Check out how to find what information does your browser know about you
If you thought that by clearing your internet browsing history, you are deleting the traces of all the websites that you have visited, then you may want to think twice? Browsers can not only find where you are in the world, but they gather a lot of other information too, such as when you launch a private browser window or where your mouse is hovering. So, how can you find out what information of yours is exactly revealed?
A new website called ClickClickClick has been developed to show how your online behaviour is continuously being measured by your browser while you navigate the web. Whether you toggle your mouse, or hover on the page for a minute, and all of your actions are read out back to you in real-time, written out on the screen like a magical word document.
Clickclickclick.click was developed by VPRO, a Dutch media company, and Studio Moniker, an interactive design company.
Roel Wouters, a designer at Studio Moniker, told MailOnline: “We wanted to create awareness on privacy in a playful manner. We took the idea that all your online behaviour can have value literally. We listed all possible interactions we could come up with. We interpret these interactions in a direct and specific way by mirroring them back to the user.”
The website – which does not do any damage to your computer – is simple, with a white screen and large green button, reading ‘Button.’ The site even registers inactivity, informing you that your mouse has hovered aimlessly, or that you’ve exited the page. The site also encourages users to turn on their sound, allowing them to hear an English voice comment on every behaviour. For instance, you’ll get scolded for leaving the window. Not only this, the site is also able to guess your gender based on your browsing history. The page even scores your browsing with arbitrary “achievements” – a list of all the activities it has tracked so far – and those that it is yet to, but capable of, observing.
Mr Wouters said: “All these interactions are basic HTML 5 browser events – basically it’s all javascript. They are in the hands of every web developer today.”
The simple tool is a reminder to be wary of how much your browser can detect from the simple act of being online and also about those who are watching you on the web.
