SONIC FOOTPRINTS OF WEB TRACKING

 Web tracking is found on 90% of common websites. It facilitates online behavior analysis which can reveal insights into sensitive personal data of an individual. Most users are not aware of the amount of web tracking happening in the background. We present an interactive demonstration of web tracker sonification which is designed to promote awareness for online privacy issues by disclosing the amount of web tracking through sound. While the user is browsing the web, data exchanged with web tracking hosts is transformed into sonic events.

In the demonstration, users can try out different websites testing several browsers, with and without ad blocking addons, and compare the different sonic experiences. Additionally, we provide a Wi-Fi access point to which users can connect with their mobile devices so they can listen to the data transferred to third-party tracking providers from their own devices. This demonstration aims to spark discussion not only regarding the sonification design, but to widen the discourse into a critical reflection of online privacy and surveillance issues.