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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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[-] piranhaphish@lemmy.world 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I never understood why the world decided it's not okay for the browser to automatically play video but it is okay to automatically play audio.

[-] kuberoot@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 week ago

It's actually the opposite on Firefox, you're only allowed to autoplay videos if they're muted/have no audio by default.

[-] subignition@fedia.io 33 points 1 week ago

There's a post from a developer who works on Firefox linked in the comments of that article that suggests this fingerprinting vector has been known and responded to by other major browsers as well:

https://ritter.vg/blog-webaudio_alibaba.html

[-] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 8 points 1 week ago

Thank you for setting my mind a bit more at ease. I'm still glad this was posted because more people need to be made aware of the myriad ways in which they are being tracked. I doubt this will make much of a dent, but every little bit helps, as they say.

[-] sudo@programming.dev 16 points 1 week ago

Pretty sure cloudflare turnstile does this too but very briefly. I can hear my bluetooth headset power up the drivers briefly whenever I encounter one.

[-] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

Wait how does that work? How does engaging audio help fingerprint a user?

[-] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 week ago

I bet that by trying to play, it reads devices, drivers, versions, volumes. It's not super unique for most people, but for some people it's 100% unique, and for most people, it's just another point of data to check against others to help build a bigger picture.

[-] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

They can enjoy my fucked up mess of pipewire config I guess. Well, no, because I don't use ali-express

[-] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

I guess because every system will produce a very slightly different audiograph, you can use it to fingerprint.

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

I could guess too lmao i was hoping someone here actually knows

[-] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

Audio Fingerprinting

An AudioContext node runs a silent waveform through the browser's audio stack. Differences in float precision and DAC handling produce different outputs across devices. Most antidetect browsers spoof canvas and WebGL but skip audio, which is part of why some "stealth" setups still get linked.

https://voidmob.com/blog/best-antidetect-browser-device-fingerprinting-2026

Also check your browser here:

https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Our tests indicate that you have strong protection against Web tracking.

IS YOUR BROWSER:

Blocking tracking ads? Yes

Blocking invisible trackers? Yes

Protecting you from fingerprinting? ◕ your browser has a randomized fingerprint

Yay!

[-] 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

[-] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Damn, son, what's your browser? I tried Waterfox today and turned on strict privacy and still had a unique fingerprint.

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 week ago

Safari on iOS, not sure how Firefox on my Linux desktop compares because I am unmotivated to get up and check it right now. Maybe later if I remember!

[-] hirihit640@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

Apple browsers tend to all have the same few fingerprints (which is a good thing), since the hardware between most Apple devices are so similar. Your vanilla Firefox on the other hand will likely have a unique fingerprint.

this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2026
205 points (99.0% liked)

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