Hubbry Logo
search
logo
508831

Privacy Badger

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is a free and open-source browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera, and Firefox for Android created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Its purpose is to promote a balanced approach to Internet privacy between consumers and content providers by blocking advertisements and tracking cookies that do not respect the Do Not Track setting in a user's web browser. A second purpose, served by free distribution, has been to encourage membership in and donation to the EFF.

The EFF states: "If an advertiser seems to be tracking you across multiple websites without your permission, Privacy Badger automatically blocks that advertiser from loading any more content in your browser. To the advertiser, it's like you suddenly disappeared." Privacy Badger works by detecting the presence of content loaded from third-party domains when you visit a website, then blocking those domains which are determined to be tracking you. Controls on the software allow selective blocking of the third-party domains based on user preference. Unlike adblockers, Privacy Badger only blocks those ads which come with embedded trackers.

Privacy Badger has been noted as one recommended tool in a set of tools to protect online privacy.

In October 2020, following security disclosures by the Google Security Team, Privacy Badger changed its default behavior. While it would previously learn to block new trackers heuristically after installed, it now defaults to blocking only trackers it already knows from automated testing before release. While it can still be configured to learn heuristically, it is no longer the default option because it can be exploited by third-parties to fingerprint the user based on trackers it blocks.

The alpha version was released on 1 May 2014, followed by a beta on 21 July 2014. In April 2017, the EFF announced that Privacy Badger had surpassed one million users.

Several publications reported on Privacy Badger in May 2014, following its alpha release.

Ian Paul, for PC World, mentions that Privacy Badger "only blocks third-party tracking, not first party", and mentions that prevention of browser fingerprinting is planned for a future release.

Ars Technica notes that if an advertiser makes a commitment to respect Do Not Track requests, their cookies will be unblocked from Privacy Badger.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.