0

Question: The essential question here is how does Facebook know I am the same unit that is trying to create a new account, even after I have deleted all cookies/history/cache from my browser, and even after installing a completely new browser and trying to create a new account from a completely newly installed browser?

History: Facebook has deactivated my primary account. The message is "doesn't follow our community standards."

What I am trying to achieve: Create an entirely new and different user account.

What I have tried:

  1. CHROME: Logging out, trying to create a new account using a new email. Produces the same message, and it doesn't work.
  2. CHROME: Deleting everything, every cookie, history, and cached content. Create new user with a different email. Same problem, my account has been deactivated (see screenshot)
  3. Installed OPERA, started from scratch. New username, new email. I switch wi-fi from my phone tether to my house wi-fi. Now I have a completely brand new browser, with a completely different IP. I create a brand new user, new name, birthday, email, password. Whamo! - same message. Definitely not cached. They are tracking me in some way other than a browser cookie.

Browser cookies only work within the same browser. But I started from scratch using a newly installed different browser (Opera), connected to a completely different network, and used completely different credentials. They still have identified me. How?

Your account has been disabled

0

1 Answer 1

1

I'm not certain of how Facebook may be doing this but I do have some ideas as to what to try. I'll skip over what you've done already.

A good idea would be to use a VPN and a new browser and see if you can make a new account, I would also avoid maximizing the browser window and ensure the browser is not sharing your location data.

Bear in mind that web applications can use other techniques like browser fingerprinting, location data, cached image validation to try and uniquely identify users.

As far as what VPN and Browser to use, it is entirely up to you. I know that ProtonVPN offer VPNs for free, and Brave browser is the browser most security conscious people tend to use. If this is not successful, you could try using TOR!

I am not affiliated with any of the products/services or companies mentioned here, I am just sharing my own experience. Let us know how you get on and what works!

5
  • @joseph-blogs Excellent answer.
    – TARKUS
    Jul 13, 2020 at 11:13
  • Straight TOR doesn't work. Same warning. Will try VPN + TOR next.
    – TARKUS
    Jul 13, 2020 at 11:32
  • 1
    Wow this is very interesting, if straight TOR doesn't work I'd imagine the VPN will not make any difference. Do you have a facebook "app" installed on your system maybe? Or have you given your browser permission to show desktop notifications from facebook? I'm wondering what alternative persistent access facebook has on your machine and is using to identify it. If you are really stuck, you could try creating an account on somebody else's device and once done, login on your own device and change the password etc..
    – Matt
    Jul 13, 2020 at 14:35
  • Those are my questions, too, @joseph-bloggs, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I don't have a FB app on my laptop (that I'm aware of). Because I have tried different browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and finally TOR (a kind of FireFox), and I don't give desktop notification privileges to any website, that can be ruled out. I will try a paid VPN next. Ultimately, I sense that I will have to resort to an entirely different device. I have two phones, two laptops, but they all use my "main" FB account, so I don't want to make loud noises and alert FB on those.
    – TARKUS
    Jul 14, 2020 at 15:43
  • TOR with ProtonVPN (free version) doesn't work. Throws the same warning as the picture in above post.
    – TARKUS
    Jul 19, 2020 at 13:26

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.