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Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

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Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#21

One thing not mentioned in the list is Firefox Multi-Account Containers [1]. It helps by segregating your on-line information (cookies) into separate containers that you set up. It doesn't stop sites pulling all cookies, but it reduces the amount of information being sent: only the information in the same container is accessible. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

Also worth mentioning is the Temporary Containers add-on [1] [2] which works in conjunction with Multi-Account Containers.

If you browse the Internet in default Tabs or in a specific Container you still collect Cookies, Storage and Cache in one place — which is something advertisers and other data-collecting services really appreciate — it makes tracking you easy. Fortunately there’s an easy way to automatically create new Containers every time you open a new Tab and delete the Container if it’s not needed anymore: the Temporary Containers Add-on. By default you can open new Tabs in Temporary Containers with the Toolbar Icon or the keyboard shortcut Alt+C. If you enable the “Automatic Mode” in the options however, it will overwrite your standard ways of opening websites in new Tabs and external programs opening links. Instead of opening the website in No Container, it will open the website in a freshly created Temporary Container. You’ll notice how the names of the Containers keep counting up every time you open a new tab and visit a website: tmp1, tmp2, tmp3. As soon as you close the last Tab in such a Container, it will automatically get removed and with it all that data that makes you easy to track.

[1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/temporary-con...

[2] https://medium.com/@stoically/enhance-your-privacy-in-firefo...

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#23

One thing not mentioned in the list is Firefox Multi-Account Containers [1]. It helps by segregating your on-line information (cookies) into separate containers that you set up. It doesn't stop sites pulling all cookies, but it reduces the amount of information being sent: only the information in the same container is accessible. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

Also worth mentioning is the Temporary Containers add-on [1] [2] which works in conjunction with Multi-Account Containers. If you browse the Internet in default Tabs or in a specific Container you still collect Cookies, Storage and Cache in one place — which is something advertisers and other data-collecting services really appreciate — it makes tracking you easy. Fortunately there’s an easy way to automatically crea…

[deleted]

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#24
> NoScript Security Suite: since uMatrix will be used to block scripts, this functionality is not required from NoScript

This is a mistake. uMatrix will block requests which would pull source code, but it does not stop script execution, i.e. those embedded in the page itself. NoScript stops script execution completely.

NoScript also activates `` tags which will allow content to render on Medium. And which break Twitter by redirecting away just after it loads...

Caveat emptor: NoScript is somewhat buggy in its WebExt form. Sometimes it needs a click on the global revoke button to render `` again. Sometimes it pops up blank windows. I'm not aware of any alternative though.

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#25

One thing not mentioned in the list is Firefox Multi-Account Containers [1]. It helps by segregating your on-line information (cookies) into separate containers that you set up. It doesn't stop sites pulling all cookies, but it reduces the amount of information being sent: only the information in the same container is accessible. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

Also worth mentioning is the Temporary Containers add-on [1] [2] which works in conjunction with Multi-Account Containers. If you browse the Internet in default Tabs or in a specific Container you still collect Cookies, Storage and Cache in one place — which is something advertisers and other data-collecting services really appreciate — it makes tracking you easy. Fortunately there’s an easy way to automatically crea…

Sounds very nice. I'll take a look at it. It should be useful for when I open tabs to links from websites that I usually don't go to (suggested by social media friends, for example).

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#26
> C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\browser\features\

WOAH.

That's some genuinely nasty stuff that no one would normally want on their machines AND visible only from an obscure about:support page AND with no clear way of disabling it, save for deleting .xpi files:

    followonsearch@mozilla.com.xpi [1]
    shield-recipe-client@mozilla.org.xpi [2]
There are also these two that explicitly disrespect and ignore one's updating preferences:

    aushelper@mozilla.org
    webcompat@mozilla.org.xpi
These appear to be a way for Mozilla to push "urgent" patches bypassing the normal update mechanism and user consent.

    ---
This is completely unacceptable. This sort of functionality should be in the main UI and it should be possible to disable it with one click, permanently.

[1] https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2017/06/05/measuring-search-in...

[2] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Shield - generalized engine for running "study" recipes.

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#27

One thing not mentioned in the list is Firefox Multi-Account Containers [1]. It helps by segregating your on-line information (cookies) into separate containers that you set up. It doesn't stop sites pulling all cookies, but it reduces the amount of information being sent: only the information in the same container is accessible. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

There is a new config in Firefox under privacy.firstpartyisolation that is similar. But I can't use it or the various referer about:configs with my work mac because they break JIRA. First party isolation was made for Tor and privacy and keeps all cookies in containers in some fashion.

There's First Party Isolation add-on[0] that allows you to enable it by default, and then disable it for a period of five minutes by clicking on an icon.

That way, you could click on it when you're using JIRA and have first party isolation when you're not using JIRA.

[0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/first-party-i...

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#28
post #24

> NoScript Security Suite: since uMatrix will be used to block scripts, this functionality is not required from NoScript This is a mistake. uMatrix will block requests which would pull source code, but it does not stop script execution, i.e. those embedded in the page itself. NoScript stops script execution completely. NoScript also activates ` ` tags which will allow content to render on Medium. And which break Twit…

> NoScript also activates `` tags

Ah, that explains why I occasionally see on links. I use NoScript too, but only allow scripts from a select list.

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#29
Also check out Firefox's "privacy.resistFingerprinting" [1] and "privacy.firstparty.isolate" [2] prefs in about:config. These are Tor privacy features that Tor and Mozilla are merging into Firefox.

resistFingerprinting reduces the uniqueness of various Firefox properties that are visible to JavaScript and web servers.

First-party isolation will isolate third-party cookies by first-party domain. So Facebook Like buttons on cnn.com will see different cookies than Facebook Like buttons on nytimes.com. Both of these features can break some websites.

[1] https://www.ghacks.net/2018/03/01/a-history-of-fingerprintin...

[2] https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1299996

Re: Firefox Configuration Guide for Privacy Freaks and Performance Buffs

#30
post #15

One thing not mentioned in the list is Firefox Multi-Account Containers [1]. It helps by segregating your on-line information (cookies) into separate containers that you set up. It doesn't stop sites pulling all cookies, but it reduces the amount of information being sent: only the information in the same container is accessible. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

And what you don‘t mention is that that privacy extenson now also has more telemetry. Sad.

I just checked all the links in the repo of the add-on, and only links to Mozilla's domains are links to the MPL license.
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