4.1 Extensions
github.com
Firefox privacy, security and anti-tracking: a comprehensive user.js template for configuration and hardening - arkenfox/user.js

I’m sure a lot of us are already using Firefox with uBlock Origin, and I’m also sure that most of us already know about Arkenfox.

Despite this, one thing that I’m still noticing on the internet are people recommending extensions that, as per the Arkenfox wiki, are frankly just not needed anymore.

So people, please stop using:

  • Cookie extensions like Cookie Auto Delete
  • URL cleaning extensions like ClearURLs
  • Anti-fingerprinting extensions
  • Redundant privacy extensions like Ghostery or Privacy Badger
  • NoScript

And also please note that Firefox Multi-Account Containers is probably overkill for most threat models, and that Firefox’s builtin Total Cookie Protection is probably just fine.

  • AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    721·
    9 months ago

    Multi account containers are super useful for managing multiple accounts though. Keeping work/personal/hobby stuff separate is awesome.

    • fnie@lemm.ee
      2·
      9 months ago

      I find the temporary containers extension essential. Set automatic mode and forget.

  • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.world
    381·
    9 months ago

    How exactly are my URLs going to be cleaned without ClearURLs?

    My extensions are:

    • UBlock Origin
    • Dark Reader
    • ClearURLs
    • NoScript
    • Multi-Account Containers
    • Cookie Quick Manager (probably not required since I don’t deal much with cookies other than flushing them)
    • LocalCDN
  • hottari@lemmy.ml
    342·
    9 months ago

    NoScript and Cookies Auto Delete are very much needed. uBlock’s JavaScript control is extremely basic and doesn’t toggle WebGL.

    As for cookies, I only set them for sites I have accounts or ones that need to remember user data in Chromium. I personally don’t use CAD but I can certainly appreciate its convenience.

  • Sinnerman@kbin.social
    301·
    9 months ago

    The link says that NoScript is “redundant with uBlock Origin”

    I like NoScript because I can click on its icon on the toolbar, and easily select which scripts on a given page to whitelist, or which to whitelist temporarily (until browser quit.) And on any page, I can select which set of scripts (by domain name) on that page to run or whitelist.

    With uBlock Origin, it’s only “all script on the page” or “no scripts on the page”, right?

    • ikiru@lemmy.ml
      82·
      9 months ago

      Also wondering how much more effective Arkenfox is to tightened security settings, uBlock, Decentraleyes, Ghostery, etc. on Firefox?

  • Mikelius@lemmy.ml
    20·
    9 months ago

    I personally prefer NoScript not for just the privacy stuff, but for the security of knowing that an accidental click to a malicious site using some zeroday JavaScript exploit won’t kick in like it would, had it not been default blocked.

    My NoScript profile is also fairly populated with things I’ve trusted over the years, so it’s really only new websites that require JavaScript that I have to worry about.

    Maybe just me being over cautious, but just keeps me at ease, personally.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
      7·
      9 months ago

      NoScript is fantastic.

      As a web developer, I have to build tools for the SEO/ad team to turn my beautiful optimized sites to be ad-filled garbage. And frequently, that involves fetching data from third party sites that even I feel disgusted by, that can be easily blocked with NoScript.

  • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
    18·
    9 months ago

    Okay, which settings specifically replace these extensions? They usually also have a nice GUI with validation which is a better UX than editing text files and checking if it works by yourself.

  • Nia [she/her]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    191·
    9 months ago

    This is likely a very unpopular opinion, but I’m not a fan of the “only use uBlock origin” view that seems to be going around, yes using just that makes you less fingerprintable, but you’re also just giving yourself a single point of failure and giving full control of your privacy to whatever the uBlock Origin devs want to add or refuse to add, who are at the end of the day still only human and can make mistakes.

    • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world
      71·
      9 months ago

      Agreed. Ideally, any such single point of failure needs to be under a distributed or accountable kind of control. Perhaps EFF could take over uBO, for example.

  • bobby_hill@lemmy.world
    9·
    9 months ago

    To add to the other fine points here, I almost exclusively do all my personal browsing on my phone. Arkenfox isn’t designed to work on Firefox mobile.

  • taladar@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    82·
    9 months ago

    My personal view is that anyone who forks a browser is probably not experienced enough to know how much work it is to patch security holes in a timely manner in such a large code base.

    • Lemongrab@lemmy.one
      31·
      9 months ago

      Good thing arkenfox is not a FF fork and you still get the same updates from Firefox main.

  • sub_ubi@lemmy.ml
    51·
    9 months ago

    Is it possible to limit permissions for an extension to just a few domains? Most of them I’m using just for specific sites

  • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago

    Love when you install a boring extension on vscode and it has a telemetry setting…