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How do you evaluate a browser extension for privacy/security? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.world
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm not a tech/IT person and am very early in my privacy journey.

I was going to install a web clipper browser extension that works with a notes app I'm trying out, but the installation page says it isn't actively monitored for security by the organization behind my browser. The extension requires access to your data for all websites. However, the page also says that they don't share data with any third party and don't have access to this data themselves. What level of privacy risk am I taking on with this extension?

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[–] 3 points 3 months ago

The real danger is in extensions that are safe to use but later get sold and updated to spy on you with the same permissions you've already granted.

Best practice, as someone else already mentioned, is to use as few as possible and only those you trust or have wide community trust to help extend your own trust.

Extensions I trust/use:

  • uBlock Origin (by Raymond Hill AKA gorhill on Github)
  • Snowflake (by the Tor project) doesn't require any permissions.
  • SingleFile (by gildas-lormeau on Github)
  • Firefox Multi-account containers (by Firefox, obviously)
  • Dark Reader (by the Dark Reader Project)
  • Wayback Machine (by the Internet Archive)
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