cdn.mxpnl.com: How Mixpanel Tracks Your Every Move

Mixpanel’s tracker, cdn.mxpnl.com, lurks on countless websites and apps, capturing your every interaction to create a detailed profile of your behavior. This invasive tool prioritizes business interests over your privacy. Here’s a breakdown of its tracking mechanisms and how to shield yourself.

What Is cdn.mxpnl.com?

Mixpanel provides analytics tools to businesses, using cdn.mxpnl.com to deliver tracking scripts that monitor user activity. It logs clicks, scrolls, and more, building a picture of your habits for companies to exploit. As Privacy Auditors, we’re exposing the depth of this intrusion.

Data It Collects

When you’re on a site or app using Mixpanel, it snatches:

• Geolocation: Extracts your approximate location from your IP address.
• IP Address: Identifies your online presence, linking to your physical location.
• Mouse Movements: Tracks cursor paths with precise coordinates and timestamps.
• Clicks: Records every click, including what you clicked and when.
• Scroll Depth: Measures how much of a page you view, down to the pixel.
• Session ID: Connects all your actions during a single visit.
• User ID: Links your activity across multiple visits for ongoing surveillance.
• Browser Type: Notes your browser and version, like Chrome 125.0.
• Operating System: Logs your OS, such as Android 13 or Windows 11.
• Device Type: Identifies your device, often with specifics like iPhone 14.
• Screen Resolution: Captures your display dimensions, e.g., 1920x1080.
• Page URL: Records the exact web address you’re visiting.
• Referrer URL: Tracks where you came from, like a search engine.
• Timestamps: Marks every action with millisecond accuracy.
• Cookie IDs: Uses unique identifiers to stalk you across sessions.

This data forms a comprehensive map of your online life, ripe for exploitation.

Who Gets Your Data?

Mixpanel shares your information with:

• Website or App Owner: The entity using Mixpanel receives full analytics on your behavior.
• Third-Party Marketing Vendor: Data feeds into advertising systems for targeted campaigns.
• Cloud Service Provider: Companies like AWS store and process your data.
• Legal Authority: Mixpanel complies with government requests, handing over user details.

How to Protect Yourself

Privacy Auditors are dedicated to arming you against trackers like Mixpanel. Take these steps:

• Install Tracker Blockers: Use Privacy Auditor’s paid service to block cdn.mxpnl.com scripts. Check browser extensions for active protection. The free version reveals trackers.
• Deploy a VPN: Hide your IP with a VPN like Mullvad to obscure your location.
• Switch to Privacy Browsers: Use Firefox with strict tracking settings or Tor Browser for anonymity.
• Disable JavaScript: Block Mixpanel scripts by disabling JavaScript in browser settings or with tools like NoScript, though some sites may break.
• Wipe Cookies: Regularly clear cookies to disrupt long-term tracking.

Combine these tactics for robust defense against invasive tracking.

Sources

This information is sourced from:

• Mixpanel Privacy Policy: https://mixpanel.com/legal/privacy-policy/
• Mixpanel Documentation: https://developer.mixpanel.com/docs

This is a legal disclaimer. All information is provided for educational purposes only.