How to Hide Your Real Location and Fingerprint Your Browser Like a Pro

Tools & Scripts
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Short Introduction

This guide combines two powerful browser privacy topics: how to spoof your location using the Cloaq extension, and how browser fingerprinting works across Firefox and Tor. Together, these methods help you stay private online by masking both your geolocation and digital fingerprint—key data points that websites use to track you.

Simplified One-Line Flowchart

Install Cloaq ➔ Match browser location with VPN ➔ Test fingerprint across browsers ➔ Understand what stands out

Part 1: Spoof Your Location to Match Your VPN

Step 1: Install the Cloaq Extension

Step 2: Choose Your Region and Settings

  • You can spoof:
    • Geolocation: set latitude/longitude to match your VPN.
    • Timezone: adjust your browser clock to match.
    • Locale: override language/region preferences.

Step 3: Sync with Your VPN

  • Select a Cloaq location that matches your VPN’s IP address region.
  • This prevents websites from detecting mismatches like “IP says Germany, but browser shows USA.”

Step 4: Use It for Privacy or Testing

  • Bypass geo-restrictions or test region-specific website content.
  • Prevent browser-based location leaks when using VPN.

Optional: View or audit the extension’s code on GitHub:
https://github.com/www1z4rd/cloaq

Part 2: Understand Fingerprinting Across Browsers

Step 1: What Is a Browser Fingerprint?

  • A combination of data (screen size, fonts, language, hardware, etc.) used to uniquely identify your browser.
  • Tools like https://vytal.io and https://fingerprintjs.com scan and show your fingerprint hash.

Step 2: Why Firefox and Tor May Show the Same Hash

  • If both browsers share similar settings (screen size, language, extensions), they may generate the same fingerprint.
  • That doesn’t mean fingerprinting is broken—it just means their data profiles are similar.

Step 3: Test Your Fingerprint Properly

  • Change one variable at a time (e.g., browser width or user agent) and reload the scan.
  • If the fingerprint hash stays the same, the site may be using a limited or non-robust method of fingerprinting.

Step 4: Why Cloaq Helps

  • Tools like Vytal might reveal mismatches between your IP location and browser location.
  • Cloaq fixes that by aligning your browser’s metadata with your VPN location, reducing fingerprint mismatches.

Step 5: Dig Deeper with Source Code

  • Some fingerprinting sites may not disclose exactly what data they use.
  • Reviewing the client-side JavaScript and API interactions can help if you’re technically inclined.

Quick Tips

  • Always match VPN and browser timezone to avoid red flags.
  • Don’t mix fingerprint-hardening tools unless you know what you’re doing—they may conflict.
  • If you use Tor, don’t change its default settings. That defeats its anti-fingerprint design.
  • Testing on multiple devices (desktop vs. laptop) may show different results—even with similar setups.

Important Notes

  • Cloaq works only on Chromium-based browsers like Chrome, Brave, and Edge. Firefox support is planned.
  • Fingerprinting is never perfect—the goal is to blend in, not to be invisible.
  • Vytal’s fingerprint hash is not reliable for deep privacy auditing; treat it as a surface-level scan.
  • Using identical configurations across different browsers may still result in different fingerprints due to subtle defaults and rendering behavior.
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