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Derek Zimmer has a blog post over at Private Internet Access about the Firefox extension Lightbeam and how it shows graphically in realtime the benefits of privacy. Lightbeam is a continuation of the visualization project, Collusion, which was introduced in 2012. The extension shows which sites your browser is interacting with including third party connections and shows the relation between them. It has several visualization modes and the ability to save the connection history to a file. He notes that it is very useful in seeing the relation of a page to the plethora of trackers, web libraries, cookies, and all kinds of outside parties trying to gather and sell your data which it pulls in.
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Using Firefox Lightbeam for Visualizing On-the-Fly the Benefits of Privacy
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Tax reform means "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind
the tree."
-- Russell Long
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Friday October 12 2018, @01:16AM (4 children)
people aren't very impressed on the download page reviews [mozilla.org]
several of the reviews suggest browsing in containers confuses/breaks the addon.
Not sure who would need/use this, anyway - if you're security conscious, you're already running privacy add-ons and using VPNs and IP blockers and containers, etc etc.
If you're not aware, why would you use this, and how would you find it in the first place?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday October 12 2018, @01:21AM
But of course on S/N, why would you even need to ask?
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Friday October 12 2018, @02:37AM (2 children)
Greater value is found on this page: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2018/09/firefox-hardening-guide/ [privateinternetaccess.com] The guide mentions lightbeam as a tool, to demonstrate the effectiveness of hardening your browser. It doesn't exactly recommend installing the addon, and leaving it installed. Ehhh - I can see myself playing around with lightbeam, but not keeping it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by canopic jug on Friday October 12 2018, @07:52AM (1 child)
It's not an add-on that makes sense to leave running all the time. It's more something you would show to demonstrate particular points related to privacy or security. Then after you are done, disable or uninstall it.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 14 2018, @02:09PM
And once you realize it would be prudent to do something, go ahead and install uMatrix.
It's somewhat confusing and thus scary to use but it's the best currently available since the excellent RequestPolicy addon doesn't no longer work with the new webextensions system.
You wouldn't have unprotected sex with a total stranger either. Why should you browse the dangerous and filthy internet naked?