It is, however, possible to track the online habits of visitors over the course of a longer period of time, even when they delete their cookies and browse in incognito mode. Whenever a user views a page, a bunch of data is automatically transferred from the browser to the website, such as your IP address, how full your battery is, which browser version you are using, your time zone, system fonts, screen resolution, which plugins you have installed and much more.

If enough data points are gathered, a website can create a digital fingerprint of sorts that can more comprehensively distinguish one visitor from another, based on their very unique set of characteristics, as you’re likely to be the only person using a specific browser on GMT, with exactly your set of plugins, screen resolution, language settings and graphics card. This fingerprint can then be used to track users over time and across websites, and even to create a personalised advertising profile just for you.

Meineck, S. (2019, September 5). Here’s how much Pornhub knows about you. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/kzmmpa/pornhub-xhamster-data-about-you