Summary
An interactive article demonstrating how browser fingerprinting, hardware signatures, and cross-device tracking create identity anchors that blockchain analytics exploit. The article collects real data from the reader’s browser and weaves it into the narrative — personalizing the text with the reader’s actual fingerprint, GPU, timezone, screen resolution, etc. Includes interactive demos: fingerprint reveal, hardware signature (cross-browser), network signature (cross-device), QR-based cross-device linking, identity graph visualization, and zombie cookie resurrection.
Positioned as a “Stage 0” prequel to the published Anatomy of Exposure article — establishing that privacy is lost before the user ever touches a blockchain.
Audience
Primary: Privacy-conscious crypto users, blockchain developers, security researchers Secondary: General tech audience interested in surveillance/fingerprinting, journalists covering privacy
Key Angles
- Browser fingerprinting achieves ~1 in 8 billion uniqueness without cookies
- Hardware signatures (GPU, cores, screen, audio) persist across browsers — 99.24% cross-browser identification (Cao et al. 2017)
- Network signatures link all devices on the same WiFi with ~90% accuracy
- Zombie cookies resurrect from localStorage/IndexedDB after cookie clearing
- Identity graphs (LiveRamp: 200M+ people, 600M+ devices) feed chain analytics
- Full-stack privacy requires infrastructure change, not just transaction-level crypto
- Logos positioned as the systemic solution: Messaging, Storage, Blockchain
Interactive Elements
- Fingerprint Reveal — computes and displays reader’s canvas fingerprint
- Hardware Signature Panel — shows cross-browser stable signals (GPU, cores, screen, audio)
- Network Signature Panel — shows cross-device linking signals (timezone, language, region)
- Cross-Device QR Demo — scan with phone to see yourself get linked
- Identity Graph Visualization — step-through animation showing signal convergence
- Zombie Tracker Demo — plant/clear/resurrect a tracking cookie
- Full Exposure Panel — reveals all 20+ collected data points
Technical Notes
- Standalone HTML with React 18, Tailwind CSS, Babel (browser-side JSX)
- Jinho has validated interactivity works within the Logos Press Engine
- No server-side data collection — all fingerprinting runs client-side for demonstration
- QR code generation via qrcode.js library
Review Status
- Draft complete (standalone HTML)
- Press Engine integration validated (Jinho)
- Author review (Corey — in progress)
- Stakeholder review
- Published