This opens up the whole issue of online privacy and anonymity - be that web browsing, emails, downloading music, etc., etc. I am trying to get a handle on this. I guess that use of the internet poses two (maybe more?) categories of risk - security and privacy. Regarding the latter, what risk is presented by tracking cookies, for example? If cookies are anonymous, then should I be concerned? Another example - if I agree to send an app's diagnostic data to the developer, should I refrain from doing this? Whilst it's down to each individual to decide where to draw the line, I am just trying to better understand the facts. I think I have a better understanding of internet security risks. I apologize in advance if this question has been answered elsewhere on Wildings but I did a search before submitting this post. Feel free to point me in the right direction. JPC
Unless you have a VPN, ISPs can see what you're doing. On the Internet, you do sacrifice privacy unless you take proactive measures to implement it.
I think of privacy as an aspect of security, of OPSEC. Indeed, keeping sensitive information private from adversaries is a key part of OPSEC. See http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/training/OPSEC_Training.pdf I'm not sure what an anonymous cookie might be I use Firefox, with these Privacy preferences: [x] Use Tracking Protection in Private Windows Use custom settings for history [x] Always use private browsing mode [x] Accept cookies from sites [x] Accept third-party cookies from visited [x] Keep until I close Firefox [x] Clear history when Firefox closes But then, I also use nested VPN chains, so nothing about (for example) Mirimir gets linked to my meatspace identity. I refrain from using smartphones Again, go through the OPSEC training deck.
Hi Norman, Yep, I do use a VPN and I am proactively looking at privacy, hence my interest in Wilders. JPC
Hi mirimir, Thanks for the info. I will definitely pursue the OPSEC material. When I made reference to the diagnostic data from an app, I wasn't just thinking about mobile devices. Even Microsoft now uses the abbreviated form of 'application'. Your Firefox settings are of interest to me. I used to be a big user of Firefox but then drifted to Chrome. JPC
@mirimir :I noticed that you while I never accept third-party cookies. Just out of curiosity: Had you also tried that setting, and if so, did you notice a difference? I mean because of your last 2 preferences (which I'm also using) the difference should be relatively small but still ... From a privacy perspective I prefer "never" as I've never noticed a broken site. FWIW, 1st party cookies are deleted during my browsing session by the Cookie AutoDelete addon (which is a webextension - previously I had used Self-Destructing Cookies).
I've never tested that. All cookies get deleted when Firefox closes. And I shut VMs down when I'm not using them. So I see no problem allowing third-party cookies from sites that I've visited that day. Also, tracking isn't really a huge issue for me. Because I'm cool with everything done in this VM being associated with Mirimir.
I think this is a key thing for me - I do not trust browsers to do what they say, or they'll change behaviors on the next release. It's rather easier for me to manage the admittedly brutal reversion of VM snapshots, given that it's far more comprehensive. Opsec beats controls every time!
