What Is an Online Privacy Check?
An online privacy check is a set of browser tests that show the data every website can read from your connection and your device. It answers three questions: which IP address and location do websites see, does your VPN leak, and how unique is your browser? The check does not scan your files or your accounts. It only reads what any web page could read.
The data falls into three groups:
- Network identity: your public IP address, your internet service provider (ISP) and your rough location.
- Leaks: paths that reveal your real network even while a VPN or proxy is on, such as DNS, WebRTC and IPv6 leaks.
- Browser fingerprint: screen, hardware, language, time zone, canvas rendering and other details that together can recognize your browser without cookies.
Fingerprinting is not a theory. In the EFF's Panopticlick study, the browser fingerprint carried at least 18.1 bits of identifying information: for a random browser, at best one in 286,777 other browsers shared its fingerprint (Eckersley, 2010).
What Does an Online Privacy Check Test?
SpeedIQ groups its 18 privacy and network checks into Security, Fingerprint and Network. Each check runs only when you click it. Results stay in your browser; your test history is saved locally on your device.
Security checks: does your VPN leak?
| Check | What it tests | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| IP Reputation | Compares the organization behind your IP with patterns such as "vpn", "hosting" or "cloud" and shows "VPN/Proxy" or "Clean IP" (data from ipinfo.io) | IP address lookup |
| DNS Leak Test | Checks whether your IP belongs to a known DNS provider. This is a hint only, not a full DNS leak test with its own DNS server | DNS leak test guide |
| WebRTC Leak | Collects WebRTC candidates for about five seconds via Google's STUN server and lists the IPv4 addresses found | What is a WebRTC leak? |
| Proxy Detection | Asks check.torproject.org whether your IP is a Tor exit | Tor Browser privacy guide |
| IPv6 Leak | Asks icanhazip.com for your public IPv6 address | IPv6 leak test |
| TLS / DNT | Reads your browser's Do Not Track setting. Despite the name, it does not inspect your TLS connection | TLS fingerprint (JA3) |
Fingerprint checks: how unique is your browser?
| Check | What it tests | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Browser FP | Draws text on a hidden canvas and shows a hash of the result | Canvas fingerprinting |
| Screen Info | Screen resolution and color depth | Browser fingerprinting explained |
| Battery Status | Battery level via the Battery Status API, where the browser supports it | Browser fingerprinting explained |
| Hardware Info | CPU cores and device memory | WebGL fingerprint |
| Lang Detection | Your preferred languages | HTTP headers fingerprint |
| Timezone Leak | Time zone and UTC offset; a mismatch with your VPN location stands out | Geolocation API privacy |
Network checks: what does your connection reveal?
| Check | What it tests | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Ping Test | Six rounds against speed.cloudflare.com, average of the middle four | How to test internet speed |
| IP Geolocation | Your public IP, country and city (ipinfo.io) | IP address lookup |
| ASN Lookup | Provider or organization behind your IP (ipinfo.io) | WireGuard vs OpenVPN |
| Connection API | The connection type and estimate your browser reports | Browser fingerprinting explained |
| User Agent | The browser and system string sent with every request | HTTP headers fingerprint |
| Cookie Check | Whether cookies are enabled | Brave vs Firefox vs Tor |
How to Run an Online Privacy Check Step by Step
Run the check twice, once without and once with your VPN, and compare. The difference shows what your VPN hides and what still leaks.
- Baseline without VPN. Open the SpeedIQ test page and run IP Geolocation, ASN Lookup and IPv6 Leak. Note your real IP, ISP and city.
- Connect your VPN and reload the page.
- Check your new identity. Run IP Geolocation, ASN Lookup and IP Reputation. You should see the VPN server's IP and location, and usually "VPN/Proxy".
- Test for leaks. Run WebRTC Leak, IPv6 Leak and DNS Leak Test. None of them should show your real IP or your ISP.
- Check consistency. Run Timezone Leak and Lang Detection. A time zone far from your VPN location is a signal that websites can notice.
- Look at your fingerprint. Run Browser FP, Screen Info, Hardware Info, Battery Status, Connection API, User Agent, Cookie Check and TLS / DNT. Repeat Browser FP in a private window or a different browser to see whether the canvas hash changes.
- Check Tor (optional). In Tor Browser, run Proxy Detection. It should confirm a Tor exit.
- Fix and repeat. Change one setting at a time and run the affected checks again.
The Ping Test helps with a different question: how much speed and latency your VPN costs. For full speed measurements, see our guide on how to test internet speed and the VPN speed test guide.
How to Read Your Online Privacy Check Results
Start with the results that reveal your real network. They matter more than fingerprint details.
| Result | Risk | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Real IP in WebRTC result | High: your VPN is bypassed | Restrict or disable WebRTC |
| IPv6 address from your ISP while VPN is on | High: traffic bypasses the tunnel | Enable IPv6 leak protection in the VPN or disable IPv6 |
| DNS provider hint points to your ISP | Medium: verify with a full DNS leak test | Use the VPN's DNS servers |
| Time zone does not match VPN location | Low to medium: a visible mismatch | Pick a VPN server in your own time zone |
| Stable canvas hash across sessions | Medium: helps recognize your browser | Use a browser with fingerprint protection |
| Do Not Track on | Low: the signal is deprecated and has little effect | No action needed |
A note on Do Not Track: the DNT header is deprecated and non-standard, and the specification has been discontinued (MDN, 2026). Global Privacy Control is the newer signal.
What a Browser Privacy Check Cannot See
A browser-based online privacy check has clear limits. Be aware of them before you trust a "clean" result:
- No full DNS leak test. SpeedIQ's DNS check only looks at the provider of your IP. A real DNS leak test needs its own DNS server. The DNS leak test guide explains how.
- No server-side fingerprints. Your TLS fingerprint and the order of your HTTP headers are visible to servers, not to JavaScript. See TLS fingerprint explained and HTTP headers fingerprint.
- Not every fingerprint method. SpeedIQ does not test WebGL, audio or font fingerprints. Read about WebGL fingerprinting, audio fingerprinting and font fingerprinting.
- No ad blocker or permission tests. How sites detect ad blockers is covered in adblock detection; precise location through the browser permission prompt in the geolocation API privacy guide.
- No app tracking. Apps on your phone can track you outside the browser. Localhost tracking shows how Meta linked browser visits to Android apps.
- No long-term record. Each run is a snapshot; nothing is stored on a server.
How to Improve Your Online Privacy After the Check
Fix the leaks first, then reduce your fingerprint:
- Fix network leaks. Turn on your VPN's leak protection and kill switch, avoid split tunneling for the browser, and restrict WebRTC.
- Choose a solid VPN protocol. WireGuard vs OpenVPN compares speed, security and setup.
- Pick a privacy browser. Brave vs Firefox vs Tor compares their tracking and fingerprint protection.
- Use Tor for high-risk tasks. The Tor Browser privacy guide explains correct usage.
- Keep extensions few. Each extension can change your fingerprint, and ad blockers can be detected.
- Repeat the online privacy check after updates to your browser, VPN app or extensions.
Fingerprint protection works best when many people look the same. The Panopticlick study warns that anti-fingerprinting tools can be self-defeating if too few people use them (Eckersley, 2010).
→ Try it free: Run the SpeedIQ online privacy check. No account, no ads, results in your browser.
FAQ
Is an online privacy check safe?
Yes, if the tool runs in your browser and does not store results. SpeedIQ only reads what any website can read, sends the IP checks to ipinfo.io, icanhazip.com and check.torproject.org when you click, and keeps results in your browser.
Can websites still track me if I block cookies?
Yes. Browser fingerprinting uses details such as screen, time zone, language and canvas rendering to recognize your browser without cookies.
Does a VPN make me anonymous?
No. A VPN hides your IP address from websites, but DNS, WebRTC and IPv6 leaks can expose your real network, and your browser fingerprint stays the same.
How often should I run an online privacy check?
As a rule of thumb, run it after every change to your VPN, browser or extensions, and whenever you use a new network.
Can any privacy tool guarantee complete anonymity?
No. Each tool covers some risks. A VPN, a privacy browser and careful habits together reduce what websites learn, but none removes it completely.
Sources
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, Peter Eckersley (2010): How Unique Is Your Web Browser?, https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/static/browser-uniqueness.pdf
- MDN Web Docs (2026): Navigator: doNotTrack property, https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Navigator/doNotTrack
- MDN Web Docs (2025): Battery Status API, https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Battery_Status_API