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I've been using Ghostery (with everything blocked) on all my browsers for the last couple of years. I feel safer online and site tend to function better since

I've been using Ghostery (with everything blocked) on all my browsers for the last couple of years. I feel safer online and site tend to function better since I've started using it.

Sir_Cmpwn 11y ago
I would use caution with Ghostery. It's proprietary and closed source, which is really suspicious for privacy software, doubly so when you realize that the company running it is in the advertising industry. It also phones home and is not entirely clear about what it's sending. I'd suggest using uBlock Origin instead.
- Dirlewanger 11y ago
  Yup, there was an HN post last year where a guy took apart Ghostery network traffic and saw a UUID being included with requests. Got me to uninstall real fast.
  - luxpir 11y ago
    Not to spread FUD, and it's probably nothing, but some blockers, such as Disconnect, have founding teams that formerly worked at DoubleClick, Google and NSA. None of this appears on their website post-2013, the summer of surveillance. Saw it once on their 'About us' page, can't track it down on web.archive.org just now, but I'm not making it up...
- Silhouette 11y ago
  It also phones home and is not entirely clear about what it's sending. Are you suggesting that it does so other than to download library updates, even if you have opted out of their data sharing (which is a single option on the settings screen)? If so, please give details, because this is a common allegation but I've yet to see anyone substantiate it. I'd suggest using uBlock Origin instead. uBO is helpful if you're happy with the defaults, but it's horrendously difficult to configure it or figure out what it's actually doing. This is something AdBlock Plus/Edge were always much better at, whatever their other limitations.
  - luxpir 11y ago
    Just to chime in with uMatrix by the same dev as uBO - it has always been the 'power-user' version to rival noscript etc. A much more 'open' solution.
- randomgyatwork 11y ago
  Wowzers, never realized that, thanks for the heads up.

I've been using Ghostery (with everything blocked) on all my browsers for the last couple of years. I feel safer online and site tend to function better since I've started using it.

Sir_Cmpwn 11y ago

I would use caution with Ghostery. It's proprietary and closed source, which is really suspicious for privacy software, doubly so when you realize that the company running it is in the advertising industry. It also phones home and is not entirely clear about what it's sending. I'd suggest using uBlock Origin instead.

Dirlewanger 11y ago
Yup, there was an HN post last year where a guy took apart Ghostery network traffic and saw a UUID being included with requests. Got me to uninstall real fast.
- luxpir 11y ago
  Not to spread FUD, and it's probably nothing, but some blockers, such as Disconnect, have founding teams that formerly worked at DoubleClick, Google and NSA. None of this appears on their website post-2013, the summer of surveillance. Saw it once on their 'About us' page, can't track it down on web.archive.org just now, but I'm not making it up...
Silhouette 11y ago
It also phones home and is not entirely clear about what it's sending. Are you suggesting that it does so other than to download library updates, even if you have opted out of their data sharing (which is a single option on the settings screen)? If so, please give details, because this is a common allegation but I've yet to see anyone substantiate it. I'd suggest using uBlock Origin instead. uBO is helpful if you're happy with the defaults, but it's horrendously difficult to configure it or figure out what it's actually doing. This is something AdBlock Plus/Edge were always much better at, whatever their other limitations.
- luxpir 11y ago
  Just to chime in with uMatrix by the same dev as uBO - it has always been the 'power-user' version to rival noscript etc. A much more 'open' solution.
randomgyatwork 11y ago
Wowzers, never realized that, thanks for the heads up.