Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Browsing Privacy in Mozilla Firefox using about:config


The about:config (Configuration Editor) Page lists Firefox settings known as preferences that are read from the prefs.js and user.js files in the Firefox profile and from application defaults. Many of these preferences are advanced settings that are not present in the Options dialog.

The prefs.js file does not actually contain all of the settings. It only stores changes made to the defaults, after they are written back to disk. prefs.js is a plain-text file that can be edited with a text editor. However, its recommended that you don't edit it directly since you can damage your profile if you make any mistakes.
A user.js file is an alternative method of modifying preferences, recommended for advanced users only. Unless you need a user.js file for a specific purpose you should use about:config instead. The user.js file does not exist by default.

Warning: Changing these advanced settings can sometimes break Firefox or cause strange behavior. You should only do this if you know what you're doing or if you are following trustworthy advice.

How: 

  1.     Enter "about:config" in the firefox address bar and press enter.
  2.     Press the button "I'll be careful, I promise!"
  3.     Follow the instructions below.

Starting Steps :
  •     privacy.trackingprotection.enabled = true
        This is Mozilla’s new built in tracking protection.
  •     geo.enabled = false
        Disables geolocation.
  •     browser.safebrowsing.enabled = false
        Disable Google Safe Browsing and phishing protection. Security risk, but privacy improvement.
  •     browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled = false
        Disable Google Safe Browsing malware checks. Security risk, but privacy improvement.
  •     dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled = false
        Disable that websites can get notifications if you copy, paste, or cut something from a web page, and it lets them know which part of the page had been selected.
  •     network.cookie.cookieBehavior = 1
        Disable cookies
        0 = accept all cookies by default
        1 = only accept from the originating site (block third party cookies)
        2 = block all cookies by default
  •     network.cookie.lifetimePolicy = 2
        cookies are deleted at the end of the session
        0 = Accept cookies normally
        1 = Prompt for each cookie
        2 = Accept for current session only
        3 = Accept for N days
  •     browser.cache.offline.enable = false
        Disables offline cache.
  •     browser.send_pings = false
        The attribute would be useful for letting websites track visitors’ clicks.
  •     webgl.disabled = true
        WebGL is a potential security risk. Source
  •     dom.battery.enabled = false
        Website owners can track the battery status of your device. Source
  •     browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undo = 0
        Even with Firefox set to not remember history, your closed tabs are stored temporarily at Menu -> History -> Recently Closed Tabs

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