With the increasing prevalence of automated digital advertising operations, many advertising platforms are not only focusing on ad content, but also on aspects such as who is running the ads, where they are being run from, and whether the ads are compliant. 

For instance, some platforms have developed browser fingerprinting technology to identify advertisers and their device environments, resulting in the suspension of numerous advertiser accounts.

Today, we will explain how platforms identify advertisers through browser fingerprinting from the perspectives of principles, composition, application scenarios, and more.

1. What is Browser Fingerprinting?

Browser fingerprinting is not a single technology, but a method of generating a set of reference information by collecting various characteristics of the browser and device. Unlike cookies, browser fingerprinting does not rely on locally stored data; instead, it identifies users and devices by collecting information generated when they access web pages.

Therefore, even if users clear cookies or use incognito mode, their browser fingerprints may remain relatively stable. From the perspective of advertising platforms, browser fingerprints are more like environmental profiles, used to determine whether different access behaviors originate from the same device or operator.

2. What Information Does Browser Fingerprinting Typically Include?

Advertising platforms do not rely on a single parameter to identify advertisers; instead, they build fingerprint models by combining multiple types of information, which commonly include the following categories:

1. Browser and System Information

• Browser type and version (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)

• Operating system and version (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, etc.)

• User-Agent string

Although this information is not unique, it can serve as a basic screening criterion.

2. Device and Hardware Characteristics

• Screen resolution and color depth

• Number of CPU cores and memory size (accessible in some browsers)

• GPU model and graphics rendering parameters

In particular, the rendering results returned by interfaces such as Canvas, WebGL, and AudioContext often have subtle differences due to hardware variations, which is a crucial part of browser fingerprinting.

3. Browser Function and Configuration Differences

• Enabled browser features

• Supported font list

• Installed plugin or extension characteristics

• Time zone, language settings, and regional format

The combination of these configurations forms highly distinctive identifying information.

4. Network and Behavioral Signals

• IP address range and its historical changes

• Proxy, VPN, and cloud server characteristics

• Request frequency, operation rhythm, and page interaction patterns

Advertising platforms usually combine static fingerprints with dynamic behaviors for analysis to improve identification accuracy.

3. Why Do Advertising Platforms Need to Identify Advertisers?

Browser fingerprinting is not specifically designed for user tracking; in the advertising ecosystem, it is mainly used for risk control and compliance management of users. Its primary purposes include:

1. Preventing Multi-Account Violations

On most advertising platforms (such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, etc.), a single entity is typically allowed to have a limited number of advertising accounts. If the same operator attempts to bypass account suspensions, repeatedly register new accounts, or bulk-run gray-market or non-compliant ads using multiple accounts, platforms need browser fingerprinting to determine whether these accounts originate from the same environment.

2. Identifying Abnormal Advertising Behaviors

Examples include creating a large number of ad accounts in a short period, using highly similar ad creatives and landing pages, and rapidly switching logins between different accounts. If these behaviors come from highly similar browser fingerprints, platforms will often classify them as associated operations (i.e., one user controlling multiple accounts).

3. Establishing Advertiser Risk Profiles

Advertising platforms conduct risk grading for advertisers based on historical advertising records, violation frequency, account correlation, and other factors. Browser fingerprinting plays a role in assisting the judgment of whether accounts are associated with each other.

4. How Do Advertising Platforms Use Browser Fingerprinting for Identification?

Advertising platforms do not simply suspend accounts immediately upon detecting identical fingerprints; instead, they use a multi-layer logical model. At the most basic level, they analyze fingerprint similarity—for example, platforms usually calculate the similarity between multiple parameters rather than requiring an exact match. 

A similarity rate of over 80% combined with highly consistent core hardware characteristics, coupled with overlapping behavioral patterns, will increase the probability of determining that the accounts belong to the same operator.

Sometimes, advertising platforms also conduct long-term comparisons between the current access environment and historical account login records, rather than making judgments based on a single access behavior. High-risk accounts often enter a manual review process, where they are first screened by the system and then reviewed manually to reduce misjudgments.

5. What Does Browser Fingerprinting Mean for Advertisers?

• Compliant advertisers need not panic excessively: For advertisers who abide by platform rules and run ads normally, the existence of browser fingerprinting will not have a negative impact. The core goal of platforms is not to limit the number of advertisers, but to reduce abuse and fraudulent activities.

• Non-standard operations are more likely to be associated: If advertisers manage a large number of accounts using the same device, frequently change IP addresses without altering the environment, or quickly re-register after account suspension, browser fingerprinting will significantly increase the risk of detection and association.

• Environmental consistency is becoming increasingly important: Modern advertising platforms pay more attention to whether the advertising environment is stable, whether operational behaviors are natural, and whether account behaviors are consistent over the long term. Simply changing IP addresses or clearing cookies is no longer sufficient to evade platform risk control systems.

6. How Can Multi-Account Advertisers Avoid Detection via Browser Fingerprinting?

Currently, the only solution to this problem is to use an anti-detection browser, and MostLogin Fingerprint Browser is an excellent choice. It not only helps users set high-precision browser fingerprints for independent windows but also supports batch opening of multiple browser windows, each with a unique environment configured for individual accounts.

By protecting accounts in this way, we can make our advertising accounts much more secure. In addition to setting up independent environments for ad accounts, MostLogin Fingerprint Browser also supports configuring proxy IPs for individual windows, as well as team collaboration features and automation operations—protecting account security while improving overall efficiency.

7. Additional Features of MostLogin Fingerprint Browser

• Isolated Browser Environments: Each ad account runs in an independent window with a unique Canvas, WebGL, User Agent, screen resolution, and font fingerprint, ensuring that account operations do not interfere with each other and reducing the risk of account suspension.

• Independent Cookie and Cache Management: Cookies, cache, and local storage are completely isolated between windows, avoiding data cross-contamination and ensuring the accuracy of ad testing and delivery results.

• Advanced Proxy Management: MostLogin supports assigning independent proxy IPs to each account, hiding the real IP address, simulating different geographical locations, breaking through regional restrictions, and maintaining long-term security.

• Multi-Account Matrix Management: A single device can manage multiple ad accounts simultaneously, with each account operating as if it were on an independent physical device—ideal for large-scale ad delivery and team collaboration.

• Team Collaboration and Centralized Management: MostLogin supports role-based access control and secure sharing of browser configurations, enabling teams to efficiently manage accounts, ad campaigns, and delivery processes while tracking operational accountability.

• Automated Delivery Support: Compatible with tools such as Puppeteer, Playwright, and Selenium, each automated task maintains an independent fingerprint and proxy, enabling secure batch ad operations and data collection.

FAQ

What is the Fundamental Difference Between Browser Fingerprinting and Cookies?

Cookies are locally stored data that users can clear. In contrast, browser fingerprints are generated based on device and environmental characteristics. Even if cookies are cleared or incognito mode is used, fingerprints may remain highly consistent, making them much harder to evade.

Do Advertising Platforms Really Suspend Accounts Based on Browser Fingerprinting?

Platforms usually do not suspend accounts solely based on browser fingerprinting; instead, they make comprehensive judgments by combining account behavior, IP addresses, historical records, and other dimensions. Browser fingerprinting is primarily used to identify associations between accounts.

Which Advertising Platforms Use Browser Fingerprinting Technology?

Including but not limited to mainstream platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, and TikTok Ads—all of which use browser fingerprinting to varying degrees as part of their risk control and compliance assessment processes.