It is FireFox that has hidden settings (about:config) adjusted for privacy. It refers to using a js file such as betterfox or arkenfox, or a pre-hardened fork of FireFox (Librewolf on desktop or Mull Browser on Android). You can improve your privacy by using a hardened FireFox, however you may also encounter more issues with website compatibility. It is a trade-off, and is usually only recommended for advanced users.
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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Privacy
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Sounds a bit like what Tor browser bundle does - they try to make all the browsers look the same to websites, so for example the website won't know your language preferences or screen size.
only recommended for advanced users.
So you don't think it's necessary for privacy?
For general use, no it is not necessary. But it depends on your threat model, or exactly how private you want to be.
I suggest looking at the pages on FireFox by Privacy Guides:
Desktop browser recommendations: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/desktop-browsers/#mullvad-leta
FireFox privacy 2021 update: https://blog.privacyguides.org/2021/12/01/firefox-privacy-2021-update/
LibreWolf is a great starting point. Otherwise, here's a more guide for more thorough hardening: https://brainfucksec.github.io/firefox-hardening-guide
When I was using Librewolf, it seemed to lag behind on updates, which is a non-negotiable for me.
I now run FF with arkenfox user.js, so youget updates right as they are released
+1, the minescule amount of extra work (moving some files to your firefox profile's directory) is well worth it over just using Librewolf
People tend to speak about hardened Firefox as a separate entity because, unlike some other browsers that come with default privacy out of the box, Firefox requires you to change some settings beforehand. However it's worth noting that a lot of this stuff is extremely quick and easy to do and you don't have to make the advanced changes if they are too confusing. You don't have to use a fork of Firefox either; the default browser is a very good option if you take 5 minutes to set it up and retains QoL features like sync that some forks remove.
What are the settings you recommend?
This is an easy to follow and straight to the point guide.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/F7-bW2y6lcI
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
As many others have pointed out Arkenfox is a great way to harden Firefox that saves much of the effort of manually editing about:config
Because I didn't see one already here's a link to an install tutorial for Arkenfox in case it helps anyone to get started.
really necessary?
no but there are some settings in about:config you might want to change
this is a good video (easier to follow if you are on linux) that shows installation of a profile with all the settings already in it
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=dwZpjKH8nbo
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
Not sure if the author reads replies but I love this bot.
Mullvad browser is what you want, it's desktop only. Everything's already done for you, All the reasonable choices have already been made. Just use it.
If you want to roll your own you can start with base Firefox and then add Arkanfox but expect to spend a good afternoon configuring everything. And then a week tweaking it. Mullvad browser just saves you time.