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Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

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Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#91

Post by cookiengineer »

dessant wrote: post #37

I'd love to use ClearURLs, though last I checked it had a major flaw: it allows arbitrary code execution by the provider of the filter list. Among other things, it can redirect script URLs to arbitrary sources, and the filter list is periodically updated from a GitLab page, which enables the filter list provider to perform a targeted attack by serving a malicious filter list to a specific device. The only filter list…

I agree with you there. For my stealth browser I decided to go with a different JSON based format [1] that can rewrite the URL parameters via wildcards (for both * at the start and end of both key and val).

It has the idea that you can audit a website and only list the allowed parameters there, so that a website search or sorting order or filters can still work.

I built my browser on an allowlist based concept because it seemed too impossible to maintain all bad urls, domains, parameters on the web. Most websites have more tracking than content in them, so I decided on maintaining lists to select the content rather than the ads and trackers.

[1] https://github.com/tholian-network/stealth/blob/X0/profile/p...

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#92

Post by bryanrasmussen »

lillecarl wrote: post #66
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My daughter on one of our computers had a problem with firefox being able to launch roblox (which frankly roblox's launching mechanisms seem buggy, I don't know why - I assume it is just an uri scheme doing the launching), as a consequence of which my daughter now tends to use Chrome. Which has the benefit of when I get on that computer she uses chrome I use firefox my browsing experience doesn't get littered with an…

There's profiles in browsers these days, and computers usually have multi account support too.

and 11 year olds grab the computer when you're not there and use it, actually from the age of 8 I think.

But yes, browser profiles and computer multi account support are tools that would solve this problem if they worked for the particular problem description - which fair to say they weren't really designed for that scenario so no reason to expect they would work.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#94

Post by pdkl95 »

sneak wrote: post #40
teekert wrote: post #35

Why are people still on Chrome? Just use a browser whose interests align with yours, like Firefox.

Chrome (aside from the ad company spying) has better security than any other browser, Firefox included, by a substantial margin.

Claiming that something has "better" security is meaningless without first defining the treat model. When the threat model includes protecting the user's privacy, Chrome is not merely insecure, it is an actively hostile threat.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#95

Post by eecc »

ulrikrasmussen wrote: post #45

What I don't get is why Google is allowed to provide a browser and be a major content provider at the same time. If this is allowed to continue then it seems inevitable than an unhealthy monopoly will form where Chrome and its derivatives are the only browsers that can consume the modern web, and where opting out of tracking is not a possibility for anyone but the most technically inclined (although that's almost alr…

What I don’t get is how many howl and cry foul at Apple for its Store “monopoly” while anyone can opt-out of it by switching to any other of the myriad competitors.

While in this case, Google is very likely abusing its dominance to coerce the whole ecosystem beyond their own platform in their favor: if the web becomes “works with Chrome” everyone is (probably negatively) affected.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#96

Post by pmlnr »

anonymousDan wrote: post #47

I would really like to uninstall chrome from my Android phone but it appears to be impossible. Am I missing something?

Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26383321

You can uninstall any app by using adb shell:

    1. sudo apt-get-install android-tools-adb
    2. Connect phone using usb, choose file transfer
    3. In terminal type: adb shell
    4. On phone allow dialog that appeared
    5. In terminal in adb shell type: pm list package
    6. Find which app is it and uninstall it, eg: pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facebook.services

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#98

Post by throwaway2048 »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #12

No problem as long as it's available elsewhere, is it? As to popularity - this mere news will probably bring more new users than Google store did in quite a period of time.

Google makes it extremely difficult and annoying to run non-store addons in chrome.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#99

Post by foepys »

CynicusRex wrote: post #81

To those looking for alternatives, use uMatrix: https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix . It has the option “Block all hyperlink auditing attempts” enabled by default.

Raymond Hill has stopped developing uMatrix and also stopped accepting PRs because it's currently too much work for him [1]. So be aware that bugs will probably not be fixed.

That being said, I'm a very happy uMatrix user on Firefox.

1: https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uMatrix-issues/issues/291#is...

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#100

Post by thitcanh »

llampx wrote: post #69
thitcanh wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because Chrome is objectively the best browser. I left Chrome for Firefox about 2 years ago because Chrome was becoming slow (I was more likely the reason) but Firefox was always “just okay” in many regards. No automatic omnibox search that I enjoyed since probably 2010 in Chrome, for example. That feature alone makes navigation a breeze. Then last summer probably I switched to Safari. Nice browser, but very barebone…

I enjoy Edge and Firefox a lot and never use Chrome. I certainly think that Chrome being Google's browser is grounds enough to look critically at it aside from everything else.

I don’t disagree, I don’t see why my comment was downvoted.

The browser itself is fine, it’s the company that isn’t — and that’s why I don’t use it myself.

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