Websites can track you using your computer's sound card. Run our free audio fingerprint test to see your unique ID and learn how to stop hardware-based tracking.
AI Overview
Audio fingerprinting is a tracking technique that uses the Web Audio API to identify your device. By measuring how your sound card processes mathematical audio signals, websites create a unique hardware hash. This allows them to track you without cookies, surviving Incognito mode and VPNs.
Your Hardware Signature
Unlike cookies, you cannot delete a hardware ID. Advertisers use it to recognize your device across different websites even if you clear your history.
Every computer has a sound card or audio chip. When you visit a website, a script can use the Web Audio API to process a hidden sound wave. Because of tiny differences in your CPU and sound card, the mathematical result is unique to your machine. This becomes your Audio Fingerprint.
Important: An audio fingerprint does not listen to your voice. It only measures how your hardware handles math. No microphone access is ever required for this tracking.
Traditional tracking uses cookies (text files) to remember you. However, users can delete cookies easily. Audio fingerprinting is "stateless." It doesn't save any files on your device. Instead, it recreates the same hardware signature every time you visit, allowing advertisers to follow you across the web without your permission.
If you want to stop browser fingerprinting, we recommend these steps on ZKB Tracking:
about:config and set privacy.resistFingerprinting to true.Does a VPN hide my audio fingerprint?
No. A VPN only changes your IP. Your hardware-based hash remains the same, so trackers can still identify you.
Why is my fingerprint different on Chrome vs. Firefox?
Each browser uses a different audio engine (Blink for Chrome, Gecko for Firefox). These engines process sound math differently.
Is this legal?
Under GDPR, tracking you uniquely usually requires consent. However, many sites use this for "fraud detection" to bypass privacy rules.