Browser Timezone & Privacy Concerns
How can I hide my “timezone” from sniffing sites?
From my understanding, websites can access both the timezone of my browser (without using javascript) and the timezone of my local machine (using javascript). my question being
- If a website has access to my local machine’s timezone, does it mean it has access to other information on/about my local machine?
- According to Privacy - How can I hide my “timezone” from sniffing sites? - Super User, we must disable JavaScript to block timezone access. However disabling javascript is not really feasible as it breaks most of websites. Is there a workaround that allows us to block JavaScript from running specific commands?
- Maybe my understanding of JavaScript is incorrect, but if a website has the privilege of running any program on my computer through the web browser, it can retrieve all the information it needs. If I don’t disable JavaScript while using the browser, I don’t see the point in resisting fingerprinting, like spoofing my device info.
appreciate any help!
I believe Librewolf and Mullvad Browser change your timezone, either to UTC or to Atlantic/Reyjavik (for some reason; probably a bug on my end). Tor Browser likely does the same, but I’m not sure.
Browsers (except for Tor) doing this in the name of privacy is so dumb. Our timezones are already apparent due to our IP addresses. Not only does this not hide the timezone but also makes the user more fingerprintable. Now I’m the dumbass from Ohio who’s browser reports UTC timezone for some reason.
Not so dumb for a bunch of us using VPNs with exit nodes in other time zones.
The user not having a choice is dumb either way. VPN users are the minority.
ManyThanks!
Set your system time to UTC.
could you please provide a link to an article or video about how a website could have access to information on local machine?
Your web browser gives up that information when asked by a site.
is it possible to
- disable permission for a software running on local machine from attaining local timezone and other information? (like firewall or something similar)
- disable permission for a website from attaining local timezone information passed to the browser inside browser using browser extension?
There may be browser extensions that will spoof your TZ data.
Set your system time to UTC.
but then the time display on my system would be incorrect wouldn’t it
Firefox has a fingerprint resistance serting that sets the clock to UTC. It messes up a lot of sites. There’s 10 million people in my timezone so I just leave it.
It’ll also be wrong in every application you run in your browser. Even local sites.
Yeah I tried this as well and royally fucked myself. Not worth it.
Yes.
