do websites recognise my computer?

tuisginideach

I am very ignorant of IT so if you can't bear ignorance pls leave now

Anecdotally I have heard that if I look up a Ryanair flight on my desktop, and then look at the same flights later/ a day later etc - the flight cost will have risen as their system recognises my computer. I am looking at car hire now (not with Ryanair) and the cost seems to have risen substantially in the past few days - is that because the website I am looking at once again recognises my computer (or my IP address if that's the right terminology)? If I log on from another desktop in the same house will I be unrecognisable?:)

Many thanks

I hang a little Kerry flag from the aerial so they recognise it amongst all the other computers.

But yes, I guess cookies or something means they track your interests, I always seem to get ads for weekend breaks in hotels.

mattaiuseire

You can delete cookies and temporary internet files by going to your settings in your internet browser.

endofrainbow

tuisginideach wrote: »

I am very ignorant of IT so if you can't bear ignorance pls leave now

Anecdotally I have heard that if I look up a Ryanair flight on my desktop, and then look at the same flights later/ a day later etc - the flight cost will have risen as their system recognises my computer. I am looking at car hire now (not with Ryanair) and the cost seems to have risen substantially in the past few days - is that because the website I am looking at once again recognises my computer (or my IP address if that's the right terminology)? If I log on from another desktop in the same house will I be unrecognisable?:)

Many thanks

Might it be because the less expensive fare buckets have sold out and only more expensive fares are left? Cookies can track but why would websites increase their fares on spec - ultimately they want you to book and one is more likely to book if the fare is lower......

strelok

https://panopticlick.eff.org/tracker

dm09

tuisginideach wrote: »

I am very ignorant of IT so if you can't bear ignorance pls leave now

Anecdotally I have heard that if I look up a Ryanair flight on my desktop, and then look at the same flights later/ a day later etc - the flight cost will have risen as their system recognises my computer. I am looking at car hire now (not with Ryanair) and the cost seems to have risen substantially in the past few days - is that because the website I am looking at once again recognises my computer (or my IP address if that's the right terminology)? If I log on from another desktop in the same house will I be unrecognisable?:)

Many thanks

Websites (Servers) can recognise your previous activity by reading cookies stored on your computer. It has not been definitively proven whether companies alter the price based on your previous searches. To rule it out though open a 'private browsing' session or Incognito mode if you're using Chrome. Also if you have access to a VPN client or proxy try using that to look up prices

Edit: Also fare is based on availability so you would expect the price to change from day to day hour to hour depending on demmand

Boskowski

Yes websites can recognise your computer. I'm not well versed in that particular area of IT but apparently its a big thing in advertising to come up with something like a unique 'fingerprint' for every browser/computer. And then there are the more straightforward things like cookies etc.

Whether there's a connection between that and your quotes going up I don't know. Possible though.

cnocbui

You can be tracked by websites setting cookies on your computer, they can also note your IP address, though this is less common.

If you use Firefox you can get an add-on called Self Destructing Cookies. When you leave a website it will delete any cookies that were created. It is quite brilliant. You can white-list sites so cookies are retained.

With every Internet Service Provider I have used, you can just turn your router off and then on again and you will get a different/new IP address.

All that being said, I doubt tracking was the cause of the ticket prices going up. It's more likely that other people also looking for flights booked the cheaper ones you were looking at. I have had the exact same thing happen to me

The_Valeyard

cnocbui wrote: »

You can be tracked by websites setting cookies on your computer, they can also note your IP address, though this is less common.

If you use Firefox you can get an add-on called Self Destructing Cookies. When you leave a website it will delete any cookies that were created. It is quite brilliant. You can white-list sites so cookies are retained.

With every Internet Service Provider I have used, you can just turn your router off and then on again and you will get a different/new IP address.

All that being said, I doubt tracking was the cause of the ticket prices going up. It's more likely that other people also looking for flights booked the cheaper ones you were looking at. I have had the exact same thing happen to me

Unless you use a vpn or proxy, think the IP address is static, so turning off the router nowadays wont help anymore.

tuisginideach

Thank you all very much for your replies - and I realise of course that I have heard of, and known about, cookies for a long time but in my ignorance I forgot that that's exactly what they have been doing!

Much appreciated.

tuisginideach

Thank you all very much for your replies - and I realise of course that I have heard of, and known about, cookies for a long time but in my ignorance I forgot that that's exactly what they have been doing!

Much appreciated.

sheesh

kind of yes

cookies from previous usage of the site, if you are logged into social media can sometimes be used.

cnocbui

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Unless you use a vpn or proxy, think the IP address is static, so turning off the router nowadays wont help anymore.

As I said - for every ISP I have had: BT, Vodafone and now SKY. All of them have been dynamic for me and that is still the case now.

Maybe they are static if you have fibre, but I don't.

LaVail

I use an extension called ghostery for chrome along with ad-block and still clean my cookies and temp files regularly :cool:

ED E

Cookies are really only skimming the surface of it, your browser headers are a way more persistent fingerprint. IP is pretty inconsequential.

The Hill Billy

Grouch Marx spectacles, nose & moustache combo for your 'puter. Job done!

darkpagandeath

El Weirdo

[Deleted User] wrote: »

... I always seem to get ads for weekend breaks in hotels.

And the rest.

Paramite Pie

Bear in mind that prices always rise during the weekend as more people have free time to browse - not only creating more "demand" or interest -- but because people are more likely to book something on the weekend.

By mondays and tuesdays the price can come back down. I've noticed this with flights a lot.

Capt'n Midnight

Even without cookies your browser leaks information

check on https://panopticlick.eff.org/ and look at the Show full results for fingerprinting

Even if this matches other people's settings the odds of them looking for the same flight as yours is slim to none.

So yeah there are legit uses for Tor.


Supposedly cheapest flights are about six weeks before travel but all bets are off for fish in a barrel times like holidays and rugby / footy matches.