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Web sites are keeping tracks even if I clear cookies and cache
Hi everyone,
I set up my Firefox for Android to delete cookies and cache when I click on "Close".
I was happy with it but I realized several months ago than websites as leboncoin.fr, amazon.fr, decathlon.fr (yes i'm french), didn't keep me loged in but remember what I had looked for and where I was. This problem is permanent.
I don't have this problem with Firefox for Windows.
So it seems something is nor cleared from the app when I close it.
Thank you very much for your help !
All Replies (20)
Hi
Do you have those websites set as bookmarks in Firefox for Android?
Hi Paul,
No, I haven't. But I am not sure it would change something.
So, no idea about that ?
Is it possible that it is a bug ?
Whatever it is for me a big problem in the app that is for me the teference in ethics privacy and security.
Any contribution welcomed
What level of enhanced tracking protection do you have set in Firefox for Android?
Thank you for your interest.
I use "personalized" with all third cookies, in every tab, crypto mining, finger print tracker, redirection tracker, no exception.
I use decentraleyes, privacy possum and ublock origin too.
Thanks !
Hi everybody,
I'm quite surprised of the lack of interest about this subject that should be a major concern about security and privacy, or am I missing something ?
Thank's a lot !
I think I know what might be happening.
I think you you have cleared history correctly, but the sites are being suggestted by the autocomplete feature.
Can you try turning this off in the Search settings?
Hi Paul,
Thank's a lot for your interest.
That's not an autocompletion or an historic issue. When I navigate on some websites, they don't remember who I am (I'm not logged), but they remember what I looked for or bought when i am not logged in.
I hope I explained it better....
That suggests that it is not Firefox for Android that is retaining your history, but your user account with that website.
Hi Paul,
That is indeed the website who retain my history, but all the question is, how can the website recognise me. I'm not loged in and all my cookies and other trackers are normaly cleared. Moreover I have not this problem when I use Firefox for Windows.
So I still have not a clue...
Hi,
If websites are signed out after you close and come back in, then the cookies & cache are being cleared.
It's possible your device has been fingerprinted in their database and whenever any recognizable information comes in, recommendations start flowing.
If you:
- Change your Enhanced Tracking Protection to the "Strict" profile
- Close the app and allow all data to be deleted
- Reopen the app and navigate to a website you mentioned
Do you still see familiar recommendations? Your personalized Enhanced Tracking Protection profile might still be letting some identifiable information through.
Hi Spencer,
Thank you very much for your help.
I thought my personalized profile is more restrictive than the "Strict" profile but what you suggest make sense and seems a good way to test.
So I changed my parameters to the "Strict" profile, I "manually" cleared all cookies, cache and sites permissions, closed and reopend the app, two time to be sure.
Guess what, a website still remember my precedents researches....(leboncoin.fr)
I really don't understand how it is possible.
Now this can be 2-fold. It sounds like tightening down the browser security helped anonymize you further.
However, you could now also be seeing search suggestions powered by the browser. Have you already gone into your search settings within Mozilla and disabled the suggestions?
Hi,
I'm sorry but I'm not sure to understand what you mean.
That not Firefox who remember my history but the website itself.
If it is not Firefox that is remembering your history, then it is a feature of the website that you are using.
That's indeed what it looks like and what I say since the beginning (but maybe I am missing something). So the question is still : how the website recognize me when I use Firefox for Android and apparently clear everything ?
This is something better asked of the websites - looking at the sites I believe that you are covered by GDPR and the websites are obligated to explain how your data is being processed.
That is a good question too. But I think that one of Firefox main purpose is precisely to avoid a blinded trust to websites and I prefer that they can't track me rather than they just say they don't.
So I can ask the websites why and how they do that but I ask Firefox why it is possible too.
Moreover the problem doesn't seemed happening with Firefox for Windows...
If you are not signed into the website and have cleared your browsing history - the website will not know who you are unless they are using some kind of IP and User-Agent (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/User-Agent) tracking.
If cookies and history was not being cleared, it would have been an issue that would have been picked and dealt with swiftly by our developers and would be widely known. The only thing I can think of is something on the website side and we cannot help with that.
One other random though is - are you syncing browser history with another copy of Firefox?
Thank you for your suggestion.
I don't sync my history on my Firefox account and the problem really doesn't seem relative to browser history. How will it be ?
I thought about IP address or other tracking method. But I don't have a personnal IP and I frequently use a VPN without any change. I don't see any other tracking method that resist to my parameters after clearing. And if it weren't something depending of the browser, I will be tracked in Firefox for Windows too and it is not the case.
Something else interesting to note, I have not the problem in secret navigation or with firefox focus.
Actually, I don't understand how it is possible.