Brave has strengthened the protection of users from hidden surveillance, which works even without cookies. Since version 1.93, the browser masks information about the graphics card and the graphics driver, so that it is more difficult for sites to distinguish one computer from another.
For this background, sites can use WebGL and WebGPU software interfaces. Usually the browser needs them to display complex graphics with hardware acceleration, but the same interfaces reveal quite detailed information about the device. The site is able to know the manufacturer and the model of the GPU, the driver information and the set of supported graphics capabilities.
This information is suitable to create a digital browser fingerprint. The system collects many device parameters and combines them into an identifier that allows you to recognize the user on different sites. Cookies are not needed in this scheme, and the characteristics of the graphics card are especially convenient for surveillance, since the hardware configuration of the computer rarely changes.
Brave checked how popular sites turn to WebGL and WebGPU, and came to the conclusion that in many cases the sites used the information received in order to create digital fingerprints. For example, WebGL can reveal the exact name of the graphics device, and the list of supported extensions differs from different graphics cards and driver versions.
In version 1.93, Brave began to replace the name of the manufacturer and graphics device WebGL with a single universal value. Thanks to this scheme, browsers of different users return the same information to sites instead of the exact characteristics of the equipment. The data about the adapter that WebGPU provides, the browser now leaves empty.
Brave is also changing the WebGL extension list. The browser adds random differences separately for each session and site, so it is more difficult for the tracking service to turn a set of supported features into a permanent identifier. The developers tried to keep the schedules normal and not to block WebGL and WebGPU.
The new protection is enabled by default in the Brave desktop version and the Android browser. The function is distributed gradually, so some users of version 1.93 may not get changes immediately. Previously, the mechanism was checked for several months in the preliminary assembly of Nightly and Beta.
If on any site the protection interferes with the operation of the schedule, Brave can adjust the rules separately for such a resource. The user can also independently disable the protection of graphical interfaces, all protection against digital fingerprints or the Shields system entirely.
The developers plan to further reduce the amount of information that graphical interfaces reveal to sites. In particular, Brave intends to add random changes to the WebGPU list of features. The main task remains the same: to deprive the surveillance services of a stable set of characteristics of the device, without breaking sites with hardware-accelerated graphics.
For this background, sites can use WebGL and WebGPU software interfaces. Usually the browser needs them to display complex graphics with hardware acceleration, but the same interfaces reveal quite detailed information about the device. The site is able to know the manufacturer and the model of the GPU, the driver information and the set of supported graphics capabilities.
This information is suitable to create a digital browser fingerprint. The system collects many device parameters and combines them into an identifier that allows you to recognize the user on different sites. Cookies are not needed in this scheme, and the characteristics of the graphics card are especially convenient for surveillance, since the hardware configuration of the computer rarely changes.
Brave checked how popular sites turn to WebGL and WebGPU, and came to the conclusion that in many cases the sites used the information received in order to create digital fingerprints. For example, WebGL can reveal the exact name of the graphics device, and the list of supported extensions differs from different graphics cards and driver versions.
In version 1.93, Brave began to replace the name of the manufacturer and graphics device WebGL with a single universal value. Thanks to this scheme, browsers of different users return the same information to sites instead of the exact characteristics of the equipment. The data about the adapter that WebGPU provides, the browser now leaves empty.
Brave is also changing the WebGL extension list. The browser adds random differences separately for each session and site, so it is more difficult for the tracking service to turn a set of supported features into a permanent identifier. The developers tried to keep the schedules normal and not to block WebGL and WebGPU.
The new protection is enabled by default in the Brave desktop version and the Android browser. The function is distributed gradually, so some users of version 1.93 may not get changes immediately. Previously, the mechanism was checked for several months in the preliminary assembly of Nightly and Beta.
If on any site the protection interferes with the operation of the schedule, Brave can adjust the rules separately for such a resource. The user can also independently disable the protection of graphical interfaces, all protection against digital fingerprints or the Shields system entirely.
The developers plan to further reduce the amount of information that graphical interfaces reveal to sites. In particular, Brave intends to add random changes to the WebGPU list of features. The main task remains the same: to deprive the surveillance services of a stable set of characteristics of the device, without breaking sites with hardware-accelerated graphics.
