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AliExpress Was Found Using Silent WebAudio for Device Fingerprinting (lemmy.nz)

submitted 1 week ago by Digitalescapetools@sh.itjust.works to c/digitalescapetooks@sh.itjust.works

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A recent investigation found AliExpress running hidden WebAudio code that processes audio even when no sound is playing.

The behavior appears related to audio fingerprinting, using how a device processes audio to help distinguish it from others.

Interestingly, it was discovered when a user noticed AliExpress interfered with their Bluetooth multipoint headphones. Closing the AliExpress tab fixed the issue.

The audio was set to zero gain, so nothing was audible, but the browser was still processing the audio graph.

Why it matters: WebAudio can potentially be used for fingerprinting without an obvious indication to the user, raising privacy and transparency concerns.

Source: https://blog.laserphile.com/2026/08/aliexpress-webpage-keeping-multipoint.html

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[-] fake@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

Paradoxically your unusual resistance to fingerprinting is also a fingerprint

[-] yermaw@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago

There really is an xkcd for everything

this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2026

205 points (99.0% liked)

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