In this post I recommend three add-ons to my favorite web browser, Mozilla Firefox. (Why my favorite? It's produced by a non-profit company; it's open source; and it's mostly secure, fast, and very customizable.)
So, what's an add-on? It's a mini program, also called an extension, that you download and "add-on" to Firefox for more functionality. (Before you try any of the add-ons suggested below, be sure to update Firefox first, getting the latest version. If you don't have Firefox, you can get it here: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US)
Here are three add-ons to try:
1. uBlock Origin. Are you tired of obnoxious pop-up ads interfering with your web browsing experience? Then try this add-on. There are plenty of customizations available with this extension, but installed as is, it should provide a more streamlined browsing experience. After installing it, watch the icon in the browser bar at upper right as uBlock Origin counts the ads it blocks. This add-on was created by Raymond Hill.
Here's one good reason to install an ad pop-up blocker: some ad networks have been (inadvertently) serving malware. This means if you visit a page that displays an infected ad, your computer may become infected too, without your having to click or download anything. Sadly, that's the state of our Internet.
2. Privacy Badger. This add-on is produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), of which I'm a member. Privacy Badger automatically blocks spying ads and invisible trackers as you browse the web. It's there to ensure that companies can't track your browsing without your consent.
After you install Privacy Badger you can click the icon for this add-on at the upper right of your browser bar. Then you will see one of three states for each tracker: Red means block the tracker; Yellow means Privacy Badger won't send cookies or referrers to the tracker; Green means unblocked. You can click on this same Privacy Badger icon if you'd like to override the automatic blocking settings.
3. HTTPS Everywhere. HTTPS is an abbreviation for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. It's the Internet standard for encrypting data transfer on websites, such as banking and e-commerce sites, and increasingly a variety of sites that want to honor user privacy and security. (Another Internet-wide movement in the wake of Edward Snowden's government spying revelations.)
Many sites on the web offer some limited support for encryption over HTTPS but make it difficult to use. For instance, they may default to unencrypted HTTP, or fill encrypted pages with links that go back to the unencrypted site. The HTTPS Everywhere extension fixes these problems by rewriting all requests to these sites to HTTPS. This add-on is also produced by the EFF.
To find these three or other Firefox add-ons, please visit this website: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox. At upper right on this page you'll find a search box. Type in the name of the add-on you'd like to try, find it, then install it.
Wishing you safe and secure computing.
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Sam
