---
title: "AliExpress Suspected of Hidden Audio Tracking: Browser Launched Invisible Audio Processes for Device Fingerprinting"
description: "A developer discovered that AliExpress launches invisible audio processes through the browser to build a digital fingerprint of the device. The Brave browser already blocks such scripts."
date: 2026-08-25T00:03:17.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/aliexpress-hidden-audio-tracking-browser
tags: [aliexpress, audio-tracking, browser-fingerprinting, web-audio-api, privacy, brave]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# AliExpress Suspected of Hidden Audio Tracking: Browser Launched Invisible Audio Processes for Device Fingerprinting

## 🎯 Key Points

- A developer noticed a Bluetooth headphone glitch while the AliExpress tab was open and found in the code the use of the Web Audio API with zero-volume audio graphs.
- The detected mechanism can be used for audio fingerprinting and is supplemented by Canvas, WebGL, WebRTC, and hardware configuration data.
- The Brave browser announced on August 22 that it blocks the corresponding scripts; in other browsers, protection can be enabled via uBlock Origin, which may affect site functionality.

The AliExpress platform has found itself at the center of a technical investigation into the covert collection of data about users' devices. According to information reported by TechSpot, the site appears to use an audio tracking mechanism that allows it to gather unique device characteristics directly through the browser. To do this, audio processes are launched that operate without any audible sound signal, and the data obtained may be combined with other parameters to form a persistent digital fingerprint of the device. The investigation began with an everyday glitch that a developer noticed while working with the site.

### How a Headphone Glitch Exposed the Hidden Tracker

The trigger for the investigation was a problem with Bluetooth headphones: with the AliExpress tab open, the devices could not correctly switch from the computer to the smartphone, whereas after closing the page the issue disappeared. After analyzing the site's source code, the developer found that the site uses the Web Audio API to create so-called audio graphs operating at zero volume. The user hears no sound, but the browser continues to process the audio signal and connects to the computer's system audio subsystem — which, according to experts, is exactly what affected the Bluetooth headphones.

### The Mechanism: Invisible Sound and a Digital Fingerprint

The detected activity is not related to ordinary multimedia playback. Because the audio graph operated at a zero gain level and was connected directly to the system audio output, simply muting the tab was not enough to stop signal processing. The same mechanism, experts note, can be used for audio fingerprinting — a technology that identifies a device based on small differences in how the same audio signal is processed. The result is influenced by the processor, audio hardware, operating system, browser, and drivers, and the combination of these characteristics can form a persistent device identifier.

### Not Just Audio: The Full Set of Collected Data

The audio data, judging by the detected code, turned out to be only part of the information that AliExpress scripts may have been collecting. The list also included information related to Canvas and WebGL rendering, display settings, hardware configuration, WebRTC activity, and user actions. The combination of these parameters allows building a more detailed device profile than would be possible using any single feature alone. Fingerprinting is widely used by internet services for fraud prevention, bot detection, and assessing suspicious activity; however, the problem is that users are generally unaware of such data collection and have virtually no way to control it.

### Brave's Response and Ways to Protect Yourself

The company Brave drew attention to what was happening: on August 22, it announced on the social network X that its browser, which protects users from fingerprinting by default, had detected and begun blocking AliExpress scripts responsible for audio tracking. Users of other browsers can also block such scripts using content filtering tools, such as the uBlock Origin extension; however, as TechSpot notes, this may affect the operation of certain site features. No official comment from AliExpress regarding the detected mechanism is provided in the available sources.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [News via link](https://3dnews.ru/1147324/aliexpress-zapodozrili-v-skritom-audiotrekinge-ustroystv-cherez-brauzer) - Описывает механизм Web Audio API, аудиофингерпринтинг, набор собираемых параметров и реакцию Brave 22 августа; ссылается на TechSpot.
- [Headphone glitch detected: AliExpress was covertly tracking users through the browser's audio system](https://zn.ua/TECHNOLOGIES/obnaruzhil-sboj-v-naushnikakh-aliexpress-skrytno-sledil-za-polzovateljami-cherez-audiosistemu-brauzera.html) - Совпадает по ключевым фактам: сбой Bluetooth-наушников, нулевая громкость аудиографов, блокировка в Brave.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How exactly did AliExpress collect audio data, according to the developer's findings?
**A:** The site used the Web Audio API to launch audio graphs at zero volume: the user heard no sound, but the browser continued to process the signal and connect to the system audio subsystem.

### Q: Why didn't muting the tab stop the process?
**A:** Because the audio graph operated at a zero gain level and was connected directly to the system audio output, so signal processing continued independently of the tab's volume.

### Q: What is audio fingerprinting and what is it used for?
**A:** It is a technology for identifying a device based on differences in how the same audio signal is processed; the result is influenced by the processor, audio hardware, OS, browser, and drivers, which allows forming a persistent identifier.

### Q: What other data, besides audio, could the scripts have been collecting?
**A:** According to the detected code, information on Canvas, WebGL, display settings, hardware configuration, WebRTC activity, and user actions was also being collected.

### Q: How can you protect yourself from such tracking?
**A:** The Brave browser blocks such scripts by default, while in other browsers you can use content filtering tools, such as uBlock Origin, although this may affect the operation of certain AliExpress features.