Importance of Anti-detection Browsers

Online tracking appeals to businesses, with the monetary appeal only extending the practice. Also known as digital fingerprinting, this practice is being purveyed by websites, which collect many details about your device to create a profile. They then use this profile to send targeted ads, avoid sending a survey to users who have already filled out a questionnaire, improve security by preventing fraud, or tailoring content based on user history. Of course, this means that not all instances of fingerprinting are malicious. But we can all agree that they can be invasive.

What is Fingerprinting

Fingerprinting is the practice whereby websites include a code that specifically forces the browser to disparate types of information. These include the operating system and version, version and type of browser, IP address, screen resolution, RAM, GPU, CPU, timezone, language, fonts, extensions, and more. Sometimes, the website may use the browser’s ‘Do not track’ setting as a fingerprinting parameter. The website then uses this information to create a unique user profile. 

As a report by the Washington Post showed, however, some website owners are not always responsible for injecting the fingerprinting code. Instead, it is the ad partners, to whom they give access to specific parts of the websites, that integrate the code. In addition, it is noteworthy that fingerprinting is different from cookies. (Cookies are text files that a website imports into a browser to track you). While you can block cookies, doing so does not stop fingerprinting scripts from collecting data that can be used to identify you. However, you can use anti-detection browsers to prevent this malicious and unwanted online snooping.

What is an Anti-detection Browser?

An anti-detection browser is a browser that enables you to control or even hide your digital footprint by creating deceptive fingerprints that are then sent to a website when prompted. One of the popular anti-detection browsers, GoLogin, enables you to control over 50 characteristics that can be used to create a fingerprint. This means it can be used to create separate profiles that do not accurately portray your real online identity.

At the same time, GoLogin is handy when it comes to bypassing anti-fraud systems. Typically, such anti-fraud systems use the tracking information sent by the browser to determine whether the requests originate from an actual user or a bot. (A user would use a browser, while a bot may not have a headless browser that can send headers containing information that helps create an identity.) 

However, you can create a real but inaccurate online representation of yourself using an anti-detection browser. This tricks the anti-fraud systems into thinking they have in their possession information that identifies you as a real user when, in fact, it is an imitation. In this regard, especially when augmented by proxies, GoLogin protects you from blocking.

Examples of Anti-Detection Browsers

Other examples of anti-detection browsers include:

• X Browser: It is based on Chrome and is mainly designed for marketing purposes

• AdsPower: It offers a selection of Chromium-based (Sun Browser) and Firefox-based (Flower browser)

• Kameleo: It is a stealth browsing platform that offers over 100,000 base fingerprints using which you can create different profiles. Unlike other tools in this list, Kameleo is not a browser. Instead, it creates a browser profile for any of the popular browsers. It is also available as a mobile app on Google Play and Apple App stores

• Multilogin: It offers both Chromium-based (Mimic Browser) and Firefox-based (Stealthfox Browser) browsers, enabling you to use different fingerprints to create browser profiles.

• Ghost Browser: It is a Chromium-based browser that enables you to create multiple online identities. It also has a built-in proxy management tool that helps keep the profiles separate. 

• Linken Sphere: it is a Chromium-based anti-detection browser that spoofs information such as the GPU, plugins, and fonts; it offers the ability to create multiple sessions with individual cookies as well as configure parameters such as headers and User Agents. It is, however, not free; it is available at a minimum fee of $100 per month. 

• Incogniton: It is a paid anti-detection browser that allows you to create multiple browser profiles, protects your true online fingerprint, and supports Selenium integration.

• Lalicat: it is a paid tool that allows you to manage multi-login accounts using multiple virtual fingerprints

• MarketerBrowser: Designed for marketers, this anti-detect browser enables you to create and run multiple online accounts/profiles. This enables you to manage multiple accounts with online advertising platforms.

• SessionBox Workstation: It is a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers. It is also a browser that allows you to create multiple online profiles, enabling you to access multi-login accounts on the same website. It also offers proxy management services.

Uses of Anti-Detection Browsers

An anti-detection browser is used for:

• Affiliate marketing

• Social media account management

• Dropshipping

• Web scraping

• Gambling and betting

• Run Selenium tests (self-testing a newly launched website)

• eCommerce management

• Running ad campaigns from multiple Google AdWords or Facebook Business accounts 

Anti-detection browsers are essential. They prevent online fingerprinting while enabling users to create multiple profiles they can use to access multi-login accounts on websites. This capability comes in handy in affiliate marketing, social media account management, running ad campaigns using online advertising platforms, and more. However, it's worth mentioning that anti-detection browsers cannot work on an identity verification API.