DEV Community: Kurt Warner

I Analyzed My Browser Cookies - 1,572 Trackers Found. Here's What They Know About Me.

Kurt Warner — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:19:16 +0000

TL;DR: I built a cookie forensics tool and ran it on my own Firefox browser. The results were shocking: 1,572 tracking cookies from 422 different domains, including 67 high-severity privacy risks. Google alone has 174 cookies tracking me across 72 websites.

The Wake-Up Call

We all know websites use cookies. But I didn't realize how many until I actually looked.

Last night, I exported my Firefox cookies (just the cookies.txt file - no passwords, nothing sensitive) and ran them through a forensics tool I'd been building.

The numbers hit me hard:

1,572 cookies total
422 unique domains tracking me
1,337 privacy/security risks identified
Overall risk level: HIGH

This isn't from some malware-infected machine. This is a regular browser from a developer who thinks he's privacy-conscious.

Breaking Down the Surveillance

The Big Players

Google Analytics: 174 cookies across 72 domains

Google Analytics isn't just on Google sites. It's on random blogs, e-commerce stores, tutorial sites - everywhere I've visited in the past month. Each one reporting back to Google.

Facebook: 67 cookies

I rarely use Facebook. But Meta's tracking pixels are embedded in tons of sites. Instagram, WhatsApp, and third-party sites all feeding data back.

"Unknown" trackers: 1,305 cookies

The scariest category. These are ad networks, data brokers, and tracking services I've never heard of. They don't even have recognizable names.

The Long Tail

Here's where it gets wild. The tool found cookies from:

422 different domains
Tracking companies I've never interacted with directly
Third-party scripts embedded in sites I trust

Examples: TikTok (I don't have TikTok), Adobe (tracking across multiple properties), Microsoft, Amazon, random e-commerce sites, adult content trackers (yes, those too).

The Security Risks

The tool identified 1,337 privacy/security issues, broken down by severity:

Medium Severity (1,928 instances):

Insecure transmission: Cookies sent over HTTP instead of HTTPS
Third-party tracking: Cookies from domains I never visited
Persistent tracking: Long-lived cookies that track across sessions

High Severity (67 instances):

Missing security flags (HttpOnly, Secure)
Cross-site tracking without consent
Potential session hijacking vulnerabilities

Critical Severity (0):

Good news: No critical vulnerabilities like exposed authentication tokens. But "high" is still concerning.

What This Actually Means

Every time I browse:

These 422 domains get pinged
They know what page I'm on
They correlate it with my other activity
They build a profile: interests, behavior, schedule

The tracking is coordinated:

Google knows which sites I visit
Facebook knows even when I'm not on Facebook
Ad networks share data with each other
My "anonymous" ID is correlated across platforms

Real-world implications:

Targeted ads (obvious)
Price discrimination (less obvious)
Data broker profiles sold to anyone
Potential for insurance/credit scoring
Political microtargeting

How I Built the Analysis Tool

Since discovering this, I built a proper forensics suite. It's open source on GitHub.

The tool does 4 things:

1. Parse

Reads cookies.txt files (Netscape format - the standard export format from any browser)

# Netscape format: domain, flag, path, secure, expiration, name, value
parts = line.split("\t")
domain = parts[0]
name = parts[5]
value = parts[6]

2. Enrich

Matches cookies against a known database of tracking companies:

Google Analytics patterns (_ga, _gid, __utma)
Facebook trackers (fr, datr, xs)
Ad networks (__gads, _fbp)
Analytics services

3. Scan for Risks

Identifies security and privacy issues:

Insecure transmission (HTTP vs HTTPS)
Missing security flags
Third-party tracking
Long expiration dates

4. Generate Reports

Creates 5 detailed JSON reports:

Parsed cookies with metadata
Enriched data (company identification)
Risk assessment
Domain-level summary (which sites track most)
Company-level summary (who's tracking you)

The Most Shocking Findings

1. Google Knows Everything

174 cookies across 72 domains means Google sees:

Every blog I read
Every product I research
Every tutorial I follow
Every site I visit that uses Google Analytics (most of the web)

They're not just a search engine. They're a surveillance network.

2. You Can't Escape Facebook

I logged out of Facebook years ago. Still have 67 cookies from Meta properties. The "Like" button on every website? That's tracking you even if you don't click it.

3. The "Unknown" Trackers Are Worse

1,305 cookies from companies I've never heard of. These are data brokers buying and selling profiles. No relationship, no consent (well, buried in ToS), just harvesting.

4. Adult Sites Track Aggressively

Won't name names, but several adult content sites had some of the most invasive tracking. Makes sense - they profit from user data like everyone else. But it's particularly sensitive data.

What You Can Do About It

Immediate Actions:

1. Clear your cookies (nuclear option)

Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Clear Data
Chrome: Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data
Downside: You'll be logged out of everything

2. Use containers (Firefox only)

Facebook Container extension
Multi-Account Containers
Keeps tracking siloed

3. Browser extensions:

uBlock Origin (blocks trackers)
Privacy Badger (learns tracker patterns)
ClearURLs (removes tracking parameters)

4. Use privacy-focused browsers:

Brave (built-in ad blocking)
Firefox with hardened settings
Tor Browser (extreme privacy)

Long-term Strategy:

1. Assume you're being tracked

Everything you do online leaves a trail
"Incognito mode" only hides from your local device
VPNs help but aren't magic

2. Compartmentalize your identity

Different email for different purposes
Separate browsers for work/personal
Don't log into Google/Facebook on your main browser

3. Read privacy policies (I know, I know)

At least skim for data sharing clauses
Look for "we share with third parties"
Assume worst-case interpretation

4. Support privacy regulations

GDPR (Europe)
CCPA (California)
Vote for politicians who care about digital privacy

Try It Yourself

I've open-sourced the tool: GitHub - ml-systems-portfolio

To analyze your own cookies:

# Export cookies from Firefox
# Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies → Manage Data → Export

# Run the tool
cd tools/cookie_analysis
python cli.py --input cookies.txt --output-dir results/

You'll get 5 JSON reports:

Full cookie list with metadata
Company identification
Risk assessment
Domain summary
Company summary

Warning: This will show you things you might not want to know. Once you see the numbers, you can't unsee them.

The Bigger Picture

This isn't just about cookies. It's about:

Asymmetric information: They know everything about us, we know nothing about them
Lack of consent: Buried in 50-page Terms of Service
No transparency: Can't see what data they have
No control: Can't delete, correct, or opt out effectively

The web wasn't supposed to be like this. The original vision was open, decentralized, user-controlled. Now it's:

Centralized (Google, Facebook, Amazon)
Surveillance-based (track everything)
Monetized through your data

What I'm Building Next

This cookie analysis tool is part of a larger Security Professional Suite I'm building:

Current tools:

Cookie Analysis - What you just read about
PathPulse - Real-time file system threat detection
Windows Feature Manager - System configuration control

Coming soon:

OSINT Suite - Digital footprint analysis
Threat Intel Tool - IOC aggregation
Bug Bounty Framework - Recon automation

All open source. All focused on giving individuals the tools that only big companies have.

The Response I'm Expecting

"You're paranoid"
Maybe. But the data is real. 1,572 cookies. 422 domains. That's not paranoia, that's math.

"If you're not paying, you're the product"
True. But we've normalized surveillance to an insane degree. Remember when websites had ads but didn't track your every move?

"I have nothing to hide"
Neither do I. But I have plenty I don't want to share. Privacy isn't about hiding, it's about control.

"This is just how the web works now"
Only because we let it. We can build better. We can demand better.

Final Thoughts

Running this analysis changed how I think about browsing. Every site I visit now, I wonder:

How many trackers just fired?
What data was just sent?
Who's buying that data?
What profile are they building?

You should run this too. Not because I built it (though I'd appreciate the GitHub star ⭐), but because you deserve to know what's happening on your own machine.

The surveillance economy depends on ignorance. Once you see the numbers, you can't ignore them.

Want to try the tool?

GitHub: https://github.com/dopamin3fiends/ml-systems-portfolio
Packaged version (with support): https://dopaminefiends.gumroad.com/l/devtools

Questions? Thoughts? Found even worse tracking?
Drop a comment. I'm building these tools in public and documenting the journey.

Next post: Building an OSINT tool to see what information about you is publicly available. Subscribe to follow along.

Built with Python 3.11, FastAPI, and a healthy dose of concern about digital privacy.

privacy #security #python #opensource #tracking #cookies #dataprivacy #infosec

🚀 From Scattered Scripts to Product Hunt Launch: My Journey Building the Professional Automation Toolkit

Kurt Warner — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:25:55 +0000

🚀 From Scattered Scripts to Product Hunt Launch: My Journey Building the Professional Automation Toolkit

🌱 The Beginning

Six months ago, I was staring at a folder full of chaos: 30+ automation scripts scattered across directories.

They were useful in isolation, but together they felt like nonsense—no consistent CLI patterns, no error handling, no documentation, and no way to chain them into something bigger.

I knew there was potential, but I didn’t know how to turn it into a product.

🔧 The Transformation

Instead of abandoning the work, I decided to treat it like a professional system.

Every script became part of a larger architecture:

6 production‑ready tools: Cookie Analysis Suite, Video Enhancement Suite, PathPulse, Windows Feature Manager, Web Automation Framework, ADB Automation Framework
FastAPI orchestrator: REST API, web dashboard, pipeline builder, audit trail
Professional polish: demo modes, safety disclaimers, CI/CD pipeline, documentation, and consistent architecture

Suddenly, what looked like scattered experiments became a flagship toolkit.

📦 Packaging & Launch

I packaged everything into a Gumroad product with three tiers:

Starter ($29) – personal use, all tools + orchestrator
Professional ($79) – commercial license, support, workflow templates
Enterprise ($299) – unlimited license, custom integrations, training

Then I built the marketing foundation: cover image, screenshots, refund policy, discount code (LAUNCH20), and onboarding docs.

🌍 Early Traction

The launch wasn’t just about code—it was about community.

LinkedIn: 244+ impressions, 130 members reached
GitHub: 93 clones, 66 unique developers testing the repo
Dev.to: <500 views in the first week
Product Hunt: Scheduled launch with full submission package

For the first time, I wasn’t just building—I was shipping.

🎯 Lessons Learned

Architecture matters – even for “just scripts”
Documentation is not optional – future you will thank present you
Demo modes are essential – safe testing without real data
Integration is hard – REST API makes it manageable
Professional ≠ complicated – clear patterns beat clever code

🏆 The Outcome

What started as scattered experiments became a cohesive flagship product.

I proved to myself that I could not only build—but also package, market, and launch.

This journey wasn’t just about code. It was about resilience, execution, and turning vision into reality.

👉 Check out the toolkit on Product Hunt:

Professional Automation Toolkit

👉 Open source on GitHub:

ML Systems Portfolio

💡 Final Thought

Every developer has folders full of half‑finished experiments.

The difference between “nonsense” and “product” is the decision to polish, package, and share.

This was my journey from chaos to launch. And it’s only the beginning. 🚀

I built a Professional Automation Toolkit - 6 tools + FastAPI orchestrator (6,877 LOC)

Kurt Warner — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:15:13 +0000

Hey Dev.to! 👋

Just launched my automation toolkit after 6 months of development. Wanted to share with this awesome community!

The Problem

I had 30+ automation scripts scattered across folders with:

Inconsistent CLI patterns
No error handling
Zero documentation
Impossible to chain together

The Solution

Built a professional toolkit with 6 production-ready tools + FastAPI orchestrator:

🔧 The 6 Tools

Cookie Analysis Suite (466 lines)
- Forensic browser cookie analysis
- 4-stage pipeline: parse → enrich → scan → report
- Privacy tracking detection
Video Enhancement Suite (1,112 lines)
- Multi-backend support (Topaz/FFmpeg/HandBrake)
- Priority-based job queue
- Concurrent processing
PathPulse (1,205 lines)
- Real-time file system threat detection
- 6 threat pattern detectors
- Ransomware detection
Windows Feature Manager (1,418 lines)
- Enable/disable Windows features
- PowerShell/DISM integration
- Backup/restore with rollback
Web Automation Framework (1,121 lines)
- Multi-browser Selenium automation
- 8 action types
- Headless mode + proxy support
ADB Automation Framework (1,555 lines)
- Android device management
- App control + input simulation
- Screen capture + file transfer

🎛️ The Orchestrator

Built with FastAPI to tie everything together:

REST API - Execute any tool programmatically
Web Dashboard - Visual monitoring
Pipeline Builder - Chain tools together
Audit Trail - Complete logging
CI/CD Ready - GitHub Actions included

Tech Stack

Python 3.11
FastAPI + Pydantic
Selenium, watchdog, subprocess
6,877 lines of production code
Cross-platform (Win/Mac/Linux)

Architecture Pattern

Every tool follows the same pattern:

Models → Business Logic → CLI → API → Dashboard

This makes them easy to maintain, extend, and integrate.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/dopamin3fiends/ml-systems-portfolio.git
cd ml-systems-portfolio
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Test a tool
cd tools/cookie_analysis
python cli.py demo

# Start orchestrator
cd ../../
python src/backend/orchestrator_api.py

Open browser: http://localhost:8000

Lessons Learned

Architecture matters - Even for "just scripts"
Documentation is not optional - Future you will thank present you
Demo modes are essential - Safe testing without real data
Integration is hard - REST API makes it manageable
Professional != complicated - Clear patterns beat clever code

Open Source + Support Model

The code is fully open source (MIT license) on GitHub. I'm also offering a packaged version on Gumroad with:

Pre-configured setup
Professional support
Lifetime updates
Commercial license clarity

Think: Linux is free, Red Hat makes billions. You're paying for packaging and peace of mind.

🎁 Launch special: Use code LAUNCH20 for 20% off

Questions?

Happy to answer anything about:

The architecture decisions
FastAPI integration patterns
Building production-grade automation tools
Open source + paid model

Thanks for reading! 🙏

DEV Community: Kurt Warner

I Analyzed My Browser Cookies - 1,572 Trackers Found. Here's What They Know About Me.

The Wake-Up Call

Breaking Down the Surveillance

The Big Players

The Long Tail

The Security Risks

Medium Severity (1,928 instances):

High Severity (67 instances):

Critical Severity (0):

What This Actually Means

How I Built the Analysis Tool

1. Parse

2. Enrich

3. Scan for Risks

4. Generate Reports

The Most Shocking Findings

1. Google Knows Everything

2. You Can't Escape Facebook

3. The "Unknown" Trackers Are Worse

4. Adult Sites Track Aggressively

What You Can Do About It

Immediate Actions:

Long-term Strategy:

Try It Yourself

The Bigger Picture

What I'm Building Next

The Response I'm Expecting

Final Thoughts

privacy #security #python #opensource #tracking #cookies #dataprivacy #infosec

🚀 From Scattered Scripts to Product Hunt Launch: My Journey Building the Professional Automation Toolkit

🚀 From Scattered Scripts to Product Hunt Launch: My Journey Building the Professional Automation Toolkit

🌱 The Beginning

🔧 The Transformation

📦 Packaging & Launch

🌍 Early Traction

🎯 Lessons Learned

🏆 The Outcome

💡 Final Thought

I built a Professional Automation Toolkit - 6 tools + FastAPI orchestrator (6,877 LOC)

The Problem

The Solution

🔧 The 6 Tools

🎛️ The Orchestrator

Tech Stack

Architecture Pattern

Quick Start

Lessons Learned

Open Source + Support Model

Links

Questions?