this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2023
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So as the title mentions, I'm wondering how much is too much?

I am currently using Brave with the setting to:

  • Aggressively block trackers & ads
  • Only connect with HTTPS
  • Block fingerprinting
  • Block cross-site cookies

In addition to that, I have installed the following extensions:

  • uBlock Origin
  • Ghostery
  • Decentraleyes
  • DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials

So my question is: Is this overkill? If so, what should/could be removed that may be redundant? I want as much coverage as possible, but not have things bloated.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I mean ublock origin is really all you need imo so I guess one

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

I disagree. Test your set up here :

https://d3ward.github.io/toolz/adblock.html

I use ublock and ad guard (app and DNS) together to get to 100%.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I get 100% using only ublock in firefox, without configuring either. Note that stacking filters not only reduces performance, but also increases your fingerprint.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

just firefox + uBlock Origin => 100% - with the correct filterlists enabled ;)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Hmm, interesting tool! With just Brave blocking I get 96%, but turning on uBO, I get 100%.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Please never do this! Read this thread from the developer of uBlock Origin. Using multiple content blockers together like this can and will cause issues, as well as will increase fingerprinting, etc, and there's no gain or benefit at all from doing so.

I would disable Brave's built-in ad/tracker blocking (leave the rest of the Shields' functionality enabled), and would solely use uBlock Origin, and remove the other extensions. (You could even just stick to Brave's built in ad/tracker blocking if you want to, but I just prefer uBlock Origin for its advanced features and compatibility)

As far as Decentraleyes goes, its essentially abandoned. You can use LocalCDN instead if you wish to do so, though its privacy benefits are debated. I mainly use it since I use uBlock Origin in Hard mode (which it complements uBo very nicely in both Medium or Hard Mode), and for the performance boost it gives, but its up to you. Ghostery and DDG Essentials should definitely be removed. (While DDG Essentials isn't only content blocking, its other features are also just completely redundant and unnecessary with Brave)

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use the extensions based on the Arkenfox user.js wiki. He describes what's obsolete or redundant, etc. It's a good quick read.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Brave is trash and its owned by an asshole. I use adblock browser in my phone and Firefox otherwise. Not sure about the owner or Dev or whatever, but it's much better quality for blocking ads.

An answer to the more pertinent question of how much is too much, however? None. There's no such thing as too much ad blocking.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Why is it trash?

And why are Americans obsessed with the politics of who makes a product?

Its a free, as in free beer, browser. By using it you are not donating money to the CEO.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure he donated to (or still donates to?) homophobic action groups.

That's more than enough reason to boycott something that person is in charge of, imo

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

How does that affect the software.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

When you support software you support the company making it, allowing them to grow and profit. If someone does not want to financially support the actions of someone they disagree with, then that is fine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I do not want success for that man, therefore I'm not going to give his project market share

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Market share.. Of something that can be had free? You are making less and less sense.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (11 children)

Yes, because if the browser has no market share, there is no point in it continuing to exist and the company folds.

I don't care if it's free or costs money, the man gets paid if the product is successful. I don't want to support him, therefore I don't use the product. If enough people agree with me and do the same, the product dies & the man fails. Or at the very least the rest of the company kicks him out and the man still fails.

Like this isn't rocket science

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In 2008 he donated $1000 in support of California Proposition 8. I don’t know of anything else, at least publicly. Californians also voted and passed the amendment 52%/47%, it was thrown out by the courts.

More recently in 2020 he did say some of the typical conservative stuff about COVID lockdowns, mask mandates, calling Fouci a liar, etc.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Never mind the American politics nonsense, Brave has a history of slightly dodgy behaviour. Replacing websites ads with their own, keeping donations meant for creators, hijacking referral links and adding in their own, a lot of cryptocurrency shenanigans, and that's just what's on Wikipedia!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I agree with you, that's irrelevant. What's not irrelevant is that it's chromium as in based on chrome, the browser trying to add drm to internet pages. Please use Firefox instead

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (33 children)

Given that the US has almost zero privacy legislation, the politics of the owner/maker often hints at decisions that eventually make it into the software. Many of the reasons to avoid chrome and chromium are similar to this, though not about a specific person but about the values that google holds in fucking over standards. We see this reflected in some of the decisions of say social media platforms (even "free-as-in-beer" ones) and many companies.

In many cases, you're still giving them money and/or power to continue fucking up open standards.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You just need uBlock. The other add-ons are redundant.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (6 children)

uBlock origin + NoScript. Imo.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yes for the browser i agree, sadly apps have trackers and ads too. A dns can be useful if it's system wide for all that stuff. Nextdns, adguard, rethinkdns or decloudus comes to mind

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You can have what Brave does except block ads/trackers, which uBO can cover anyway, but on Firefox or Librewolf instead. For extensions, ditch Ghostery.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My rule for this is if tor uses it its pretty dam good aka No script + Ublock Orgin

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ditch ghostery and replace with privacy badger.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is PrivacyBadger not made redundant by uBlock or any of the other extensions?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

PrivacyBadger functionality is now built into uBO.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Use Firefox with ubo. Stop using chromium browsers.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

With brave you don't need any of those addons.

On Firefox just uBlock is fine.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

brave has its own 'issues' that should keep you far away from it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't use it just because I'm not a fan of how chromium browsers work. They have had some controversies too around their crypto stuff and other things, but I'm not too familiar with them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You don't need any of those.

The functions and lists of uBlock are built into Brave. Most of the rest are redundant. You're just having the opposite effect that you're trying to achieve. These extensions are just used to fingerprint you.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Yup. Overkill. But, thankfully extension removal is just a click away. More users should ask questions like this.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I've tested a few browsers using Eff's Cover Your Tracks website. The best is TOR, but Brave with no extensions is second, it said it provided a randomized fingerprint. Tried it with Firefox with uBlock and it said my comp had a unique fingerprint. Mullvad browser faired slighty better, cant recall the score, but at least it wasn't unique. I tried it with Librewolf also with a load of extensions and it was a poor score as well. So, imo, you don't need extensions with Brave. I think my settings are the same as yours.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just one is too many. The goal is to blend in not stand out. Use Mullvad Browser and Tor Browser.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are you really standing out when over a third of all internet users use adblockers? Source in German

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Websites can also dingier print you by your browser settings and extensions.

So, having a lot of extensions can defeat the purpose of privacy.

I try to keep default settings and a minimal number of extensions.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It depends on what browser and what extensions. Previously addon could be fingerprinted by detecting what web resourves they used (i think just chromium). On firefox extensions can get detected by sensing certain telltale changes they provide. eg. Inserting js in dom or blocking of ad/tracking domains. Even if the extension itself isnt identified, unique settings and multiple content blockers will make kinds of fingerprinting possible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Honastpy at this point you should turn them all ofi and set up a pi hole

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

pihole by itself does not remove all the ads and trackers, just ones that come from different hostnames than the site being accessed--which can be blocked by dns.

a browser-based blocker is essential.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Pi hole is great for blocking ads from IoT devices like TVs or streaming boxes. But pi hope can’t block things like YouTube ads.

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