I believe that the only two privacy extensions you really need to meet 90% of your privacy goals are uBlock origin + NoScript

uBlock origin is effective because it stops the injection of ads which might contain and inject code. NoScript forces you to look at which scripts you really need for the website to function. Say you visit a trusted site, like your lemmy instance, then you can enable running of javascript by default the next time you visit the site. You’ll be surprised how functional some sites are even without javascript. I did not like the idea of browsers having Javascript: it’s remote code execution and if there’s anything malicious in there and your browser is not patched against it you’re fucked. This way yeah it’ll be annoying when you first visit a site but it remembers your settings for the next time you visit.

  • Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com
    252·
    8 months ago

    I use both, but a big complaint of noscript is the inability to tell what scripts were blocked. I end up unblocking ***CDN.com or ***static.com and if that doesn’t work, check each until it does. Sort of defeats the purpose.

    I installed it on my parents computers and trying to teach them how to get necessary function working again is beyond them.

    I have instead installed privacy badger since I read it also blocks scripts.

          • ivn@jlai.luEnglish
            8·
            8 months ago

            You’re right, I should have explained.

            Privacy Badger was known to be able to learn what to block but local learning could be used to fingerprint you so it was removed. Nowadays it’s only a list based blocker, while the list is still automatically generated on their side through learning it mostly overlap with regular tracking protection list used with uBlock Origin.

            They also claim other features but they are either outdated (google outgoing link protection last update is 9 months old and is based on the old url schema) or already covered by uBlock Origin (uBlock Origin can now sanitize urls with the removeparam filter, facebook outgoing link protection is included in the “AdGuard URL Tracking Protection” filter list, for third party widget blocking enable the “EasyList – Social Widgets” list).

            It’s also in Arkenfox “Don’t bother” extension list.

            Better use Firefox in strict mode with uBlock Origin.