Fingerprint Tracking is part of the Next Generation Tracking System (NGTS). The NGTS’s goal is to track browser installations on their journey through the internet. To achieve this task the NGTS is capable of multiple tracking methods. Tracking by fingerprint represents one method of the repertoire.

The fingerprint refers to web browser’s fingerprint. Every browser exposes numerous characteristics. The sum of these characteristics is called the browser’s fingerprint. In contrast to the human fingerprint it is nor necessarily unique but unique enough to tack approximately every user on the web. This tracking technique works on server-side and can not be removed from the client like cookies.

This project is aimed to find methods to extract the target’s characteristics and their information gain for the tracking. Onto the information gathering an infrastructure is built to transport, process and store the fingerprints. This infrastructure is designed efficient, distributable and extendable. In addition to that, the storage of the fingerprints requires to be balanced between access time and memory consumption.

The current project has analyzed various characteristics and is examining their benefit for tracking. The infrastructure is currently working and offers basic functions for transportation and storing. The fingerprints’ analysis is currently at the beginning.

Technologies in use are web technologies, business applications, data bases, complex event processing, message buses, data mining.

NGTS and fingerprint tracking is a joint research project together with Media Decision GmbH.