A post called ‘A Few Simple Steps to Vastly Increase Your Privacy Online’ by Keith Axline has been making the rounds of the internet recently. It’s really good; you should read it.
In that post Keith recommends several privacy-related browser extensions. I use most of those, too, so I thought I’d follow up on my ‘Staying safe and private online’ post from a few weeks ago with the list of Firefox extensions I use to increase my online privacy and security.
Block trackers from following your around the web
Privacy Badger by EFF Technologists: blocks trackers from following you around the web and seeing which websites you visit.
Decentraleyes by Thomas Rientjes: blocks creators of shared internet content (which lots of websites use) from tracking you every time you download their content.
CanvasBlocker by kkapsner: stops some trackers from using JavaScript to ‘fingerprint’ your browser.
Facebook Container by Mozilla: stops Facebook from tracking you around the web — essentially, lets you use Facebook and its related sites (like Instagram) in a private browser container that’s separated from the rest of your browser.
uBlock Origin by Raymond Hill: blocks ads and adware (ie malware in ads).
Keep your connections to websites encrypted whenever possible
HTTPS Everywhere by EFF Technologists: tries to upgrade all your website connections to ‘https’, which is an encrypted connection.
Stop potential security leaks when you use a VPN
Disable WebRTC by Chris Antaki: stops your true IP address from being leaked when streaming media through a VPN.
Create and manage excellent passwords
LastPass Password Manager by LastPass: generate long, unique, random passwords and then keep them secure.
Take things up a notch by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
This isn’t a Firefox extension but, for completeness’ sake I thought I’d mention that my VPN of choice is Mullvad by Amagicom AB.
When you connect to the internet with Mullvad, we ensure that the traffic to and from your computer is encrypted to the highest standards even if you are using a public WiFi network at a cafe or hotel.
We keep no activity logs, do not ask for personal information, and even encourage anonymous payments via cash or one of the cryptocurrencies we accept. Your IP address is replaced by one of ours, ensuring that your device's activity and location are not linked to you.
If you want a really comprehensive VPN comparison, by the way, check out That One Privacy Site. One of the reasons I went will Mullvad is because that’s the only VPN listed on this site that has earned its ‘GOOD’ rating for privacy, features, and technology.