Local Storage - The New Way of Tracking What You Do Online
Google recently announced that third-party cookies (cookies which are used to track you by other websites or companies than the website you visit) will disappear in Chrome by 2022. Unfortunately, this does not mean the end of our tracking online, but the rise of alternative tracking methods, such as local storage.
What is local storage and why is it used?
As the name indicates, local storage is a development method for storing user data locally on your device via the browser. This is achieved by using specific commands while developing a website and it can keep access to the data even after the browser is closed. The main reason why local storage is used is to store user data for performance reasons (e.g. faster access to functionalities for users). This technology has existed for quite some time and is not the only one; IndexedDB and WebSQL are similar technologies that store data locally today.
Why should we worry about it?
Local storage can pose a high risk on data security, as it can be used to store sensitive personal data and user information without us knowing anything about it. While cookies need to be clearly documented in a cookie consent policy, there is no such regulation (yet) for local storage. Also, as it is only accessible by developers building the website we are visiting, it is impossible for the regular end-user of a website to see which of their data has been tracked using local storage. Another difference worth considering is the size of information local storage can store; while regular cookies can only store up to 4KB of data, local storage can go up to 5MB - practically meaning 1250 times more data! Last but not least, while cookies have an expiration date, local storage doesn’t; your data remains available practically forever to the website or app you’re using. All in all, local storage is much less known and much less regulated than cookies!
How can I see if a website uses local storage to store my data?
There is no direct way to see if a website uses local storage to store your data, but you can clear your browser cache regularly to delete your personal information as a preventive measure. At Dataplug, we have developed a new functionality in our browser extension to show you if a website uses local storage and how much personal data is stored.
You can download our free BETA version here:
Sources:
https://blog.logrocket.com/the-complete-guide-to-using-localstorage-in-javascript-apps-ba44edb53a36/
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/What-is-the-difference-between-local-storage-vs-cookies#:~:text=Local%20Storage%20is%20available%20for,expiration%20date%20in%20local%20storage.&text=Local%20Storage%20is%20for%20client,as%20well%20as%20server%20side.
https://medium.com/swlh/cookies-vs-localstorage-whats-the-difference-d99f0eb09b44
https://www.cookiebot.com/en/google-third-party-cookies/?fbclid=IwAR0duNrUEKHZDK8jr4sTuJ0hgHJMCbcfb1AM1kGMjmWIAPtzs-kko6S_4YQ
