Device Fingerprinting by News Media Websites in EU: An analysis of data taken in 3 different point of times
Author
Bano, Fakhira
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-09-30
Pages
113
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan nyhedsmedier i EU indsamler publikumsdata efter indførelsen af GDPR. Fokus er på device fingerprinting, en metode der kombinerer oplysninger fra brugerens browser og udstyr (fx skærmstørrelse, installerede skrifttyper og plugins) for at skabe en unik identifikator uden at bruge cookies. Med udgangspunkt i teorierne om publikum som vare og digitalt arbejde analyserer vi et stort datasæt indsamlet af Sørensen & Kosta (2019) fra flere websites på tre tidspunkter: juni 2018, februar 2019 og juni 2019. Vi vurderer, hvilke typer data der indsamles via fingerprinting, hvilke af de 28 europæiske lande der anvender fingerprinting i højere grad, og hvordan brugen ændrer sig over tid. Resultaterne viser, at nyhedsmedier fortsat anvender device fingerprinting efter GDPR. Samtidig er procentniveauet for identifikation af unikke device-fingeraftryk faldet fra juni 2018 til juni 2019 i 20 ud af 28 lande. Da udviklingen mellem de tre målepunkter er blandet, kan vi ikke konkludere, at GDPR er årsagen til faldet; andre forhold kan også spille ind.
This thesis examines how EU news media companies collect audience data after the introduction of the GDPR. It focuses on device fingerprinting, a technique that combines details from a user’s browser and hardware (such as screen size, installed fonts, and plugins) to create a unique identifier without using cookies. Guided by the theories of audience commodity and digital labor, we analyze a large dataset collected by Sørensen & Kosta (2019) from several websites at three points in time: June 2018, February 2019, and June 2019. We assess what kinds of data are gathered via fingerprinting, which of the 28 European countries show higher levels of fingerprinting, and how use changes over time. The results show that news media companies continue to use device fingerprinting after GDPR. At the same time, the percentage levels for identifying unique device fingerprints declined from June 2018 to June 2019 in 20 of the 28 countries. Because the trends between the three time points are mixed, we cannot conclude that GDPR caused this decline; other factors may also be involved.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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