Preview: These docs are available early so you can start using them now. Some pages may still be incomplete, outdated, or change as WebLibre develops.

Fingerprint Protection

Cookies are not the only way websites can recognize you. Some sites also build a "fingerprint" from details your browser exposes.

What Fingerprinting Means

When you visit a site, your browser may reveal things like:

  • screen size

  • time zone

  • language preferences

  • supported fonts

  • graphics capabilities

  • CPU and input-device details

Each detail by itself may seem harmless. Taken together, they can make your browser easier to recognize later, even without traditional cookies.

That can let websites or tracking scripts:

  • recognize the same browser across visits

  • make private browsing less private than people expect

  • connect activity across different sites

  • build a profile without asking you directly

Fingerprint protection reduces how unique your browser looks. It does not guarantee anonymity or stop every kind of tracking.

Why This Is Tricky

Unlike cookies, fingerprinting often uses information the browser normally needs in order to display pages correctly. For example, websites may rely on display size, language, graphics features, or input support.

That means stronger protection can sometimes cause page quirks or broken features.

What WebLibre Offers

Enhanced Tracking Protection

WebLibre’s Enhanced Tracking Protection helps by blocking known fingerprinting scripts. In Strict mode, it also blocks additional suspected fingerprinters.

For most people, this is the first layer of defense and has the fewest side effects.

Find it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Enhanced Tracking Protection.

Resist Fingerprinting

Resist Fingerprinting is a stronger setting. Instead of only blocking known scripts, it tries to make your browser reveal less identifying information.

In practice, this can standardize or reduce exposed details such as:

  • timer precision

  • some hardware and browser-identifying values

  • some locale and display-related values

  • some font and graphics-related details

This usually makes your browser harder to single out, but it can also cause site compatibility problems.

Common trade-offs include:

  • layouts that look slightly off

  • sites choosing a different language or regional format than expected

  • media, graphics, or interactive features behaving differently

  • occasional breakage on sites that depend on detailed device information

If a site starts behaving strangely after enabling this, try turning off Resist Fingerprinting first and test again.

Find it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Resist Fingerprinting.

Fingerprint Protection

The separate Fingerprint Protection screen gives granular control over individual anti-fingerprinting protections. It is mainly useful if you know a specific protection is causing a problem or you want a more customized setup.

This screen includes:

  • Load Defaults — restores WebLibre’s default fingerprint-protection overrides

  • Load Hardened Defaults — loads a broader set of protections for stronger privacy, with a higher chance of site issues

  • a long list of individual protections you can turn on or off

Many item names on this screen are technical because they map closely to browser-engine protections. Most users do not need to change them one by one.

Find it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Fingerprint Protection.

What Most People Should Use

Setting Best for Trade-offs

Enhanced Tracking Protection: Standard

Most users

Minimal

Enhanced Tracking Protection: Strict

People who want stronger blocking with limited setup

Some sites may break

Resist Fingerprinting

People who want stronger anti-fingerprinting protection

Higher chance of site quirks

Fingerprint Protection

Advanced users troubleshooting or fine-tuning protections

Technical and easy to over-adjust
If you want a simple setup, start with Enhanced Tracking Protection and then add Resist Fingerprinting only if you want stronger protection and can tolerate occasional compatibility issues.

Works Best with Other Privacy Features

Fingerprint protection is more effective when combined with:

  • Tracking Protection — blocks many trackers and fingerprinters before they run

  • Containers — separates activity between contexts

  • Tor — can further reduce how easily your browsing is linked, though site compatibility may decrease