For a more enjoyable and ad-free browsing experience on Windows. I aim for an almost entirely open-source setup for transparency and privacy reasons.
To start, install the browser. We will be using ungoogled-chromium, known for being open-source, privacy-preserving, and free from proprietary dependencies.
You can download the newest windows release from here. Or install the latest version automatically via the chromium.bat Set chromium as the default browser after install.
In the next Step the necessary Chromium Flags should be changed.
Adhere to the Flags Documentation.
Even tho Firefox is often advocated as a very privacy friendly and secure Browser, Firefox is significantly worse in Terms of Security.
Firefox not only lacks mature site isolation but also important exploit mitigations such as an Arbitrary Code Guard and Code Integrity Guard.
Privacy wise this Browser Configuration is also extremely bad. Trough the unique config and installed Extensions fingerprinting is unavoidable.
Please be aware that the privacy and security threat model inherent in browsers and web technologies is fundamentally flawed. The provided configuration should be regarded as the best among a range of inadequate options.
Configure the following settings in the browser: You and Google -> Sync and Google Services -> Improve search suggestions Enable
Privacy and Security -> Third-party cookies -> Send a "Do Not Track" request with your browsing traffic Enable
Privacy and Security -> Security -> Encrypt the names of sites you visit Enable
Privacy and Security -> Security -> Select DNS provider https://base.dns.mullvad.net/dns-query
Performance -> Memory Saver Enable
Search Engine -> Manage search engines and site search
Change the searchengine, to add Google fill out the form like this:
Search engine:
Google
Shortcut:
Google.de
URL with %s in place of query:
https://www.google.de/search?q=%s
Suggestions URL with %s in place of query:
https://www.google.com/complete/search?client=chrome&q=%s
System -> Continue running background apps when Chromium is closed Enable
Pin all extensions in the provided installation order unless specified otherwise.
First, install the Chromium web store extension from here.
This extension should always be pinned on the far right!
Next, navigate to the web store here and install the following extensions:
uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory-efficient wide-spectrum content blocker for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, annoying anti-blockers, malware sites, etc.
Go to settings, scroll down, and either import the backup file from the GitHub repository or customize it yourself.
Bitwarden is a top-tier password manager supporting 2FA codes, YubiKey, and encrypted files. Making password managing easy!
It is recommended to self-host your own Vaultwarden server as a Bitwarden backend. Public Vaultwarden servers are also available, e.g., pwbox.de or bitwarden.servicesforfree.com.
Violentmonkey is a open source userscript manager providing userscript support for browsers.
Go to settings and import the zip file provided by this repository or search for scripts on OpenUserJS or Greasy Fork.
The Shodan plugin reveals where a website is hosted (country, city), who owns the IP, and what other services/ports are open at first glance.
Note: This extension is not open source and is proprietary!
Snowflake allows global access to censored websites and applications over Tor for people from all over the world.
Enable the "Keep running when the browser is closed" option.
Browser syncing done securely, anonymously, and for free. It replaces Google's proprietary sync service.
Selfhosting your own backend server is recommended. Alternatively, you can use one of the following listened servers on xbrowsersync.org.
Return YouTube Dislike is an open-source extension that restores the YouTube dislike count.
Do not pin this extension!
Browser extension that simplifies the GitHub interface and adds useful features
Do not pin this extension!
SponsorBlock is an open-source crowdsourced browser extension to skip sponsor segments in YouTube videos.
Do not pin this extension!
A Chrome extension that notifies you when a new version of Ungoogled Chromium is available, based on when you installed the extension or last updated your browser.
Pin this extension to the far right! Set the Version in the Extension settings correctly!
This Extension allows you to read articles from supported news websites that implement a paywall for free!
Download the CRX from here.
A web extension that redirects YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and other websites to alternative privacy-friendly frontends.
Download the CRX from here
Go to settings and Import the settings provided in this repository.