GoKawiilAliExpress used silent Web Audio API scripts to fingerprint visitors' devices
Researchers discovered that AliExpress's homepage runs hidden, inaudible audio-processing code tied to Alibaba's security systems, which measures how a device's hardware handles an audio signal to create a unique fingerprint without cookies. The behavior was uncovered by a developer whose Bluetooth headphones failed to switch between devices while an AliExpress tab stayed open, since the silent audio graph kept the system's audio path active even when muted. The same scripts reportedly also collected canvas, WebGL, and hardware configuration data as part of a broader tracking setup.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
As browsers and regulators crack down on cookie-based tracking, companies are turning to harder-to-detect methods like audio and hardware fingerprinting that operate below the user's awareness and consent controls. This case shows how such techniques can have real side effects, like interfering with other hardware, while raising fresh privacy concerns about covert tracking baked into everyday shopping sites.
- AliExpress ran silent, zero-volume audio processes to build device fingerprints without using cookies.
- The hidden audio activity interfered with Bluetooth headphone switching, which is how it was discovered.
- The tracking script also collected canvas, WebGL, and hardware data, suggesting a multi-layered fingerprinting system.
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Published there as: “AliExpress was silently running audio in your browser to fingerprint and track your device”
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