Browser Plugin 'Privacy Badger' Badgers Online Trackers

[Guest]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has given users a way to control their online privacy: the Privacy Badger plugin for Firefox and Chrome.

Browser Plugin 'Privacy Badger' Badgers Online Trackers : Read more

 

[Marcus52]

EFF is a great organization, but I'd rather see them get behind NoScript than create another program.

And while they're at trying to protect us from tracking - how about they go to the source of the security problem? We wouldn't have to be so concerned about our privacy being violated by private organizations (as well as the government spies) if we had laws that prevented web browsers from being made to support tracking instead of block it.

 

[Haravikk]

EFF is a great organization, but I'd rather see them get behind NoScript than create another program.

I'm not sure the two really fulfil the same goals exactly, just like Privacy Badger and AdBlock aren't the same thing either (though AdBlock could certainly benefit from Privacy Badger style restrictions, rather than just flat blocking of all ads).

Still, it's great to see someone actually attempting to introduce consequences for failing to respect Do Not Track, as it's really something that should have been part of the proposal to begin with. While the plugin seems fine, I'd really like to see browsers implementing this directly.

For example, Safari (currently unsupported anyway) now has the ability to stop animations, movies etc. that don't appear to be important, which generally works quite well to prevent disruptive advertising. Using the same detection they could also determine which content should or should not be allowed to track the user, and remove the content entirely if it keeps trying to even though DNT is enabled.

 

[Jon Mc]

Disconnect seems to actively block sites that at this time need to be manually blocked in Privacy Badger. Also Do Not Disturb seems to block sites generated by the website itself.

 

[koss64]

You do know that the internet economy as we know it is based on advertising right? A part of that advertising is tracking what you do on websites and where you go within those websites,its used in data analysis which form the metrics that compnies need in order to see if a marketing campaign is working so in the short term it can pay staff etc. You take that out and you have pay for special access looking like a very lucrative market. I'm not saying that all tracking is good mind you because some of the things being done with are just downright nasty, but to outlaw the entire practice is going to throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

[Tunie]

It is not paranoia that drives my desire for privacy, it is the fundamental creepiness and annoyance of being tracked, and secondly, seeing ridiculous content featured based upon random surfing that has little to do with my life. None of the intelligent content I search is featured, of course, only the most banal and stupid. I don't want that crap associated with my data trail but I'm not interested in giving up my freedom to search and browse for relaxation and entertainment. Privacy IS a fundamental human birthright.