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Firefox Add-on

SezMe

post-pre-born
SezMe
Joined
Dec 30, 2003
Messages
25,183
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
I'm using Firefox 13.0.1 and I want to install an add-on that prevents site tracking as I wander about the web. Searching Firefox's add-on page for "track" yields five products.

Which do you use? Why? Does it stop tracking completely or only partially?

TIA
 
I have Do Not Track Plus installed. It tells me I have blocked 14,159 sites so far.

I can only hope. ;)
 
Third party cookies is the primary method used to track. It sends cookie information to a central server whenever you visit a website that's subscribed to that server's tracking service. The central server can then see when and where from that info is sent. Most legitimate sites only set cookie information for themselves. Firefox has an option to block the potentially traceable ones.

Tools->Options->Privacy->Accept Third-Party cookies = OFF

The next most used is through scripting, which NoScript blocks quite well.

If the sites are tracking at the IP address level, only through anonymizer (who can then track you themselves) or repeatedly reconnecting to a DHCP connection to change the address will work.
 
What does Do Not Track Plus do that turning off third-party cookies does not do.

GodMark2, are there any downsides to doing as you suggest?
 
SezMe said:
What does Do Not Track Plus do that turning off third-party cookies does not do.

GodMark2, are there any downsides to doing as you suggest?
Click to expand...

Don't know. :D

And don't forget to delete your Java cookies as well, especially the Flash one that tracks all your use of Flash. For that I use Better Privacy.
 
Geez, bruto, I never noticed that.:( Maybe I should look at the menus once in a while or RTFM ... or RTFH (Help).

Anyway, I'll give it a try. Thanks.
 
SezMe said:
What does Do Not Track Plus do that turning off third-party cookies does not do.

GodMark2, are there any downsides to doing as you suggest?
Click to expand...

Some legitimate sites use multiple servers, and use cookies to track info across them. Sadly, Firefox doesn't allow you to say "these cookies are OK, those aren't", it's all or nothing. So, you'll loose some wheat with the chaff. That said, the web is usually big enough that any such site will have a competitor somewhere that isn't hobbled by the lack of multi-server cookies, and I'm happy to give those people my service.

NoScript, though, allows you to set or remove the ability for any site to run scripts, so you can allow the people you trust, and not the sketchy ones. Only downside is that you do have to tell it who you trust. But, it also allows 'temporary' trusting sites, which lasts only until you close the browser.

Do Not Track Plus appears to look for known tracking sites gathering your info, and allow you to choose which ones get access. So you can allow Zuckerberg to know your every move, while still snubbing Gates.
 
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