Until recently, I used Ghostery to block web bugs, but it turned out to be a data aggregator in the guise of a privacy tool, ouch, so I switched to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Privacy Badger to block web bugs.
Category: Internet Privacy
An amateurs thoughts on the internet.
Internet Privacy 4: Javascript
Javascript gives trackers potent tools. Chrome allows you turn off javascipt altogether, but that breaks most of the internet. Chrome does not allow users to turn on Javascript in a granular way, so I use Firefox with the excellent, open source tool called No Script. No Script shows all the scripts that are trying to run (you may be amazed at how many there are), and it allows a user to turn on specific scripts to facilitate functionality without allowing unfettered access to your browser and computer.
Internet Privacy 3: HTTPS
Using Https, rather than http, offers privacy benefits by cutting out the middlemen. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, offers another browser extension that forces encrypted connections called HTTPS Everywhere. It is mostly applicable to Firefox, and it is installed as an extension.
Internet Privacy 2: Blocking Ads
AdBlockPlus is also an extension, and it has many copycats, so beware. The real tool has ABP in a stop sign and it is published by Eyeo
Internet Privacy 1: DNS
The Domain Name System, or DNS, is a great way to track users. DNS converts human readable names, like Facebook.com into numbers like 66.220.144.0.
Changing DNS is a little more technical than installing a browser extension, and two services offer an alternative to letting ISPs watch everywhere I surf, OpenDNS and Cloudflare.
Using an alternative DNS often speeds up the internet, as it routes web traffic through their servers rather than V*rizon, C0mcast, or whomever. For some years I have used OpenDNS, but they were bought by C!sco, and their vibe changed, but their service is still good for home users.
https://developers.cloudflare.com/1.1.1.1/setting-up-1.1.1.1/