Brave Browser Makes GPU Fingerprinting Harder With New Privacy Protections

Brave has announced that with version 1.93, the browser now masks detailed GPU information exposed through WebGL and WebGPU. The protections are enabled by default across desktop and Android. Brave says the rollout will happen gradually over the next several days.

Brave is cutting off another fingerprinting signal

WebGL and WebGPU help websites deliver accelerated graphics and interactive experiences. They can also expose information about graphics hardware, drivers, and supported features. Trackers can combine those details with other signals to create a browser fingerprint.

Brave says its small web crawl found many websites using these graphics APIs primarily for fingerprinting. GPU information can be especially useful because users rarely change their graphics hardware. That makes these signals potentially stable across long periods.

The browser now replaces WebGL vendor and renderer strings with one generic value. Brave also removes WebGPU adapter details and randomizes WebGL extension lists. Those changes should make it harder for trackers to create reliable identifiers from graphics hardware.

Brave wants stronger privacy without breaking websites

The company tested these protections through its Nightly and Beta channels before beginning the wider rollout. Brave says its approach aims to preserve website functionality while reducing the information available to trackers.

If a website does break, users can disable the graphics protections for that specific site. Brave also allows users to disable fingerprinting protection or Shields entirely. The company says it can adjust protections when compatibility problems appear.

Brave is not stopping with the current changes. The company plans to randomize WebGPU’s supported extensions in a future update. Moreover, users can also check their exposed graphics information through EFF’s Cover Your Tracks tool