[Alice Wyman]

+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #1397757 +++

(From bug 1397757 comment 28)

Hello, since there is also a "Fingerprinter" menu item in the article
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/trackers-and-scripts-firefox-blocks-enhanced-track#w_fingerprinters
Would it be possible to insert also a paragraph about the differences between the two protections?

Thanks.

Related discussion:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting/discuss/7454 New article background

Comment 1

[Thorin [:thorin]]

RFP doesn't have a UI presence, but might one day. ETP, of course, has. So making it clearer to end users is never a bad thing. But I don't think it's terribly difficult to use the right terms: just as long as it's consistent (in the UI, on SUMO etc): i.e -er vs -ing. And I do see this question a lot: "now that firefox has fingerprinting protection, can I set RFP back to false", or "firefox now protects against fingerprinting by default ..."). It's quite misleading/confusing for the layman

here's a rudimentary attempt

When your privacy settings are set to Standard (the Firefox default) or Strict, fingerprinters are being blocked. Fingerprinters is a list of known domains/scripts using fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is the science/application of techniques to collect settings about your browser and device to create a unique profile (a fingerprint) to track you across different websites

These are some of the characteristics of your browser and device that a fingerprint can include
...

Something like that. It just depends how generic or technically correct you want to describe fingerprinters

Comment 2

[Alice Wyman]

Thanks, Simon. My problem was in describing "RFP" (which https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting refers to as "Fingerprinting protection") to differentiate it from the Enhanced Tracking Protection "fingerprinter" blocking described here.

I posted a suggested note in https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting/discuss/7454#post-19168
(I have a revision pending review and I'm waiting for feedback or approval from Joni.)

Comment 3

[Thorin [:thorin]]

Thanks Alice - I guess I didn't read down far enough / scanned too fast :)

The way I see it, is fingerprinting (RFP) doesn't need "correcting", the term has been around for a long time, google it, people know what it is - it's fingerprinters which causes the issue, a new term coined for ETP - therefore just properly define it. I also don't think adding a yet another note/paragraph is the best option, when it can be addressed in the existing answer/paragraph. I still think my slight mod (draft) is cleaner and simpler and less confusing, but I may be biased :) It shouldn't be this hard to say "hey, one is scripts and one is the science behind it" (I didn't specifically want to mention scripts since fingerprinting can be passive)

Comment 4

[Alice Wyman]

I have another revision pending review that adds this paragraph to the article Intro ("Standard (the default)" is for fx72+):

Firefox already has an Enhanced Tracking Protection feature that blocks a list of known "fingerprinters" when your privacy settings are set to Standard (the default) or Strict. (To learn more, see Trackers and scripts Firefox blocks in Enhanced Tracking Protection.) Fingerprinting Protection is a feature that can resist fingerprinting.

Comment 5

[Alice Wyman]

There hasn't been any more feedback so I made some edits to my pending revision and approved it as ready to localize.