EchidnaFingerprints and personas
Every profile carries a persona: one believable device whose values agree with each other. Leave it on automatic unless you have a concrete reason to change something.
What a persona is
A persona is the device a profile presents to websites: its screen, processor cores, memory, graphics, fonts, audio and network characteristics. They are chosen together from one seed, so they agree with each other and stay the same every time the profile opens. The values that identify a device, such as the canvas, WebGL and audio signatures, are unique per profile and stable across launches.
A new fingerprint is issued when you create a profile. Fingerprints come from Echidna's servers, so creating a profile, choosing New fingerprint or duplicating as a New device needs an internet connection and a signed-in app. Existing profiles keep their fingerprint and don't need this.
Which device a profile presents
Profiles present as the same kind of computer you run Echidna on, so the real graphics and fonts that draw the page agree with the claimed device. You can't choose a different operating system.
| Your computer | Profiles present as |
|---|---|
| Mac | Chrome on a MacBook Air (Apple M1), a very common real configuration. The default screen is the MacBook Air's 1440 × 900. |
| Windows | A coherent Windows Chrome device. The WebGL graphics card reported is your computer's own, so it matches how pages actually render. |
See what websites see
Open a profile's Fingerprint tab. The What websites see section lists the values a site can read, with the profile's seed:
- Operating system, User-Agent and Client Hints brands
- CPU cores, device memory and screen resolution
- WebGL graphics card
- Timezone, geolocation and language
- WebRTC, location permission and Do Not Track
- Canvas, WebGL and audio (unique per profile, stable across launches)
Each value shows where it comes from: Custom (you set it), From proxy, This computer or Generated.
To test the real thing, press Run live check. Echidna opens the profile in the background and checks it.
Adjust values
Below that, the Adjust section lets you pin individual values. Anything left on automatic stays consistent with the rest of the device. Reset all to automatic undoes your changes.
| Setting | Options | Automatic means |
|---|---|---|
| Timezone | Any IANA timezone, e.g. Europe/Madrid | The proxy's timezone, or your computer's without a proxy |
| Geolocation | latitude, longitude, e.g. 40.4168, -3.7038 | Near the proxy's IP. Only reported when a site asks and the permission allows it |
| Language | A language tag, e.g. en-US | Your computer's languages (never the proxy's) |
| CPU cores | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 | Consistent with the device |
| Memory | 4 or 8 GB | Consistent with the device |
| Screen resolution | 1366×768, 1440×900, 1536×864, 1600×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440, 2560×1600, 3840×2160 | The persona's screen |
| WebRTC | Automatic (proxy IP), Proxy IP, Block non-proxied UDP, Real IP (not recommended) | The proxy's IP when the profile has a proxy |
| Location permission | Ask (like Chrome), Always allow, Always block | Ask |
| Do Not Track | Off (Chrome default), On | Off |
| GPU vendor, GPU renderer | Under Advanced: WebGL graphics card | The persona's graphics card |
Cores and memory have to form a real device: 4 GB goes with up to 2 cores, and 8 GB with up to 12. The screen resolution must be at least as large as the browser window.
Network characteristics
Each persona also has its own stable network quality, which the browser reports through navigator.connection and the matching client hints, so scripts and request headers agree.
Issue a new fingerprint
To make a profile look like a different device, close it and use New fingerprint in the Danger zone on its Advanced tab, or select several profiles and choose Tools… → New fingerprint….
- Cookies are deleted, because old logins on a new device can get flagged. Tick the “Keep cookies” option only if you know you need them.
- From 10 profiles on, you type the number to confirm.
- You can't type or pick a seed yourself; Echidna issues a new one.
To copy a profile as a different device instead, use Duplicate with New device.