-Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions
-
-By: Privoxy Developers
-
-$Id: faq.sgml,v 1.29 2002/03/25 05:23:57 hal9 Exp $
-
-The FAQ document gives users and developers alike answers to frequently asked
-questions about Privoxy. Privoxy is a web proxy with advanced filtering
-capabilities for protecting privacy, filtering web page content, managing
-cookies, controlling access, and removing ads, banners, pop-ups and other
-obnoxious Internet Junk. Privoxy has a very flexible configuration and can be
-customized to suit individual needs and tastes. Privoxy has application for
-both stand-alone systems and multi-user networks.
-You can find the latest version of the document at http://
-ijbswa.sourceforge.net/faq/. Please see the Contact section in the user-manual
-if you want to contact the developers.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions
-Table of Contents
-1. Frequently Asked Questions
+ By: Privoxy Developers
- 1.1. General Information
-
- 1.1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
- 1.1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
- 1.1.3. How does it differ from the old Junkbuster?
- 1.1.4. What are some of the new features?
- 1.1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
- 1.1.6. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use
- Privoxy at all?
- 1.1.7. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty?
- Registration?
- 1.1.8. I would like to help you, what do I do?
-
- 1.2. Installation
-
- 1.2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
- 1.2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
- 1.2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
- 1.2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do
- now?
- 1.2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
- 1.2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads
- are there. What's wrong?
-
- 1.3. Configuration
-
- 1.3.1. Can I use my old config files?
- 1.3.2. What is an "actions" file?
- 1.3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these
- "actions".
- 1.3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do
- this?
- 1.3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action,
- basic.action, etc.?
- 1.3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not
- raise security issues?
- 1.3.7. What is a "default.filter"?
- 1.3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
- 1.3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want
- to see anything.
- 1.3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
- 1.3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". How
- do I get rid of this?
- 1.3.12. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
-
- 1.4. Miscellaneous
-
- 1.4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add
- extra time to browsing.
- 1.4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the
- old Junkbuster. What's wrong?
- 1.4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
- 1.4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
- 1.4.5. How can I submit new ads?
- 1.4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
- 1.4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
- 1.4.8. Might some things break because header information is being
- altered?
- 1.4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
- 1.4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
- 1.4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly
- looking. Can't a better font be used?
- 1.4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why does
- Privoxy leave these large gaps?
- 1.4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
- 1.4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take
- any special precautions?
- 1.4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
-
- 1.5. Troubleshooting
-
- 1.5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every
- web page?
- 1.5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting
- through. How?
- 1.5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I
- do?
- 1.5.4. What time is it?
-
-2. Copyright and History
-3. See also
-
+ $Id: faq.sgml,v 1.30 2002/03/25 16:39:22 hal9 Exp $
+
+ The FAQ document gives users and developers alike answers to
+ frequently asked questions about Privoxy. Privoxy is a web proxy with
+ advanced filtering capabilities for protecting privacy, filtering web
+ page content, managing cookies, controlling access, and removing ads,
+ banners, pop-ups and other obnoxious Internet Junk. Privoxy has a very
+ flexible configuration and can be customized to suit individual needs
+ and tastes. Privoxy has application for both stand-alone systems and
+ multi-user networks.
+
+ You can find the latest version of the document at
+ [1]http://www.privoxy.org/faq/. Please see the Contact section in the
+ [2]user-manual if you want to contact the developers.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
+ Table of Contents
+ 1. [3]Frequently Asked Questions
+
+ 1.1. [4]General Information
+
+ 1.1.1. [5]What is this new version of Privoxy?
+ 1.1.2. [6]Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
+ 1.1.3. [7]How does it differ from the old Junkbuster?
+ 1.1.4. [8]What are some of the new features?
+ 1.1.5. [9]What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
+ 1.1.6. [10]My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why
+ should I use Privoxy at all?
+
+ 1.1.7. [11]Is there is a license or fee? What about a
+ warranty? Registration?
+
+ 1.1.8. [12]I would like to help you, what do I do?
+
+ 1.2. [13]Installation
+
+ 1.2.1. [14]Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
+ 1.2.2. [15]Which operating systems are supported?
+ 1.2.3. [16]Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
+ 1.2.4. [17]I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything
+ special I have to do now?
+
+ 1.2.5. [18]What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
+ 1.2.6. [19]I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is
+ happening. All the ads are there. What's wrong?
+
+ 1.3. [20]Configuration
+
+ 1.3.1. [21]Can I use my old config files?
+ 1.3.2. [22]What is an "actions" file?
+ 1.3.3. [23]The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list
+ some of these "actions".
+
+ 1.3.4. [24]How are actions files configured? What is the
+ easiest way to do this?
+
+ 1.3.5. [25]What are the differences between
+ intermediate.action, basic.action, etc.?
+
+ 1.3.6. [26]Why can I change the configuration with a
+ browser? Does that not raise security issues?
+
+ 1.3.7. [27]What is a "default.filter"?
+ 1.3.8. [28]How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for
+ my LAN?
+
+ 1.3.9. [29]Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard
+ pattern. I don't want to see anything.
+
+ 1.3.10. [30]Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard
+ pattern?
+
+ 1.3.11. [31]I see large red banners on some pages that say
+ "Blocked". How do I get rid of this?
+
+ 1.3.12. [32]How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies
+ like Squid?
+
+ 1.4. [33]Miscellaneous
+
+ 1.4.1. [34]How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down?
+ This has to add extra time to browsing.
+
+ 1.4.2. [35]I noticed considerable delays in page requests
+ compared to the old Junkbuster. What's wrong?
+
+ 1.4.3. [36]What is the "http://p.p/"?
+ 1.4.4. [37]Do you still maintain the blocklists?
+ 1.4.5. [38]How can I submit new ads?
+ 1.4.6. [39]How can I hide my IP address?
+ 1.4.7. [40]Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
+ 1.4.8. [41]Might some things break because header
+ information is being altered?
+
+ 1.4.9. [42]Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up
+ web browsing?
+
+ 1.4.10. [43]What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect
+ me?
+
+ 1.4.11. [44]The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very
+ blocky and ugly looking. Can't a better font be
+ used?
+
+ 1.4.12. [45]I have large empty spaces now where ads used to
+ be. Why does Privoxy leave these large gaps?
+
+ 1.4.13. [46]How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
+ 1.4.14. [47]Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it?
+ Do I need to take any special precautions?
+
+ 1.4.15. [48]How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
+
+ 1.5. [49]Troubleshooting
+
+ 1.5.1. [50]I just upgraded and am getting "connection
+ refused" with every web page?
+
+ 1.5.2. [51]I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is
+ still getting through. How?
+
+ 1.5.3. [52]One of my favorite sites does not work with
+ Privoxy. What can I do?
+
+ 1.5.4. [53]What time is it?
+
+ 2. [54]Copyright and History
+ 3. [55]See also
+
1. Frequently Asked Questions
1.1. General Information
1.1.1. What is this new version of Privoxy?
-The original Internet Junkbuster (tm) is a copyrighted product of Junkbusters
-Corporation. Development of this effort stopped some time ago as of version
-2.0.2. Stefan Waldherr started the ijbswa project on Sourceforge to rekindle
-development. Other developers subsequently joined with Stefan, and have since
-added many new features, refinements and enhancements.
-
-The new Privoxy started with the same Junkbuster code base, but has changed
-significantly at this point.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
-
-Privoxy is for "Privacy Enhancing Proxy". There are possible legal
-complications from the continued use of the Junkbuster name, which is a
-trademark of Junkbusters Corporation. (There are no objections from Junkbusters
-Corporation to the Privoxy project itself though, and they in fact still share
-our ideals and goals.)
-
-The developers also believed that there so many changes from the original code,
-that it was time to make a clean break from the past and make a name in their
-own right, especially now with the pending release of version 3.0.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.1.3. How does it differ from the old Junkbuster?
-
-All the old features remain. The new Privoxy still blocks ads and banners,
-still manages cookies, and still helps protect your privacy. But, these are all
-enhanced, and many new features have been added, all in the same vein.
-
-The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something that
-users will notice right off the bat. The "blocklist" file does not exist any
-more. This is replaced by "actions" files, such as default.actions. This is
-where most of the per site configuration is now.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.1.4. What are some of the new features?
-
- * Integrated browser based configuration and control utility (http://p.p).
- Browser-based tracing of rule and filter effects.
+ The original Internet Junkbuster (tm) is a copyrighted product of
+ [56]Junkbusters Corporation. Development of this effort stopped some
+ time ago as of version 2.0.2. Stefan Waldherr started the ijbswa
+ project on [57]Sourceforge to rekindle development. Other developers
+ subsequently joined with Stefan, and have since added many new
+ features, refinements and enhancements.
- * Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows.
+ The new Privoxy started with the same Junkbuster code base, but has
+ changed significantly at this point.
+ _________________________________________________________________
- * HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported).
-
- * Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the configuration files,
- and generally a more sophisticated and flexible configuration syntax over
- previous versions.
+1.1.2. Why "Privoxy"? Why a name change at all?
+
+ Privoxy is for "Privacy Enhancing Proxy". There are possible legal
+ complications from the continued use of the Junkbuster name, which is
+ a trademark of [58]Junkbusters Corporation. (There are no objections
+ from Junkbusters Corporation to the Privoxy project itself though, and
+ they in fact still share our ideals and goals.)
- * GIF de-animation.
+ The developers also believed that there so many changes from the
+ original code, that it was time to make a clean break from the past
+ and make a name in their own right, especially now with the pending
+ release of version 3.0.
+ _________________________________________________________________
- * Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size, invisible
- "web-bugs", JavaScript, pop-ups, status bar abuse, etc.)
+1.1.3. How does it differ from the old Junkbuster?
+
+ All the old features remain. The new Privoxy still blocks ads and
+ banners, still manages cookies, and still helps protect your privacy.
+ But, these are all enhanced, and many new features have been added,
+ all in the same vein.
- * Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
+ The configuration has changed significantly as well. This is something
+ that users will notice right off the bat. The "blocklist" file does
+ not exist any more. This is replaced by "actions" files, such as
+ default.actions. This is where most of the per site configuration is
+ now.
+ _________________________________________________________________
- * Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
+1.1.4. What are some of the new features?
+
+ * Integrated browser based configuration and control utility
+ ([59]http://p.p). Browser-based tracing of rule and filter
+ effects.
+ * Blocking of annoying pop-up browser windows.
+ * HTTP/1.1 compliant (most, but not all 1.1 features are supported).
+ * Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the
+ configuration files, and generally a more sophisticated and
+ flexible configuration syntax over previous versions.
+ * GIF de-animation.
+ * Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size,
+ invisible "web-bugs", JavaScript, pop-ups, status bar abuse, etc.)
+ * Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection).
+ * Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads).
+ * Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
+ * User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page).
+ * Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
+ * Builds from source on most UNIX-like systems. Packages available
+ for: Linux (RedHat, SuSE, or Debian), Windows, Sun Solaris, Mac
+ OSX, OS/2, HP-UX 11 and AmigaOS.
+ * In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile
+ over-all.
+ _________________________________________________________________
- * Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
+1.1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
+
+ When you connect to a web site with Privoxy, you are really connecting
+ to your locally running version of Privoxy. Privoxy intercepts your
+ requests for the web page, and relays that to the "real" web site. The
+ web site sends the HTTP data stream back to Privoxy, where Privoxy can
+ work its magic before it relays this data back to your web browser.
- * User-customizable HTML templates (e.g. 404 error page).
+ Since Privoxy sits between you and the WWW, it is in a position to
+ intercept and completely manage all web traffic and HTTP content
+ before it gets to your browser. Privoxy uses various programming
+ methods to do this, all of which is under your control via the various
+ configuration files and options.
- * Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies).
+ There are many kinds of proxies. Privoxy best fits the "filtering
+ proxy" category.
+ _________________________________________________________________
- * Builds from source on most UNIX-like systems. Packages available for: Linux
- (RedHat, SuSE, or Debian), Windows, Sun Solaris, Mac OSX, OS/2, HP-UX 11
- and AmigaOS.
+1.1.6. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy
+at all?
+
+ Modern browsers do indeed have some of the same functionality as
+ Privoxy. Maybe this is adequate for you. But Privoxy is much more
+ versatile and powerful, and can do a number of things that browsers
+ just can't.
- * In addition, the configuration is much more powerful and versatile
- over-all.
+ In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or
+ have a LAN with multiple computers. This way all the configuration is
+ in one place, and you don't have to maintain a similar configuration
+ for possibly many browsers.
+ _________________________________________________________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.1.5. What is a "proxy"? How does Privoxy work?
-
-When you connect to a web site with Privoxy, you are really connecting to your
-locally running version of Privoxy. Privoxy intercepts your requests for the
-web page, and relays that to the "real" web site. The web site sends the HTTP
-data stream back to Privoxy, where Privoxy can work its magic before it relays
-this data back to your web browser.
-
-Since Privoxy sits between you and the WWW, it is in a position to intercept
-and completely manage all web traffic and HTTP content before it gets to your
-browser. Privoxy uses various programming methods to do this, all of which is
-under your control via the various configuration files and options.
-
-There are many kinds of proxies. Privoxy best fits the "filtering proxy"
-category.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.1.6. My browser does the same things as Privoxy. Why should I use Privoxy at
-all?
-
-Modern browsers do indeed have some of the same functionality as Privoxy. Maybe
-this is adequate for you. But Privoxy is much more versatile and powerful, and
-can do a number of things that browsers just can't.
-
-In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or have a LAN
-with multiple computers. This way all the configuration is in one place, and
-you don't have to maintain a similar configuration for possibly many browsers.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
1.1.7. Is there is a license or fee? What about a warranty? Registration?
-Privoxy is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It is free to
-use, copy, modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of this license.
-See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html for specifics.
-
-There is no warranty of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise. That is
-something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration either.
-Privoxy really is free in every respect!
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Privoxy is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It is
+ free to use, copy, modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of
+ this license. See [60]http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html for
+ specifics.
+
+ There is no warranty of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise.
+ That is something that would cost real money ;-) There is no
+ registration either. Privoxy really is free in every respect!
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.1.8. I would like to help you, what do I do?
1.1.8.1. Money Money Money
-We, of course, welcome donations and use the money for domain registering,
-regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). Anyway, we'll soon describe the
-process how to donate money to the team.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ We, of course, welcome donations and use the money for domain
+ registering, regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). Anyway, we'll
+ soon describe the process how to donate money to the team.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.1.8.2. You want to work with us?
-Well, helping the team is always a good idea. We welcome new developers, RPM
-gurus or documentation makers. Simply get an account on sourceforge.net and
-mail your id to the developer mailing list. Then read the section Quickstart in
-the developers manual.
-
-Once we have added you to the team, you'll have write access to the CVS
-repository, and together we'll find a suitable task for you.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Well, helping the team is always a good idea. We welcome new
+ developers, RPM gurus or documentation makers. Simply get an account
+ on sourceforge.net and mail your id to the developer mailing list.
+ Then read the section Quickstart in the developers manual.
+
+ Once we have added you to the team, you'll have write access to the
+ CVS repository, and together we'll find a suitable task for you.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2. Installation
1.2.1. Which browsers are supported by Privoxy?
-Any browser that can be configured to use a "proxy", which is probably almost
-all browsers. Direct browser support is not necessary since Privoxy runs as a
-separate application and just exchanges standard HTML data with your browser.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Any browser that can be configured to use a "proxy", which is probably
+ almost all browsers. Direct browser support is not necessary since
+ Privoxy runs as a separate application and just exchanges standard
+ HTML data with your browser.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2.2. Which operating systems are supported?
-Right now Win32, Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, Linux, and many flavors of Unix.
-
-Source code is available, so porting to other operating systems, is always a
-possibility.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Right now Win32, Mac OSX, OS/2, AmigaOS, Linux, and many flavors of
+ Unix.
+
+ Source code is available, so porting to other operating systems, is
+ always a possibility.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2.3. Can I install Privoxy over Junkbuster?
-We recommend you uninstall Junkbuster first to minimize conflicts and
-confusion. You may want to save your old configuration files for future
-reference. The configuration is substantially changed.
-
-See the user-manual for platform specific installation instructions. [FIXME:
-This is meant for after the name change for 3.0!]
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ We recommend you uninstall Junkbuster first to minimize conflicts and
+ confusion. You may want to save your old configuration files for
+ future reference. The configuration is substantially changed.
+
+ See the [61]user-manual for platform specific installation
+ instructions. [FIXME: This is meant for after the name change for
+ 3.0!]
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2.4. I just installed Privoxy. Is there anything special I have to do now?
-All browsers must be told to use Privoxy as a proxy by specifying the correct
-proxy address and port number in the appropriate configuration area for the
-browser. See below.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ All browsers must be told to use Privoxy as a proxy by specifying the
+ correct proxy address and port number in the appropriate configuration
+ area for the browser. See below.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2.5. What is the proxy address of Privoxy?
-If you set up the Privoxy to run on the computer you browse from (rather than
-your ISP's server or some networked computer on a LAN), the proxy will be on
-"localhost" (which is the special name used by every computer on the Internet
-to refer to itself) and the port will be 8118 (unless you have Privoxy to run
-on a different port with the listen-address config option).
-
-When configuring your browser's proxy settings you typically enter the word
-"localhost" in the boxes next to "HTTP" and "Secure" (HTTPS) and then the
-number "8118" for "port". This tells your browser to send all web requests to
-Privoxy instead of directly to the Internet.
-
-Privoxy can also be used to proxy for a Local Area Network. In this case, your
-would enter either the IP address of the LAN host where Privoxy is running, or
-the equivalent hostname. Port assignment would be same as above.
-
-Privoxy does not currently handle protocols such as FTP, SMTP, IM, IRC, ICQ, or
-other Internet protocols.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ If you set up the Privoxy to run on the computer you browse from
+ (rather than your ISP's server or some networked computer on a LAN),
+ the proxy will be on "localhost" (which is the special name used by
+ every computer on the Internet to refer to itself) and the port will
+ be 8118 (unless you have Privoxy to run on a different port with the
+ listen-address config option).
+
+ When configuring your browser's proxy settings you typically enter the
+ word "localhost" in the boxes next to "HTTP" and "Secure" (HTTPS) and
+ then the number "8118" for "port". This tells your browser to send all
+ web requests to Privoxy instead of directly to the Internet.
+
+ Privoxy can also be used to proxy for a Local Area Network. In this
+ case, your would enter either the IP address of the LAN host where
+ Privoxy is running, or the equivalent hostname. Port assignment would
+ be same as above.
+
+ Privoxy does not currently handle protocols such as FTP, SMTP, IM,
+ IRC, ICQ, or other Internet protocols.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.2.6. I just installed Privoxy, and nothing is happening. All the ads are
there. What's wrong?
-Did you configure your browser to use Privoxy as a proxy? It does not sound
-like it. See above. You might also try flushing the browser's caches to force a
-full re-reading of pages. You can verify that Privoxy is running, and your
-browser is correctly configured by entering the special URL: http://p.p/. This
-should give you a banner that says "This is Privoxy" and access to Privoxy's
-internal configuration. If you see this, then you are good to go. If not, the
-browser or Privoxy are not set up correctly.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Did you configure your browser to use Privoxy as a proxy? It does not
+ sound like it. See above. You might also try flushing the browser's
+ caches to force a full re-reading of pages. You can verify that
+ Privoxy is running, and your browser is correctly configured by
+ entering the special URL: [62]http://p.p/. This should give you a
+ banner that says "This is Privoxy" and access to Privoxy's internal
+ configuration. If you see this, then you are good to go. If not, the
+ browser or Privoxy are not set up correctly.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3. Configuration
1.3.1. Can I use my old config files?
-There are major changes to Junkbuster configuration from version 2.0.x to 2.9.x
-and later. The older files will not work at all. If this is the case, you will
-need to re-enter your old data into the new configuration structure. This is
-probably also a good recommendation even if upgrading from 2.9.x to 3.x since
-there were many minor changes along the way.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ There are major changes to Junkbuster configuration from version 2.0.x
+ to 2.9.x and later. The older files will not work at all. If this is
+ the case, you will need to re-enter your old data into the new
+ configuration structure. This is probably also a good recommendation
+ even if upgrading from 2.9.x to 3.x since there were many minor
+ changes along the way.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.2. What is an "actions" file?
-"actions" files are where various actions that Privoxy might take, are
-configured. Typically, you would define a set of default actions that apply to
-all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults.
-
-Actions can be defined on a per site basis, or for groups of sites. Actions can
-also be grouped together and then applied to one or more sites. There are many
-possible actions that might apply to any given site. As an example, if we are
-blocking cookies as one of our default actions, but need to accept cookies from
-a given site, we would define this in our "actions" file.
-
-Privoxy comes with several default actions files, with varying degrees of
-filtering and blocking, as starting points for your own configuration (see
-below).
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these "actions".
-
-These are all explained in the user-manual. Please refer to that.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ "actions" files are where various actions that Privoxy might take, are
+ configured. Typically, you would define a set of default actions that
+ apply to all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults.
+
+ Actions can be defined on a per site basis, or for groups of sites.
+ Actions can also be grouped together and then applied to one or more
+ sites. There are many possible actions that might apply to any given
+ site. As an example, if we are blocking cookies as one of our default
+ actions, but need to accept cookies from a given site, we would define
+ this in our "actions" file.
+
+ Privoxy comes with several default actions files, with varying degrees
+ of filtering and blocking, as starting points for your own
+ configuration (see below).
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
+1.3.3. The "actions"concept confuses me. Please list some of these
+"actions".
+ These are all explained in the [63]user-manual. Please refer to that.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.4. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do this?
-The easiest way to do this, is to access Privoxy with your web browser at http:
-//p.p/, and then select "Edit the actions list" from the selection list. You
-can also do this by editing the appropriate file with a text editor.
-
-Please see the user-manual for a detailed explanation of these and other
-configuration files, and their various options and syntax.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ The easiest way to do this, is to access Privoxy with your web browser
+ at [64]http://p.p/, and then select "[65]Edit the actions list" from
+ the selection list. You can also do this by editing the appropriate
+ file with a text editor.
+
+ Please see the [66]user-manual for a detailed explanation of these and
+ other configuration files, and their various options and syntax.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.5. What are the differences between intermediate.action, basic.action,
etc.?
-Configuring Privoxy is not easy. To help you get started, we provide you with
-three different default configurations. The following table shows you, which
-features are enabled in each configuration.
-
-Table 1. Default Configurations
-
-+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-|Feature |default.action|basic.action |intermediate.action|advanced.action|
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|ad-filtering |? |x |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|blank image |? |x |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|de-animate GIFs |? |x |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|referer forging |? |x |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|jon's |? |x |x |x |
-|+no-cookies-keep | | | | |
-|(i.e. session | | | | |
-|cookies only) | | | | |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|no-popup windows |? | |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|fast redirects |? | |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|hide-referrer |? | |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|hide-useragent |? | |x |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|content-modification|? | | |x |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|feature-x |? | | | |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|feature-y |? | | | |
-|--------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+---------------|
-|feature-z |? | | | |
-+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not raise
-security issues?
-
-What I don't understand, is how I can browser edit the config file as a regular
-user, while the whole /etc/privoxy hierarchy belongs to the user "privoxy",
-with only 644 perms.
-
-When you use the browser-based editor, Privoxy itself is writing to the config
-files. Because Privoxy is running as the user "privoxy", it can update the
-config files.
-
-If you don't like this, setting "enable-edit-actions 0" in the config file will
-disable the browser-based editor. If you're that paranoid, you should also
-consider setting "enable-remote-toggle 0" to prevent browser-based enabling/
-disabling of Privoxy.
-
-Note that normally only local users can connect to Privoxy, so this is not
-(normally) a security problem.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ Configuring Privoxy is not easy. To help you get started, we provide
+ you with three different default configurations. The following table
+ shows you, which features are enabled in each configuration.
+
+ Table 1. Default Configurations
+ Feature default.action basic.action intermediate.action
+ advanced.action
+ ad-filtering ? x x x
+ blank image ? x x x
+ de-animate GIFs ? x x x
+ referer forging ? x x x
+ jon's +no-cookies-keep (i.e. session cookies only) ? x x x
+ no-popup windows ? x x
+ fast redirects ? x x
+ hide-referrer ? x x
+ hide-useragent ? x x
+ content-modification ? x
+ feature-x ?
+ feature-y ?
+ feature-z ?
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
+1.3.6. Why can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not
+raise security issues?
+ What I don't understand, is how I can browser edit the config file as
+ a regular user, while the whole /etc/privoxy hierarchy belongs to the
+ user "privoxy", with only 644 perms.
+
+ When you use the browser-based editor, Privoxy itself is writing to
+ the config files. Because Privoxy is running as the user "privoxy", it
+ can update the config files.
+
+ If you don't like this, setting "enable-edit-actions 0" in the config
+ file will disable the browser-based editor. If you're that paranoid,
+ you should also consider setting "enable-remote-toggle 0" to prevent
+ browser-based enabling/disabling of Privoxy.
+
+ Note that normally only local users can connect to Privoxy, so this is
+ not (normally) a security problem.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.7. What is a "default.filter"?
-The "default.filter" file is used to "filter" any web page content. By
-"filtering" we mean it can modify, remove, or change anything on the page,
-including HTML tags, and JavaScript. Regular expressions are used to accomplish
-this, and operate on a line by line basis. This is potentially a very powerful
-feature, but requires some expertise.
-
-If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at the
-provided default.filter with a text editor and see some of things it can be
-used for.
-
-Presently, there is no GUI editor option for this part of the configuration,
-but you can disable/enable various sections of the included default file with
-the "Actions List Editor" from your browser.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ The "default.filter" file is used to "filter" any web page content. By
+ "filtering" we mean it can modify, remove, or change anything on the
+ page, including HTML tags, and JavaScript. Regular expressions are
+ used to accomplish this, and operate on a line by line basis. This is
+ potentially a very powerful feature, but requires some expertise.
+
+ If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look
+ at the provided default.filter with a text editor and see some of
+ things it can be used for.
+
+ Presently, there is no GUI editor option for this part of the
+ configuration, but you can disable/enable various sections of the
+ included default file with the "Actions List Editor" from your
+ browser.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.8. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?
-By default, Privoxy only responds to requests from localhost. To have it act as
-a server for a network, this needs to be changed in the main config file where
-the Privoxy configuration is located. In that file is a "listen-address"
-option. It may be commented out with a "#" symbol. Make sure it is uncommented,
-and assign it the address of the LAN gateway interface, and port number to use:
-
- listen-address 192.168.1.1:8118
-
-
-Save the file, and restart Privoxy. Configure all browsers on the network then
-to use this address and port number.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ By default, Privoxy only responds to requests from localhost. To have
+ it act as a server for a network, this needs to be changed in the main
+ config file where the Privoxy configuration is located. In that file
+ is a "listen-address" option. It may be commented out with a "#"
+ symbol. Make sure it is uncommented, and assign it the address of the
+ LAN gateway interface, and port number to use:
+
+ listen-address 192.168.1.1:8118
+ Save the file, and restart Privoxy. Configure all browsers on the
+ network then to use this address and port number.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.9. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see
anything.
-This is a configuration option for images that Privoxy is stopping. You have
-the choice a checkerboard pattern, a transparent 1x1 GIF image (aka "blank"),
-or a custom URL or your choice.
-
-If you want to see nothing, then change the "+image-blocker" action to
-"+image-blocker{blank}". This can be done from the "Edit Actions List"
-selection at http://p.p/. Or by hand editing the appropriate actions file. This
-will only effect what is defined as "images" though.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ This is a configuration option for images that Privoxy is stopping.
+ You have the choice a checkerboard pattern, a transparent 1x1 GIF
+ image (aka "blank"), or a custom URL or your choice.
+
+ If you want to see nothing, then change the "+image-blocker" action to
+ "+image-blocker{blank}". This can be done from the "Edit Actions List"
+ selection at [67]http://p.p/. Or by hand editing the appropriate
+ actions file. This will only effect what is defined as "images"
+ though.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.10. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?
-This can be helpful for troubleshooting problems. It might also be good for
-anyone new to Privoxy so that they can see if their favorite pages are
-displaying correctly, and Privoxy is not inadvertently removing something
-important.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". How do I get
-rid of this?
-
-These are URLs that match something in one of Privoxy's block actions (+block).
-It is meant to be a warning so that you know something has been blocked and an
-easy way for you to see why. These are handled differently than what has been
-defined as "images" (e.g. ad banners). If you want them to be treated as if
-they were images, so that they can be made invisible, then move the offending
-URL from the "+block" section to the "+imageblock" section of your actions
-file. Alternately, you could modify the "block" HTML template that is used by
-Privoxy to display this, and make it something more to your liking.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ This can be helpful for troubleshooting problems. It might also be
+ good for anyone new to Privoxy so that they can see if their favorite
+ pages are displaying correctly, and Privoxy is not inadvertently
+ removing something important.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
+1.3.11. I see large red banners on some pages that say "Blocked". How do I
+get rid of this?
+
+ These are URLs that match something in one of Privoxy's block actions
+ (+block). It is meant to be a warning so that you know something has
+ been blocked and an easy way for you to see why. These are handled
+ differently than what has been defined as "images" (e.g. ad banners).
+ If you want them to be treated as if they were images, so that they
+ can be made invisible, then move the offending URL from the "+block"
+ section to the "+imageblock" section of your actions file.
+ Alternately, you could modify the "block" HTML template that is used
+ by Privoxy to display this, and make it something more to your liking.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.3.12. How can I make Privoxy work with other proxies like Squid?
-This can be done. See the user manual, which describes how to do this.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ This can be done. See the [68]user manual, which describes how to do
+ this.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4. Miscellaneous
-1.4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add extra time
-to browsing.
-
-It should not slow you down any in real terms, and may actually help speed
-things up since ads, banners and other junk are not being displayed. The actual
-processing time required by Privoxy itself for each page, is relatively small
-in the overall scheme of things, and happens very quickly. This is typically
-more than offset by time saved not downloading and rendering ad images.
-
-"Filtering" via the filterfile mechanism may cause a perceived slowdown, since
-the entire page is buffered before displaying. See below.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+1.4.1. How much does Privoxy slow my browsing down? This has to add extra
+time to browsing.
+ It should not slow you down any in real terms, and may actually help
+ speed things up since ads, banners and other junk are not being
+ displayed. The actual processing time required by Privoxy itself for
+ each page, is relatively small in the overall scheme of things, and
+ happens very quickly. This is typically more than offset by time saved
+ not downloading and rendering ad images.
+
+ "Filtering" via the filterfile mechanism may cause a perceived
+ slowdown, since the entire page is buffered before displaying. See
+ below.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.2. I noticed considerable delays in page requests compared to the old
Junkbuster. What's wrong?
-Using the default filtering configuration, I noticed considerable delays in
-page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. Loading pages with large contents
-seemed to take forever, then suddenly delivering all the content at once.
-
-The whole content must be loaded in order to filter, and nothing is is sent to
-the browser during this time. The loading time does not really change in real
-numbers, but the feeling is different, because most browsers are able to start
-rendering incomplete content, giving the user a feeling of "it works".
-
-To modify the content of a page (i.e. make frames resizeable again, etc.) and
-not just replace ads, Privoxy needs to download the entire page first, do its
-content magic and then send the page to the browser.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Using the default filtering configuration, I noticed considerable
+ delays in page requests compared to the old Junkbuster. Loading pages
+ with large contents seemed to take forever, then suddenly delivering
+ all the content at once.
+
+ The whole content must be loaded in order to filter, and nothing is is
+ sent to the browser during this time. The loading time does not really
+ change in real numbers, but the feeling is different, because most
+ browsers are able to start rendering incomplete content, giving the
+ user a feeling of "it works".
+
+ To modify the content of a page (i.e. make frames resizeable again,
+ etc.) and not just replace ads, Privoxy needs to download the entire
+ page first, do its content magic and then send the page to the
+ browser.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.3. What is the "http://p.p/"?
-Since Privoxy sits between your web browser and the Internet, it can be
-programmed to handle certain pages specially.
-
-With recent versions of Privoxy (version 2.9.x), you can get some information
-about Privoxy and change some settings by going to http://p.p/ or,
-equivalently, http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/ (Note that p.p is far
-easier to type but may not work in some configurations).
-
-These pages are *not* forwarded to a server on the Internet - instead they are
-handled by a special web server which is built in to Privoxy.
-
-If you are not running Privoxy, then http://p.p/ will fail, and http://
-ijbswa.sourceforge.net/config/ will return a web page telling you you're not
-running Privoxy.
-
-If you have version 2.0.2, then the equivalent is http://example.com/
-show-proxy-args (but you get far less information, and you should really
-consider upgrading to 2.9.x).
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Since Privoxy sits between your web browser and the Internet, it can
+ be programmed to handle certain pages specially.
+
+ With recent versions of Privoxy (version 2.9.x), you can get some
+ information about Privoxy and change some settings by going to
+ http://p.p/ or, equivalently, http://www.privoxy.org/config/ (Note
+ that p.p is far easier to type but may not work in some
+ configurations).
+
+ These pages are *not* forwarded to a server on the Internet - instead
+ they are handled by a special web server which is built in to Privoxy.
+
+ If you are not running Privoxy, then http://p.p/ will fail, and
+ http://www.privoxy.org/config/ will return a web page telling you
+ you're not running Privoxy.
+
+ If you have version 2.0.2, then the equivalent is
+ http://example.com/show-proxy-args (but you get far less information,
+ and you should really consider upgrading to 2.9.x).
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.4. Do you still maintain the blocklists?
-No. The format of the blocklists has changed significantly in the versions
-2.9.x. Once we have released the new version, there will again be blocklists
-that you can update automatically.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ No. The format of the blocklists has changed significantly in the
+ versions 2.9.x. Once we have released the new version, there will
+ again be blocklists that you can update automatically.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.5. How can I submit new ads?
-As of now, please discontinue to submit new ad blocking infos. Once we have
-released the new version, there will again be a form on the website, which you
-can use to contribute new ads.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ As of now, please discontinue to submit new ad blocking infos. Once we
+ have released the new version, there will again be a form on the
+ website, which you can use to contribute new ads.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.6. How can I hide my IP address?
-You cannot hide your IP address with Privoxy or any other software, since the
-server needs to know your IP address to send the answer to you.
-
-Fortunately there are many publicly usable anonymous proxies out there, which
-solve the problem by providing a further level of indirection between you and
-the web server, shared by many people and thus letting your requests "drown" in
-white noise of unrelated requests as far as user tracking is concerned.
-
-Most of them will, however, log your IP address and make it available to the
-authorities in case you abuse that anonymity for criminal purposes. In fact you
-can't even rule out that some of them only exist to *collect* information on
-(those suspicious) people with a more than average preference for privacy.
-
-You can find a list of anonymous public proxies at multiproxy.org and many more
-through Google.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ You cannot hide your IP address with Privoxy or any other software,
+ since the server needs to know your IP address to send the answer to
+ you.
+
+ Fortunately there are many publicly usable anonymous proxies out
+ there, which solve the problem by providing a further level of
+ indirection between you and the web server, shared by many people and
+ thus letting your requests "drown" in white noise of unrelated
+ requests as far as user tracking is concerned.
+
+ Most of them will, however, log your IP address and make it available
+ to the authorities in case you abuse that anonymity for criminal
+ purposes. In fact you can't even rule out that some of them only exist
+ to *collect* information on (those suspicious) people with a more than
+ average preference for privacy.
+
+ You can find a list of anonymous public proxies at [69]multiproxy.org
+ and many more through Google.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.7. Can Privoxy guarantee I am anonymous?
-No. Your chances of remaining anonymous are greatly improved, but unless you
-are an expert on Internet security it would be safest to assume that everything
-you do on the Web can be traced back to you.
-
-Privoxy can remove various information about you, and allows you more freedom
-to decide which sites you can trust. But it's still possible that web sites can
-find out who you are. Here's one way this can happen.
-
-A few browsers disclose the user's email address in certain situations, such as
-when transferring a file by FTP. Privoxy does not filter FTP. If you need this
-feature, or are concerned about the mail handler of your browser disclosing
-your email address, you might consider products such as NSClean.
-
-Browsers available only as binaries could use non-standard headers to give out
-any information they can have access to: see the manufacturer's license
-agreement. It's impossible to anticipate and prevent every breach of privacy
-that might occur. The professionally paranoid prefer browsers available as
-source code, because anticipating their behavior is easier. Trust the source,
-Luke!
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ No. Your chances of remaining anonymous are greatly improved, but
+ unless you are an expert on Internet security it would be safest to
+ assume that everything you do on the Web can be traced back to you.
+
+ Privoxy can remove various information about you, and allows you more
+ freedom to decide which sites you can trust. But it's still possible
+ that web sites can find out who you are. Here's one way this can
+ happen.
+
+ A few browsers disclose the user's email address in certain
+ situations, such as when transferring a file by FTP. Privoxy does not
+ filter FTP. If you need this feature, or are concerned about the mail
+ handler of your browser disclosing your email address, you might
+ consider products such as NSClean.
+
+ Browsers available only as binaries could use non-standard headers to
+ give out any information they can have access to: see the
+ manufacturer's license agreement. It's impossible to anticipate and
+ prevent every breach of privacy that might occur. The professionally
+ paranoid prefer browsers available as source code, because
+ anticipating their behavior is easier. Trust the source, Luke!
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.8. Might some things break because header information is being altered?
-Definitely. More and more sites use HTTP header content to decide what to
-display and how to display it. There is many ways that this can be handled, so
-having hard and fast rules, is tricky.
-
-"USER AGENT" in particular is often used in this way to identify the browser,
-and adjust content accordingly. Changing this now is not recommended, since so
-many sites do look for this. You may get undesirable results by changing this.
-
-For instance, different browsers use different encodings of Russian and Czech
-characters, certain web servers convert pages on-the-fly according to the User
-Agent header. Giving a "User Agent" with the wrong operating system or browser
-manufacturer causes some sites in these languages to be garbled; Surfers to
-Eastern European sites should change it to something closer. And then some page
-access counters work by looking at the "REFERER" header; they may fail or break
-if unavailable. The weather maps of Intellicast have been blocked by their
-server when no "REFERER" or cookie is provided, is another example. There are
-many, many other ways things can go wrong when trying to fool a web server.
-
-If you have problems with a site, you will have to adjust your configuration
-accordingly. Cookies are probably the most likely adjustment that may be
-required, but by no means the only one.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Definitely. More and more sites use HTTP header content to decide what
+ to display and how to display it. There is many ways that this can be
+ handled, so having hard and fast rules, is tricky.
+
+ "USER AGENT" in particular is often used in this way to identify the
+ browser, and adjust content accordingly. Changing this now is not
+ recommended, since so many sites do look for this. You may get
+ undesirable results by changing this.
+
+ For instance, different browsers use different encodings of Russian
+ and Czech characters, certain web servers convert pages on-the-fly
+ according to the User Agent header. Giving a "User Agent" with the
+ wrong operating system or browser manufacturer causes some sites in
+ these languages to be garbled; Surfers to Eastern European sites
+ should change it to something closer. And then some page access
+ counters work by looking at the "REFERER" header; they may fail or
+ break if unavailable. The weather maps of Intellicast have been
+ blocked by their server when no "REFERER" or cookie is provided, is
+ another example. There are many, many other ways things can go wrong
+ when trying to fool a web server.
+
+ If you have problems with a site, you will have to adjust your
+ configuration accordingly. Cookies are probably the most likely
+ adjustment that may be required, but by no means the only one.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.9. Can Privoxy act as a "caching" proxy to speed up web browsing?
-No, it does not have this ability at all. You want something like Squid for
-this. And, yes, before you ask, Privoxy can co-exist with other kinds of
-proxies like "Squid".
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ No, it does not have this ability at all. You want something like
+ [70]Squid for this. And, yes, before you ask, Privoxy can co-exist
+ with other kinds of proxies like "Squid".
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.10. What about as a firewall? Can Privoxy protect me?
-Not in the way you mean, or in the way a true firewall can, or a proxy that has
-this specific capability. Privoxy can help protect your privacy, but not really
-protect you from intrusion attempts.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Not in the way you mean, or in the way a true firewall can, or a proxy
+ that has this specific capability. Privoxy can help protect your
+ privacy, but not really protect you from intrusion attempts.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.11. The Privoxy logo that replaces ads is very blocky and ugly looking.
Can't a better font be used?
-This is not a font problem. The logo is an image that is created by Privoxy on
-the fly. So as to not waste memory, the image is rather small. The blockiness
-comes when the image is scaled to fill a largish area. There is not much to be
-done about this, other than to use one of the other "imageblock" directives:
-pattern, blank, or a URL of your choosing.
-
-Given the above problem, we have decided to remove the logo option entirely [as
-of v2.9.13].
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ This is not a font problem. The logo is an image that is created by
+ Privoxy on the fly. So as to not waste memory, the image is rather
+ small. The blockiness comes when the image is scaled to fill a largish
+ area. There is not much to be done about this, other than to use one
+ of the other "imageblock" directives: pattern, blank, or a URL of your
+ choosing.
+
+ Given the above problem, we have decided to remove the logo option
+ entirely [as of v2.9.13].
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.12. I have large empty spaces now where ads used to be. Why does Privoxy
leave these large gaps?
-It would be easy enough to just eliminate this space altogether, rather than
-fill it with blank space. But, this would create problems with many pages that
-use the overall size of the ad to help organize the page layout and position
-the various components of the page where they were intended to be. It is best
-left this way.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ It would be easy enough to just eliminate this space altogether,
+ rather than fill it with blank space. But, this would create problems
+ with many pages that use the overall size of the ad to help organize
+ the page layout and position the various components of the page where
+ they were intended to be. It is best left this way.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.13. How can Privoxy filter Secure (HTTPS) URLs?
-This is a limitation since HTTPS transactions are encrypted SSL sessions
-between your browser and the secure site, and are meant to be reliably secure
-and private. This means that all cookies and HTTP header information are also
-encrypted from the time they leave your browser, to the site, and vice versa.
-Privoxy does not try to unencrypt this information, so it just passes through
-as is. Privoxy can still catch images and ads that are embedded in the SSL
-stream though.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ This is a limitation since HTTPS transactions are encrypted SSL
+ sessions between your browser and the secure site, and are meant to be
+ reliably secure and private. This means that all cookies and HTTP
+ header information are also encrypted from the time they leave your
+ browser, to the site, and vice versa. Privoxy does not try to
+ unencrypt this information, so it just passes through as is. Privoxy
+ can still catch images and ads that are embedded in the SSL stream
+ though.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.14. Privoxy runs as a "server". How secure is it? Do I need to take any
special precautions?
-There are no known exploits that might effect Privoxy. On Unix-like systems,
-Privoxy can run as a non-privileged user, which is how we recommend it be run.
-Also, by default Privoxy only listens to requests from "localhost". It is not
-itself directly exposed to the Internet in this configuration. If you want to
-have Privoxy serve as a LAN proxy, this will have to be opened up to allow for
-LAN requests. In this case, we'd recommend you specify only the LAN gateway
-address, e.g. 192.168.1.1 in the main Privoxy config file. All LAN hosts can
-then use this as their proxy address in the browser proxy configuration. In
-this way, Privoxy will not listen on any external ports. Of course, a firewall
-is always good too. Better safe than sorry.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ There are no known exploits that might effect Privoxy. On Unix-like
+ systems, Privoxy can run as a non-privileged user, which is how we
+ recommend it be run. Also, by default Privoxy only listens to requests
+ from "localhost". It is not itself directly exposed to the Internet in
+ this configuration. If you want to have Privoxy serve as a LAN proxy,
+ this will have to be opened up to allow for LAN requests. In this
+ case, we'd recommend you specify only the LAN gateway address, e.g.
+ 192.168.1.1 in the main Privoxy config file. All LAN hosts can then
+ use this as their proxy address in the browser proxy configuration. In
+ this way, Privoxy will not listen on any external ports. Of course, a
+ firewall is always good too. Better safe than sorry.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.4.15. How can I temporarily disable Privoxy?
-The easiest way is to access Privoxy with your browser by using the special
-URL: http://p.p/ and select "Toggle Privoxy on or off" from that page.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ The easiest way is to access Privoxy with your browser by using the
+ special URL: [71]http://p.p/ and select "Toggle Privoxy on or off"
+ from that page.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.5. Troubleshooting
-1.5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every web page?
-
-Either Privoxy is not running, or your browser is configured for a different
-port than what Privoxy is using.
-
-The old Privoxy (and also Junkbuster) used port 8000 by default. This has been
-changed to port 8118 now, due to a conflict with NAS (Network Audio Service),
-which uses port 8000. If you haven't, you need to change your browser to the
-new port number, or alternately change Privoxy's "listen-address" setting in
-the config file used to start Privoxy.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-1.5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting through.
-How?
-
-If the ad had been displayed before you added its URL, it will probably be held
-in the browser's cache for some time, so it will be displayed without the need
-for any request to the server, and Privoxy will not be in the picture. The best
-thing to do is try flushing the browser's caches. And then try again.
-
-If this doesn't help, you probably have an error in the rule you applied. Try
-pasting the full URL of the offending ad into http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/
-config/show-url-info and see if any actions match your new rule.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+1.5.1. I just upgraded and am getting "connection refused" with every web
+page?
+ Either Privoxy is not running, or your browser is configured for a
+ different port than what Privoxy is using.
+
+ The old Privoxy (and also Junkbuster) used port 8000 by default. This
+ has been changed to port 8118 now, due to a conflict with NAS (Network
+ Audio Service), which uses port 8000. If you haven't, you need to
+ change your browser to the new port number, or alternately change
+ Privoxy's "listen-address" setting in the config file used to start
+ Privoxy.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
+1.5.2. I just added a new rule, but the steenkin ad is still getting
+through. How?
+
+ If the ad had been displayed before you added its URL, it will
+ probably be held in the browser's cache for some time, so it will be
+ displayed without the need for any request to the server, and Privoxy
+ will not be in the picture. The best thing to do is try flushing the
+ browser's caches. And then try again.
+
+ If this doesn't help, you probably have an error in the rule you
+ applied. Try pasting the full URL of the offending ad into
+ [72]http://www.privoxy.org/config/show-url-info and see if any actions
+ match your new rule.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.5.3. One of my favorite sites does not work with Privoxy. What can I do?
-First verify that it is indeed a Privoxy problem, by disabling Privoxy
-filtering and blocking. Go to http://p.p/ and click on "Toggle Privoxy On or
-Off", then disable it. Now try that page again.
-
-If still a problem, go to "Show which actions apply to a URL and why" from
-http://p.p/ and paste the full URL of the page in question into the prompt. See
-which actions are being applied to the URL. Now, armed with this information,
-go to "Edit the actions list". Here you should see various sections that have
-various Privoxy features disabled for specific sites. Disabled "actions" will
-have a "-" (minus sign) in front of them. Add your problem page URL to one of
-these sections that looks like it is disabling the feature that is causing the
-problem. Re-try the page. There might be some trial and error involved. This is
-discussed in a little more detail in the user-manual appendix.
-
-Alternately, if you are comfortable with a text editor, you can accomplish the
-same thing by editing the appropriate "actions" file.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ First verify that it is indeed a Privoxy problem, by disabling Privoxy
+ filtering and blocking. Go to [73]http://p.p/ and click on "Toggle
+ Privoxy On or Off", then disable it. Now try that page again.
+
+ If still a problem, go to "Show which actions apply to a URL and why"
+ from [74]http://p.p/ and paste the full URL of the page in question
+ into the prompt. See which actions are being applied to the URL. Now,
+ armed with this information, go to "Edit the actions list". Here you
+ should see various sections that have various Privoxy features
+ disabled for specific sites. Disabled "actions" will have a "-" (minus
+ sign) in front of them. Add your problem page URL to one of these
+ sections that looks like it is disabling the feature that is causing
+ the problem. Re-try the page. There might be some trial and error
+ involved. This is discussed in a little more detail in the
+ [75]user-manual appendix.
+
+ Alternately, if you are comfortable with a text editor, you can
+ accomplish the same thing by editing the appropriate "actions" file.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
1.5.4. What time is it?
-Time for you to go!
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Time for you to go!
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
2. Copyright and History
-Please see the user manual for information on Copyright and History.
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
+ Please see the user manual for information on Copyright and History.
+ _________________________________________________________________
+
3. See also
-Please see the user manual for information on references.
-
+ Please see the user manual for information on references.
+
+References
+
+ 1. http://www.privoxy.org/faq/
+ 2. http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/contact.html
+ 3. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#QUESTIONS
+ 4. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#GENERAL
+ 5. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#NEWJB
+ 6. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN32
+ 7. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#DIFFERS
+ 8. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#FEATURES
+ 9. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#PROXYMORON
+ 10. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#BROWSERS2
+ 11. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#LICENSE
+ 12. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#JOINTEAM
+ 13. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#INSTALLATION
+ 14. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#WHICHBROWSERS
+ 15. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#WHICHOS
+ 16. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#NEWINSTALL
+ 17. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN146
+ 18. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#LOCALHOST
+ 19. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN171
+ 20. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#CONFIGURATION
+ 21. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#NEWCONFIG
+ 22. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN187
+ 23. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#ACTIONSS
+ 24. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN205
+ 25. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#CONFIGFILES
+ 26. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#BROWSECONFIG
+ 27. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN322
+ 28. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN334
+ 29. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN346
+ 30. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN357
+ 31. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN362
+ 32. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#OTHERPROXY
+ 33. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#MISC
+ 34. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN381
+ 35. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#LOADINGTIMES
+ 36. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#CONFIGURL
+ 37. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#BLOCKLIST
+ 38. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#NEWADS
+ 39. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#IP
+ 40. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN422
+ 41. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN433
+ 42. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN443
+ 43. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN451
+ 44. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN456
+ 45. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN465
+ 46. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN469
+ 47. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN476
+ 48. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#TURNOFF
+ 49. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN494
+ 50. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN496
+ 51. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN509
+ 52. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN515
+ 53. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#AEN533
+ 54. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#COPYRIGHT
+ 55. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/source/tmp.html#SEEALSO
+ 56. http://www.junkbusters.com/
+ 57. http://ijbswa.sourceforge.net/
+ 58. http://junkbusters.com/
+ 59. http://p.p/
+ 60. http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
+ 61. http://www.privoxy.org/user-manual/
+ 62. http://p.p/
+ 63. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/user-manual/configuration.html#ACTIONSFILE
+ 64. http://p.p/
+ 65. http://www.privoxy.org/config/edit-actions
+ 66. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/user-manual/configuration.html#ACTIONSFILE
+ 67. http://p.p/
+ 68. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/user-manual/configuration.html#FORWARDING
+ 69. http://www.multiproxy.org/anon_list.htm
+ 70. http://www.squid-cache.org/
+ 71. http://p.p/
+ 72. http://www.privoxy.org/config/show-url-info
+ 73. http://p.p/
+ 74. http://p.p/
+ 75. file://localhost/home/swa/sf/current-org/doc/user-manual/appendix.html#ACTIONSANAT
projects / privoxy.git / blobdiff