Understanding Your Web Browser Part II

Understanding Your Web Browser Part II 
Keeping your web browser up to date is essential for security and smooth browsing. Up to date means having the latest version of the browser. In Firefox, in Windows, you can check if your version is current by clicking the three horizontal bars at upper right, then Help at bottom, then About. This should be ritual housekeeping for you - checking at least monthly that you have latest version of any browser.
 
Obsolete, say the tech giants
Those of you running older computers have noticed that some browsers refuse to run properly or complain that your operating system is out of date - or worse, the browser you want can't even be installed on your system. You can limp along with this condition, or bite the bullet and get a newer computer.
 
This shows the tail is wagging the dog, meaning Internet technology is dictating whether your computer is sufficient to surf the web. Your computer, though old, may be running just fine. I've seen this with 7 to 10-year-old Macs. They're humming along, but can't run current browsers and are limited on which sites they can access. This is proof that we don't really live in a consumer-driven society, but in a tech-pushed society.
 
Browser buddies
I usually recommend having at least two browsers, as different browsers perform better on certain websites. If you're using Gmail, I recommend Chrome as your browser. Another reason to have a second browser is a backdoor in case the first browser gets infected with malware. In this case, you may need the second browser to research and download a fix.
 
Try a new browser
It's also interesting to experiment with new browsers, like Brave. The Brave browser touts a built-in ad blocker, speed, security and privacy. It's produced by a team led by the inventor of JavaScript and a co-founder of Mozilla. You can get it at www.brave.com. I use it in addition to Chrome and Firefox.

Ad blocking
Speaking of ad blocking, recently some of my clients and I have been enjoying using a browser extension called Ad Blocker Plus. It's free and plugs in to your browser. It blocks many obnoxious ads and pop-ups. By default, it's not an ad-free solution, as the developer partners with advertisers who promise to play nice and not send annoying ads. Per their site, "... you may see some nonintrusive ads that adhere to strict criteria. We identify these ads as Acceptable Ads." But, dear reader, you can choose the option in Ad Blocker Plus to block all ads.
 
Privacy extension
Another useful browser extension is Privacy Badger. It's produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit that battles for digital rights. When you install privacy Badger it blocks invisible trackers that follow you as you surf from site to site.
 
In sum, I suggest that you find some browsers you like, keep them up to date, add extensions to them, and take them for test drives. You can always remove the one/s you don't like; but keep in mind, you may lose some of your bookmarked sites and history in that browser if it's uninstalled. Trying out other browsers applies to tablets and phones as well. You are not limited to what's installed as the default on those devices.

Thanks for reading!
-Sam

Add-ons for Firefox

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