Anonymity checkers
coveryourtracks.eff.org
Cover Your Tracks evaluates tracker protection and browser fingerprinting, then produces a report for the user. The provider also says the test anonymously logs browser and device information, while partial protection does not prevent tracking by IP addresses or other means. That distinction matters when deciding what the report can establish and what data the test uses. People comparing browser privacy checks may find the test’s scope and data terms useful to examine.
Editorial review based on public sources, without hands-on testing; facts checked on 2026-10-31.
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- coveryourtracks.eff.org
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- Anonymity checkers
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- coveryourtracks.eff.org · No link provided
- Facts checked
Check what the browser report covers
The provider’s about and learn pages describe the test and report, checked on 2026-10-31.
- Tool: browser privacy testing tool and research project, according to the about page.
- Assessment: tracker protection and fingerprinting, according to the service page.
- Report: tracker protections and browser fingerprinting, according to the about page.
- Browser view: an overview of identifying characteristics visible to trackers, according to the service page.
Find the service’s stated charge
The provider describes Cover Your Tracks as a browser privacy testing tool and research project. The service page describes a browser assessment, and the about page explains the research project.
The service is framed around testing browser protection and generating a report.
See which browser signals appear
The provider says the report shows identifying browser characteristics, with logged information including the user agent string, HTTP ACCEPT headers, screen resolution, and color depth. Those details indicate which browser and display signals enter the test’s account of uniqueness; the provider says it logs browser and device information to measure that uniqueness.
The provider also describes browser fingerprinting as difficult to detect and extremely difficult to thwart. A report of identifying characteristics is therefore a view of signals, not a statement that the browser is anonymous.
Ask support about data and access
Before using the assessment, ask how the provider handles anonymous logging and which information appears in a report. The provider says browser and device information is logged anonymously, and identifies several signal types, so clarify how those terms apply to the test.
Ask what happens to test information after the assessment and whether any access or setup conditions apply.
Follow the simulated tracker test
The provider says the test simulates trackers and assesses protection by whether they load. If simulated trackers load but their cookies are blocked, the test reports partial protection. This makes the result depend on both tracker loading and cookie blocking, rather than treating those outcomes as interchangeable.
The provider describes blockers as cross-referencing lists of tracking scripts and blocking matching items from loading. It also says anonymous test results are used to generate uniqueness results for other users. The test thus combines a simulated loading check with the use of anonymous results in its research.
Account for the test’s stated limits
The provider’s own explanations set boundaries on what a protection result means: partial protection does not prevent tracking by IP addresses and other means. The provider also cautions that advanced tracking techniques may still gather information when trackers are blocked.
- The provider says browser fingerprinting is difficult to detect and extremely difficult to thwart.
- The provider says Privacy Badger or Disconnect block some, but not all, domains that try to fingerprint users.
- The provider says disabling JavaScript can reduce fingerprint information but break websites and limit functionality.
- The provider says Incognito Mode was not intended to prevent remote sites or trackers from identifying users, and that Chrome’s Incognito Mode does not protect against trackers or fingerprinters.
Several details are missing; they are listed under What we could not confirm.
Use the report to check browser privacy
The provider describes the assessment as a way to check tracker protection and fingerprinting, then view browser characteristics visible to trackers.
- A report brings tracker protection and fingerprinting into one browser assessment, according to the service.
- The browser-characteristics overview gives readers a view of what trackers may see, as described by the provider.
- The provider says users can compare the effects of protection methods.
- The simulated tracker test bases its assessment on whether trackers load.
These features make the report useful for examining a browser’s visibility and the test’s specific assessment method. They do not establish that a browser is anonymous or that every tracking method is covered; check the stated limits before treating a result as conclusive.
Compare browser checks by scope
When comparing browser privacy checkers, look at which signals they report, how they test protection, and how they handle test data. In general, a result is easier to interpret when the method explains what it measures and distinguishes partial protection from stronger outcomes. Consider whether the report states its limits and makes clear what its findings do not establish.
Match the report to a browser privacy question
Cover Your Tracks is framed by its provider as a browser privacy assessment and research project, with a stated goal of balancing privacy and convenience. That scope fits questions about browser characteristics and protection methods, rather than questions about whether a user is anonymous.
The provider identifies Tor Browser and Brave as browsers built to thwart fingerprinting. Its learn page also describes Tor Browser as a practical option for reducing browser fingerprintability. Read those descriptions as the provider’s guidance, not as a result of the Cover Your Tracks test. Check that the report’s scope matches the browser question you want answered.
What we could not confirm
- Pricing: plan charges and billing terms
- Trial: availability and conditions
- Refunds: eligibility and process
- Support: contact channels and response times
- Integrations: supported services and connections
- Setup: requirements for access or use
Questions about the browser test
What does the project test?
The project tests browser uniqueness and tracker protection, according to the provider’s description. Its report covers tracker protections and browser fingerprinting. This identifies the assessment’s subject, but does not make the result a statement that the browser is anonymous.
How does the test assess tracker blocking?
The test simulates trackers and assesses protection according to whether they load, the provider says. When simulated trackers load but their cookies are blocked, the result is partial protection. The result therefore distinguishes blocked cookies from trackers that do not load.
What does anonymous data mean here?
The provider states that the site collects only anonymous data. It also says browser and device information is anonymously logged to measure browser uniqueness. Anonymous test results are used to generate uniqueness results for other users, according to the about page.
How did the project get its name?
EFF says it launched the project as Panopticlick in 2010 to investigate browser uniqueness. The about page says the project was rebranded and launched as Cover Your Tracks in 2020. These dates describe the project’s naming history, not a change in the test’s current report.
What does the provider say about fingerprinting protection?
The provider describes Tor Browser as a practical option for reducing browser fingerprintability. Its learn page also identifies Tor Browser and Brave as browsers built to thwart fingerprinting. These are the provider’s browser descriptions; the report itself assesses browser fingerprinting.
Settle the data terms before testing
Fits if… a browser assessment and research project answer your question, and you accept the provider’s description of anonymous browser and device logging.
Probably not if… you need the report to establish anonymity or rule out tracking through IP addresses and other means.
Main risk… reading a partial-protection result as broader assurance than the test provides. Before running it, decide whether the provider’s data terms and the report’s stated limits suit your purpose.
Sources
These public pages are the basis of the facts above; next to each is the date it was read.
- coveryourtracks.eff.orgchecked
- coveryourtracks.eff.org/aboutchecked
- coveryourtracks.eff.org/learnchecked
How this page was prepared
Editorial team of Funnel Notebook. Source-based work: each fact comes from a page listed above, read on 2026-10-31 by the Funnel Notebook editors. There was no hands-on testing. The page is updated when the sources change.
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