What is Fingerprinting?

Fingerprinting is an attribution technique that tracking providers use to identify and distinguish users who interact with ads and with apps. A fingerprint is a collection of data that each device sends when connected to the internet. It includes, for instance:

• brand and model of the device
• the name and version of the installed OS
• the device language
• the location
• IP address
• the carrier that the device is connected to

A fingerprint is anonymous and, therefore, compliant with data privacy regulations. On the downside, it is not 100% accurate. Thus, it is usually only used as a fallback method when more precise tracking methods like device ID tracking do not work.