Some (really) nice tips & addons for Firefox#

Privacy and tranquility. If those words means something, then you came at the right place :

• Search engine
• Preferences
  • Deeper privacy protections
• Pocket
• Toolbar
• Addons party time
  • Installation
  • Configuration
    • uBlock Origin configuration
    • Cookie AutoDelete
    • Privacy Redirect
• Credits

Search engine#

Open a page on your favorite search engine, like :

• https://www.startpage.com/
• https://www.mojeek.com/

Then click on the address bar, and click on the bottom right favicon that got the small "plus" icon ; it will add this search engine to Firefox.

Alternatively, you can use https://mycroftproject.com/search-engines.html then search and add the search engine you like ! For instance I use the « Startpage - français (no filter) » search engine. Useful and discrete, as it's not adding my search queries to the address bar.

Preferences#

Some little things I do when using Firefox for the first time... But you can go much deeper (see bellow)

• Home, homepage & new windows : Blank page (don't want to see Amazon and all the bastards)
• New tabs : Blank page (same)
• Search : pick your favorite search engine (see our previous section)
• Privacy and security : Strict (little privacy improvements)
• Send "do not track" : Always (they don't care anyway)
• Collecting data by Firefox : Disallow, Disallow (don't know why should I send some data to Mozzila, so...)

DNS : maximum protection

• Custom : https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query

Deeper privacy protections#

A user.js is a configuration file that can control Firefox settings. The "arkenfox" user.js is a template (see all its options with a nice UI here) which aims to provide as much privacy and enhanced security as possible, and to reduce tracking and fingerprinting as much as possible - while minimizing any loss of functionality and breakage (but it will happen).

Pocket#

Pocket is a mozilla third-party that I don't use, so I'm disabling it

• Type about:config in the address bar, accept the risk (tadaa)
• Type extensions.pocket.enabled in the search bar
• Double click on the item, switching it to false
• Restart the browser

You're done, no more "pocket" entries in the toolbar, ciao.

Toolbar#

Right click on it, customize.

Drag & drop the "Send a link" email icon to the toolbar.

Because it's just cool to email nice URLS to our nice friends, without using any (private) social media or (private) instant messaging. And don't tell me that you or your friend is using Gmail.

Addons party time#

Click on the addon "puzzle" icon, then :

Installation#

Search & add to Firefox :

• uBlock Origin, the best adblock for now.
• Privacy Badger, to also remove tracking cookies from the CDN requests
• I still don't care about cookies, to close those annoying cookies windows, popups, lightboxs, whatever.
• Cookie AutoDelete, to automatically delete cookies, cache, indexDB, localStorage, plugin storage, service workers.
• Privacy Redirect, to use non-tracking alternatives from Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, etc. And it does also replace all those invasive YouTube iframe.
• SingleFile, to quickly save a webpage as a single HTML file.
• Bypass Paywalls Clean for Firefox, an unofficial addon that just, you know. To install it, download the latest release (bypass_paywalls_clean-something.xpi), go on the firefox downloads tab and click on the downloaded file. Allow Firefox to add it.
• Disable JavaScript, to quickly disable JavaScript from a webpage, because you don't need fancy JavaScript all the time.

Also seen the "LibRedirect" extension that redirects YouTube, Twitter, TikTok... requests to alternative privacy friendly frontends. Looks great, but I haven't tested it, yet.

Configuration#

uBlock Origin configuration#

Click on the extension (puzzle) icon on the tool bar, click on uBlock origin, open the dashboard (cogwheel icon), Filter lists tab, Click on "update now".

You can also click on the extension (puzzle) icon on the tool bar, right click on uBlock origin and choose "pin to the toolbar", to see the trackers being blocked for every page.

Cookie AutoDelete#

Click on the extension (puzzle) icon on the tool bar, click on Cookie AutoDelete, parameters, click on "activate automatic cleanup", scroll down, other options, then click on every checkbox to activate cache cleaning, indexedDB cleaning, etc.

Scroll down a little bit and don't forget to disable "display notification after automatic cleanup".

You can also click on the extension (puzzle) icon on the tool bar, right click on Cookie AutoDelete and choose "pin to the toolbar", to see the cookies being blocked (or authorized) for every page.

Privacy Redirect#

I personally do redirect for :

• Nitter (against Twitter trackers)
• Invidious (against YouTube trackers)
• OpenStreetMap (against Google Maps trackers)
• Reddit (Reddit is now blocking developers 😡)
• SimplyTranslate

I also use the following instances :

• Nitter : https://nitter.fdn.fr
• Invidious : https://yt.artemislena.eu (or any other instances as YouTube is blocking some of them, see the issue)
• Reddit : https://libreddit.kavin.rocks (see bellow)
• SimplyTranslate : https://simplytranslate.pussthecat.org

Credits#

The photograph "Firefox" is from Paul Copeland and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

And thanks to SebSauvage for his Firefox essential addons article (french)