Web Browser Extensions
Configure your web browser to protect yourself through the use of web browser extensions: extra pieces of software that plug into your browser and enhance its capabilities. Even users of closed-source and proprietary web browsers can benefit, putting you in control of code and communications that can present privacy, security and malware risks.
Privacy- and security-focused web browser extensions commonly work by controlling which code runs when a web page is delivered to you. These extensions give you the option to enable or disable parts of the code making up a web page, such as scripts pulled in from outside, third-party Internet servers. This lets you control whether or not you'd like to be tracked by analytics, automatically opt out of data sharing, or see advertisements, as well as many other features.
Some of our favorite and recommended web browser extensions include:
- Privacy Badger. Built by our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy Badger offers lots of features and self-learning that kills trackers based on their behavior. Privacy Badger can also enable click-to-activate placeholders for things like third-party videos or audio players, which are sometimes included in the McKinley Park News, such as our event listings for band performances.
- uBlock Origin. This open-source plugin is a "wide-spectrum content blocker with CPU and memory efficiency as a primary feature." It integrates lists of ad providers, trackers, pop-ups, coin miners, malware sleazebags and other sources of concern, and then stops their code from running in your web browser. uBlock Origin offers many other features and ability for customization.
- Cookie AutoDelete. "Cookies" are bits of code that websites use to help keep track of your activities on a website, and they can persist, even after you've left that website. For example, the McKinley Park News employs our own "first-party" cookies — served from our own website and server — for features like the "Remember Me" checkbox for logged-in members.
Unlike many, the McKinley Park News does not integrate "third-party" cookies from outside services into our website. We do this because third-party cookies are commonly laden with security and privacy concerns that would put our users at risk. The Cookie AutoDelete extension automatically deletes cookies from closed web browser tabs and windows, with the option to whitelist persistent cookies for sites like the McKinley Park News that ensconce member privacy protections in Terms of Service. - NoScript. The NoScript Security Suite is cross-platform, multi-browser, open-source software that lets you tune the operations of "scripts" embedded into websites. For example, "Javascript" code can both enable interactive website features like you'll see here on the McKinley Park News, as well as do all kinds of things to exploit and harm you. The NoScript extension lets you selectively turn on Javascript for trusted sites like the McKinley Park News, and keep scripts entirely or partially turned off for untrusted or unknown sites.
Many other worthy browser extensions offer security and privacy capabilities, as well as all kinds of other features to customize and enhance your web browsing.
Browser Configuration
Web browsers themselves offer built-in options to enhance privacy and security, many times in their Settings. For example, we recommend all users configure their web browsers to set themselves by default to "HTTPS" mode when accessing websites. (The "S" means there is a secure, encrypted connection between the website and your web browser.)
Click here to lean how to configure HTTPS-only mode for your browser.
Find Extensions in Settings
Web browsers commonly integrate their directories of extensions that you can review and add with a click: Look in your web browser Settings to manage your extensions and add new ones.
