Web Browsers - Privacy Settings (and more)
Goal: Become familiar with web browser settings, and how these affect security and privacy.
FIREFOX - This web browser belongs to
Mozilla. Their products include Firefox (a web browser), Thunderbird (an email client), and Firefox OS (an operating system for smart phones). Firefox (web browser) works on Windows, Mac and Linux. Mozilla also created Firefox versions for Android phones and tablets, and Apple devices (e.g. iPhone, iPad). So, Firefox is a "
Cross-Platform" program.
For this lesson, I will deal with the desktop/laptop version of Firefox. For support or help with other versions of Firefox (e.g. Firefox on an Android Phone), see the
Mozilla Support page. You can find help in the
Firefox - Help Topics page (help for desktop/laptop version), particularly the
Protect Your Privacy section.
WHAT TO DO:
In Firefox, open the Firefox Preferences (see the three horizontal lines on the far right). See on the left the different categories of settings.
General - You can change the start page and the home page. More importantly (at least to me), the download setting can be changed. Most browsers are set to place anything downloaded into your "Downloads" folder. For most people, that is perhaps the best option. However, I do not store or save everything in my "Downloads" folder. I tell my web browsers to "Always ask me where to save files."
Search - You can choose your default search engine. Look through the search engines currently available in the drop-down list. Some search engines offer more privacy than others (perhaps this will be considered in another post).
Content - Make sure the "Block pop-up windows" box is checked.
Privacy - Under "History," the default setting is "Remember History." Change this to "Use Custom Settings for History". Then, I check the following boxes: "Remember my browsing and download history"; "Remember search and form history"; "Accept cookies from sites". Then, I "Accept third-party cookies [always]" and "Keep until [they expire]". Then I check "Clear history when Firefox closes" and click on the "Settings..." button to the right. Check every box in the "Settings for clearing history" pop-up that opens.
Security - Make sure that you un-check both "Remember logins for sites" and "Use a master password". This tells Firefox not to remember your passwords for websites. This prevents someone else, using your computer, to login to your website accounts.
Close the "Preferences" tab.
Press [control] [shift] [delete]. A "clear all history" box will pop-up. I choose "everything" as the time range to clear, check all the boxes, then press "clear now." Why is this important? Rather than shutting down the web browser to clear things after visiting a banking site, I use this option.
Clearing the browsing history is helpful in at least two ways. It erases the many temporary files from surfing the web that would normally be stored on your hard drive. Over time, they can add up to gigabytes of wasted space. It also can clear files from the web that may be used to track you or worse.
BE CAREFUL: If you are doing all this on your own computer, that is fine. Be cautious of doing all this on someone else's computer. If they don't remember their passwords and haven't written them down somewhere, it would create difficulties if you cleared their passwords (part of the cache and cookies) to websites they use.
PRIVATE BROWSING - If you must use someone else's computer to check your email, or some other website that would require a login with username and password, it is better to open a "New Private Window" and do your business in that window. When you finish and close the private window, your information will not be saved on that computer. Read the short Firefox help article titled, "
Private Browsing - Use Firefox without saving history". Note that Safari calls them "Private Windows" also, but Chrome calls them "Incognito Windows". If there is some concern that someone's computer has a virus, do not login with username and password to a site on that computer.
Open a Private Window.
CHROME - This is a web browser created by Google. I use Firefox as my default web browser. For logging into my Gmail accounts, I use Chrome. Below are some links that may be helpful in dealing with Chrome.
Chrome (Chromium on Linux operating system)
Chrome Help Center
Security, safety, and reporting - category in the help center
Choose your privacy settings
Manage Saved Passwords
Adjust website content settings
Browse in private with Incognito mode
WHAT TO DO:
In Chrome, open the settings (see the three vertical dots on the right). When you first open the settings, you will find that there are only five categories.
Search - You can choose your default search engine in Chrome.
Then at the bottom click on "Show advanced settings...". More categories will appear.
Privacy - Notice the two buttons, "Content settings..." and "Clear browsing data...". Look through these. Notice that Chrome does not have an option that allows you to automatically clear browsing data when you close Chrome.
Clear the browsing history.
Open an incognito window.
SAFARI
Safari (on Apple computers)
Safari Support
Safari Help - This is a very helpful page for finding help
Safari for Mac: Clear your Safari browsing history
Safari for Mac: Manage cookies and website data using Safari
Stop pop-up ads in Safari
Use Private Browsing windows
WHAT TO DO:
In Safari, open the preferences. Look through the various setting options. Clear the browsing history. Open a private browsing window.
