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<div class="SECT1">
- <h1 class="SECT1"><a name="CONFIGURATION" id="CONFIGURATION">3.
- Configuration</a></h1>
+ <h1 class="SECT1"><a name="CONFIGURATION" id="CONFIGURATION">3. Configuration</a></h1>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTIONSFILE" id="ACTIONSFILE">3.1. What
- exactly is an <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> file?</a></h3>
- <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> utilizes the concept of
- <span class="QUOTE">" <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target=
- "_top">actions</a>"</span> that are used to manipulate and control web
- page data. <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target=
- "_top">Actions files</a> are where these <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target="_top">actions</a>
- that <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> could take while
- processing a certain request, are configured. Typically, you would
- define a set of default actions that apply globally to all URLs, then
- add exceptions to these defaults where needed. There is a wide array of
- actions available that give the user a high degree of control and
- flexibility on how to process each and every web page.</p>
- <p>Actions can be defined on a <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS" target="_top">URL
- pattern</a> basis, i.e. for single URLs, whole web sites, groups or
- parts thereof etc. Actions can also be grouped together and then
- applied to requests matching one or more patterns. There are many
- possible actions that might apply to any given site. As an example, if
- you are blocking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
- target="_top">cookies</a> as one of your default actions, but need to
- accept cookies from a given site, you would need to define an exception
- for this site in one of your actions files, preferably in <tt class=
- "FILENAME">user.action</tt>.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTIONSFILE" id="ACTIONSFILE">3.1. What exactly is an <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"actions"</span> file?</a></h3>
+ <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> utilizes the concept of <span class="QUOTE">" <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target="_top">actions</a>"</span> that are used to manipulate and
+ control web page data. <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">Actions files</a> are where these
+ <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target="_top">actions</a> that <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> could take while processing a certain request, are configured. Typically, you would
+ define a set of default actions that apply globally to all URLs, then add exceptions to these defaults where
+ needed. There is a wide array of actions available that give the user a high degree of control and flexibility on
+ how to process each and every web page.</p>
+ <p>Actions can be defined on a <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#AF-PATTERNS" target="_top">URL
+ pattern</a> basis, i.e. for single URLs, whole web sites, groups or parts thereof etc. Actions can also be
+ grouped together and then applied to requests matching one or more patterns. There are many possible actions that
+ might apply to any given site. As an example, if you are blocking <a href=
+ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target="_top">cookies</a> as one of your default actions, but need
+ to accept cookies from a given site, you would need to define an exception for this site in one of your actions
+ files, preferably in <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTIONSS" id="ACTIONSS">3.2. The
- <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> concept confuses me. Please list
- some of these <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span>.</a></h3>
- <p>For a comprehensive discussion of the actions concept, please refer
- to the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">actions
- file chapter</a> in the <a href="../user-manual/index.html" target=
- "_top">User Manual</a>. It includes a <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target="_top">list of all
- actions</a> and an <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES" target="_top">actions
- file tutorial</a> to get you started.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTIONSS" id="ACTIONSS">3.2. The <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> concept confuses
+ me. Please list some of these <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span>.</a></h3>
+ <p>For a comprehensive discussion of the actions concept, please refer to the <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">actions file chapter</a> in the <a href=
+ "../user-manual/index.html" target="_top">User Manual</a>. It includes a <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACTIONS" target="_top">list of all actions</a> and an <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ACT-EXAMPLES" target="_top">actions file tutorial</a> to get you started.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTCONFIG" id="ACTCONFIG">3.3. How are
- actions files configured? What is the easiest way to do this?</a></h3>
- <p>Actions files are just text files in a special syntax and can be
- edited with a text editor. But probably the easiest way is to access
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s user interface with your web
- browser at <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/" target=
- "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/</a> (Shortcut: <a href="http://p.p/"
- target="_top">http://p.p/</a>) and then select <span class=
- "QUOTE">"<a href="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
- "_top">View & change the current configuration</a>"</span> from the
- menu. Note that this feature must be explicitly enabled in the main
- config file (see <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target=
- "_top">enable-edit-actions</a>).</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ACTCONFIG" id="ACTCONFIG">3.3. How are actions files configured? What is the easiest
+ way to do this?</a></h3>
+ <p>Actions files are just text files in a special syntax and can be edited with a text editor. But probably the
+ easiest way is to access <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>'s user interface with your web browser at
+ <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/" target="_top">http://config.privoxy.org/</a> (Shortcut: <a href=
+ "http://p.p/" target="_top">http://p.p/</a>) and then select <span class="QUOTE">"<a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target="_top">View & change the current configuration</a>"</span>
+ from the menu. Note that this feature must be explicitly enabled in the main config file (see <a href=
+ "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">enable-edit-actions</a>).</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN420" id="AEN420">3.4. There are several
- different <span class="QUOTE">"actions"</span> files. What are the
- differences?</a></h3>
- <p>Please have a look at the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html"
- target="_top">the actions chapter</a> in the <a href=
- "../user-manual/index.html" target="_top">User Manual</a> for a
- detailed explanation.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN417" id="AEN417">3.4. There are several different <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"actions"</span> files. What are the differences?</a></h3>
+ <p>Please have a look at the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">the actions chapter</a> in
+ the <a href="../user-manual/index.html" target="_top">User Manual</a> for a detailed explanation.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="GETUPDATES" id="GETUPDATES">3.5. Where can I
- get updated Actions Files?</a></h3>
- <p>Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updates of
- <tt class="FILENAME">default.action</tt> will be made available from
- time to time on the <a href=
- "https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11118" target=
- "_top">files section</a> of our <a href=
- "https://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/" target="_top">project
- page</a>.</p>
- <p>If you wish to receive an email notification whenever we release
- updates of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> or the actions
- file, <a href=
- "https://lists.privoxy.org/mailman/listinfo/privoxy-announce" target=
- "_top">subscribe to our announce mailing list</a>,
- privoxy-announce@lists.privoxy.org.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="GETUPDATES" id="GETUPDATES">3.5. Where can I get updated Actions Files?</a></h3>
+ <p>Based on your feedback and the continuing development, updates of <tt class="FILENAME">default.action</tt>
+ will be made available from time to time on the <a href=
+ "https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11118" target="_top">files section</a> of our <a href=
+ "https://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/" target="_top">project page</a>.</p>
+ <p>If you wish to receive an email notification whenever we release updates of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> or the actions file, <a href=
+ "https://lists.privoxy.org/mailman/listinfo/privoxy-announce" target="_top">subscribe to our announce mailing
+ list</a>, privoxy-announce@lists.privoxy.org.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NEWCONFIG" id="NEWCONFIG">3.6. Can I use my
- old config files?</a></h3>
- <p>The syntax and purpose of configuration files has remained roughly
- the same throughout the 3.x series, but backwards compatibility is not
- guaranteed. Also each release contains updated, <span class=
- "QUOTE">"improved"</span> versions and it is therefore strongly
- recommended to install the newer configuration files and merge back
- your modifications.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NEWCONFIG" id="NEWCONFIG">3.6. Can I use my old config files?</a></h3>
+ <p>The syntax and purpose of configuration files has remained roughly the same throughout the 3.x series, but
+ backwards compatibility is not guaranteed. Also each release contains updated, <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"improved"</span> versions and it is therefore strongly recommended to install the newer configuration
+ files and merge back your modifications.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="DIFFICULT" id="DIFFICULT">3.7. Why is the
- configuration so complicated?</a></h3>
- <p><span class="QUOTE">"Complicated"</span> is in the eye of the
- beholder.</p>
- <p>Privoxy is currently mainly written by and for people who are
- already familiar with the underlying concepts like regular expressions,
- HTTP and HTML, or are willing to become familiar with them to be able
- to get the most out of a powerful and flexible tool such as
- Privoxy.</p>
- <p>While everybody is expected to be able to get a Privoxy default
- installation up and running, fine-tuning requires a certain amount of
- background information and Privoxy's documentation mainly concentrates
- on the Privoxy-specific parts while only providing references to the
- rest.</p>
- <p>If you or anyone you know has the skills, time and energy to reduce
- the barrier of entry, please <a href="general.html#PARTICIPATE">get
- involved</a>.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="DIFFICULT" id="DIFFICULT">3.7. Why is the configuration so complicated?</a></h3>
+ <p><span class="QUOTE">"Complicated"</span> is in the eye of the beholder.</p>
+ <p>Privoxy is currently mainly written by and for people who are already familiar with the underlying concepts
+ like regular expressions, HTTP and HTML, or are willing to become familiar with them to be able to get the most
+ out of a powerful and flexible tool such as Privoxy.</p>
+ <p>While everybody is expected to be able to get a Privoxy default installation up and running, fine-tuning
+ requires a certain amount of background information and Privoxy's documentation mainly concentrates on the
+ Privoxy-specific parts while only providing references to the rest.</p>
+ <p>If you or anyone you know has the skills, time and energy to reduce the barrier of entry, please <a href=
+ "general.html#PARTICIPATE">get involved</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="YAHOO" id="YAHOO">3.8. How can I make my
- Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail account work?</a></h3>
- <p>The default configuration shouldn't impact the usability of any of
- these services. It may, however, make all <a href=
- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target="_top">cookies</a>
- temporary, so that your browser will forget your login credentials in
- between browser sessions. If you would like not to have to log in
- manually each time you access those websites, simply turn off all
- cookie handling for them in the <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>
- file. An example for yahoo might look like:</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="YAHOO" id="YAHOO">3.8. How can I make my Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail account work?</a></h3>
+ <p>The default configuration shouldn't impact the usability of any of these services. It may, however, make all
+ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target="_top">cookies</a> temporary, so that your browser
+ will forget your login credentials in between browser sessions. If you would like not to have to log in manually
+ each time you access those websites, simply turn off all cookie handling for them in the <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">user.action</tt> file. An example for yahoo might look like:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
<pre class="SCREEN"># Allow all cookies for Yahoo login:
#
{ -<a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#CRUNCH-INCOMING-COOKIES" target=
-"_top">crunch-incoming-cookies</a> -<a href=
-"../user-manual/actions-file.html#CRUNCH-OUTGOING-COOKIES" target=
-"_top">crunch-outgoing-cookies</a> -<a href=
-"../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY" target=
+"_top">crunch-incoming-cookies</a> -<a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#CRUNCH-OUTGOING-COOKIES" target=
+"_top">crunch-outgoing-cookies</a> -<a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY" target=
"_top">session-cookies-only</a> }
.login.yahoo.com</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>These kinds of sites are often quite complex and heavy with <a href=
- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript" target="_top">Javascript</a>
- and thus <span class="QUOTE">"fragile"</span>. So if <span class=
- "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">still</i></span> a problem, we have an
- <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ALIASES" target=
- "_top">alias</a> just for such sticky situations:</p>
+ <p>These kinds of sites are often quite complex and heavy with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript"
+ target="_top">Javascript</a> and thus <span class="QUOTE">"fragile"</span>. So if <span class=
+ "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">still</i></span> a problem, we have an <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ALIASES" target="_top">alias</a> just for such sticky situations:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>Be sure to flush your browser's caches whenever making these kinds
- of changes, just to make sure the changes <span class=
- "QUOTE">"take"</span>.</p>
- <p>Make sure the domain, host and path are appropriate as well. Your
- browser can tell you where you are specifically and you should use that
- information for your configuration settings. Note that above it is not
- referenced as <tt class="LITERAL">gmail.com</tt>, which is a valid
- domain name.</p>
+ <p>Be sure to flush your browser's caches whenever making these kinds of changes, just to make sure the changes
+ <span class="QUOTE">"take"</span>.</p>
+ <p>Make sure the domain, host and path are appropriate as well. Your browser can tell you where you are
+ specifically and you should use that information for your configuration settings. Note that above it is not
+ referenced as <tt class="LITERAL">gmail.com</tt>, which is a valid domain name.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="CONFIGFILES" id="CONFIGFILES">3.9. What's
- the difference between the <span class="QUOTE">"Cautious"</span>,
- <span class="QUOTE">"Medium"</span> and <span class=
- "QUOTE">"Advanced"</span> defaults?</a></h3>
- <p>Configuring <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is not entirely
- trivial. To help you get started, we provide you with three different
- default action <span class="QUOTE">"profiles"</span> in the web based
- actions file editor at <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status"
- target="_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a>. See the
- <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top"><i class=
- "CITETITLE">User Manual</i></a> for a list of actions, and how the
- default profiles are set.</p>
- <p>Where the defaults are likely to break some sites, exceptions for
- known popular <span class="QUOTE">"problem"</span> sites are included,
- but in general, the more aggressive your default settings are, the more
- exceptions you will have to make later. New users are best to start off
- in <span class="QUOTE">"Cautious"</span> setting. This is safest and
- will have the fewest problems. See the <a href=
- "../user-manual/index.html" target="_top"><i class="CITETITLE">User
- Manual</i></a> for a more detailed discussion.</p>
- <p>It should be noted that the <span class="QUOTE">"Advanced"</span>
- profile (formerly known as the <span class=
- "QUOTE">"Adventuresome"</span> profile) is more aggressive, and will
- make use of some of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> advanced
- features. Use at your own risk!</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="CONFIGFILES" id="CONFIGFILES">3.9. What's the difference between the <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"Cautious"</span>, <span class="QUOTE">"Medium"</span> and <span class="QUOTE">"Advanced"</span>
+ defaults?</a></h3>
+ <p>Configuring <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is not entirely trivial. To help you get started, we
+ provide you with three different default action <span class="QUOTE">"profiles"</span> in the web based actions
+ file editor at <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target=
+ "_top">http://config.privoxy.org/show-status</a>. See the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target=
+ "_top"><i class="CITETITLE">User Manual</i></a> for a list of actions, and how the default profiles are set.</p>
+ <p>Where the defaults are likely to break some sites, exceptions for known popular <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"problem"</span> sites are included, but in general, the more aggressive your default settings are, the
+ more exceptions you will have to make later. New users are best to start off in <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"Cautious"</span> setting. This is safest and will have the fewest problems. See the <a href=
+ "../user-manual/index.html" target="_top"><i class="CITETITLE">User Manual</i></a> for a more detailed
+ discussion.</p>
+ <p>It should be noted that the <span class="QUOTE">"Advanced"</span> profile (formerly known as the <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"Adventuresome"</span> profile) is more aggressive, and will make use of some of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> advanced features. Use at your own risk!</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BROWSECONFIG" id="BROWSECONFIG">3.10. Why
- can I change the configuration with a browser? Does that not raise
- security issues?</a></h3>
- <p>It may seem strange that regular users can edit the config files
- with their browsers, although the whole <tt class=
- "FILENAME">/etc/privoxy</tt> hierarchy belongs to the user <span class=
- "QUOTE">"privoxy"</span>, with only 644 permissions.</p>
- <p>When you use the browser-based editor, <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> itself is writing to the config files.
- Because <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is running as the user
- <span class="QUOTE">"privoxy"</span>, it can update its own config
- files.</p>
- <p>If you run <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> for multiple
- untrusted users (e.g. in a LAN) or aren't entirely in control of your
- own browser, you will probably want to make sure that the web-based
- editor and remote toggle features are <span class="QUOTE">"off"</span>
- by setting <span class="QUOTE">"<tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target=
- "_top">enable-edit-actions</a> 0</tt>"</span> and <span class=
- "QUOTE">"<tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-REMOTE-TOGGLE" target=
- "_top">enable-remote-toggle</a> 0</tt>"</span> in the <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html" target="_top">main configuration
- file</a>.</p>
- <p>As of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> 3.0.7 these options
- are disabled by default.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BROWSECONFIG" id="BROWSECONFIG">3.10. Why can I change the configuration with a
+ browser? Does that not raise security issues?</a></h3>
+ <p>It may seem strange that regular users can edit the config files with their browsers, although the whole
+ <tt class="FILENAME">/etc/privoxy</tt> hierarchy belongs to the user <span class="QUOTE">"privoxy"</span>, with
+ only 644 permissions.</p>
+ <p>When you use the browser-based editor, <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> itself is writing to the
+ config files. Because <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is running as the user <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"privoxy"</span>, it can update its own config files.</p>
+ <p>If you run <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> for multiple untrusted users (e.g. in a LAN) or aren't
+ entirely in control of your own browser, you will probably want to make sure that the web-based editor and remote
+ toggle features are <span class="QUOTE">"off"</span> by setting <span class="QUOTE">"<tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">enable-edit-actions</a> 0</tt>"</span> and
+ <span class="QUOTE">"<tt class="LITERAL"><a href="../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-REMOTE-TOGGLE" target=
+ "_top">enable-remote-toggle</a> 0</tt>"</span> in the <a href="../user-manual/config.html" target="_top">main
+ configuration file</a>.</p>
+ <p>As of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> 3.0.7 these options are disabled by default.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="FILTERFILE" id="FILTERFILE">3.11. What is
- the <tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt> file? What is a
- <span class="QUOTE">"filter"</span>?</a></h3>
- <p>The <a href="../user-manual/filter-file.html" target=
- "_top"><tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt></a> file is where
- <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">filters</i></span> as
- supplied by the developers are defined. Filters are a special subset of
- actions that can be used to modify or remove web page content or
- headers on the fly. Content filters can be applied to <span class=
- "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">anything</i></span> in the page source,
- header filters can be applied to either server or client headers.
- Regular expressions are used to accomplish this.</p>
- <p>There are a number of pre-defined filters to deal with common
- annoyances. The filters are only defined here, to invoke them, you need
- to use the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER" target=
- "_top"><tt class="LITERAL">filter</tt> action</a> in one of the actions
- files. Content filtering is automatically disabled for inappropriate
- MIME types, but if you know better than Privoxy what should or should
- not be filtered you can filter any content you like.</p>
- <p>Filters should <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">not</i></span> be confused with <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top"><tt class=
- "LITERAL">blocks</tt></a>, which is a completely different action, and
- is more typically used to block ads and unwanted sites.</p>
- <p>If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look
- at the provided <tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt> with a text
- editor and define your own filters. This is potentially a very powerful
- feature, but requires some expertise in both regular expressions and
- HTML/HTTP. You should place any modifications to the default filters,
- or any new ones you create in a separate file, such as <tt class=
- "FILENAME">user.filter</tt>, so they won't be overwritten during
- upgrades. The ability to define multiple filter files in <tt class=
- "FILENAME">config</tt> is a new feature as of v. 3.0.5.</p>
- <p>There is no GUI editor option for this part of the configuration,
- but you can disable/enable the various pre-defined filters of the
- included <tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt> file with the
- <a href="http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target="_top">web-based
- actions file editor</a>. Note that the custom actions editor must be
- explicitly enabled in the main config file (see <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target=
- "_top">enable-edit-actions</a>).</p>
- <p>If you intend to develop your own filters, you might want to have a
- look at <a href="https://www.fabiankeil.de/sourcecode/pft/" target=
- "_top">Privoxy-Filter-Test</a>.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="FILTERFILE" id="FILTERFILE">3.11. What is the <tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt>
+ file? What is a <span class="QUOTE">"filter"</span>?</a></h3>
+ <p>The <a href="../user-manual/filter-file.html" target="_top"><tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt></a> file
+ is where <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">filters</i></span> as supplied by the developers are defined.
+ Filters are a special subset of actions that can be used to modify or remove web page content or headers on the
+ fly. Content filters can be applied to <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">anything</i></span> in the page
+ source, header filters can be applied to either server or client headers. Regular expressions are used to
+ accomplish this.</p>
+ <p>There are a number of pre-defined filters to deal with common annoyances. The filters are only defined here,
+ to invoke them, you need to use the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER" target="_top"><tt class=
+ "LITERAL">filter</tt> action</a> in one of the actions files. Content filtering is automatically disabled for
+ inappropriate MIME types, but if you know better than Privoxy what should or should not be filtered you can
+ filter any content you like.</p>
+ <p>Filters should <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">not</i></span> be confused with <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top"><tt class="LITERAL">blocks</tt></a>, which is a completely
+ different action, and is more typically used to block ads and unwanted sites.</p>
+ <p>If you are familiar with regular expressions, and HTML, you can look at the provided <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">default.filter</tt> with a text editor and define your own filters. This is potentially a very
+ powerful feature, but requires some expertise in both regular expressions and HTML/HTTP. You should place any
+ modifications to the default filters, or any new ones you create in a separate file, such as <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">user.filter</tt>, so they won't be overwritten during upgrades. The ability to define multiple filter
+ files in <tt class="FILENAME">config</tt> is a new feature as of v. 3.0.5.</p>
+ <p>There is no GUI editor option for this part of the configuration, but you can disable/enable the various
+ pre-defined filters of the included <tt class="FILENAME">default.filter</tt> file with the <a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target="_top">web-based actions file editor</a>. Note that the custom
+ actions editor must be explicitly enabled in the main config file (see <a href=
+ "../user-manual/config.html#ENABLE-EDIT-ACTIONS" target="_top">enable-edit-actions</a>).</p>
+ <p>If you intend to develop your own filters, you might want to have a look at <a href=
+ "https://www.fabiankeil.de/sourcecode/pft/" target="_top">Privoxy-Filter-Test</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="LANCONFIG" id="LANCONFIG">3.12. How can I
- set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my LAN?</a></h3>
- <p>By default, <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> only responds
- to requests from <tt class="LITERAL">127.0.0.1</tt> (localhost). To
- have it act as a server for a network, this needs to be changed in the
- <a href="../user-manual/config.html" target="_top">main configuration
- file</a>. Look for the <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#LISTEN-ADDRESS" target=
- "_top">listen-address</a></tt> option, which may be commented out with
- a <span class="QUOTE">"#"</span> symbol. Make sure it is uncommented,
- and assign it the address of the LAN gateway interface, and port number
- to use. Assuming your LAN address is 192.168.1.1 and you wish to run
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> on port 8118, this line should
- look like:</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="LANCONFIG" id="LANCONFIG">3.12. How can I set up Privoxy to act as a proxy for my
+ LAN?</a></h3>
+ <p>By default, <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> only responds to requests from <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">127.0.0.1</tt> (localhost). To have it act as a server for a network, this needs to be changed in the
+ <a href="../user-manual/config.html" target="_top">main configuration file</a>. Look for the <tt class=
+ "LITERAL"><a href="../user-manual/config.html#LISTEN-ADDRESS" target="_top">listen-address</a></tt> option, which
+ may be commented out with a <span class="QUOTE">"#"</span> symbol. Make sure it is uncommented, and assign it the
+ address of the LAN gateway interface, and port number to use. Assuming your LAN address is 192.168.1.1 and you
+ wish to run <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> on port 8118, this line should look like:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>Save the file, and restart <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>.
- Configure all browsers on the network then to use this address and port
- number.</p>
- <p>Alternately, you can have <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
- listen on all available interfaces:</p>
+ <p>Save the file, and restart <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>. Configure all browsers on the network
+ then to use this address and port number.</p>
+ <p>Alternately, you can have <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> listen on all available interfaces:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>And then use <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#PERMIT-ACCESS" target=
- "_top">permit-access</a> feature to limit connections. A firewall in
- this situation is recommended as well.</p>
- <p>The above steps should be the same for any TCP network, regardless
- of operating system.</p>
- <p>If you run <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> on a LAN with
- untrusted users, we recommend that you double-check the <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL" target="_top">access
- control and security</a> options!</p>
+ <p>And then use <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> <a href="../user-manual/config.html#PERMIT-ACCESS"
+ target="_top">permit-access</a> feature to limit connections. A firewall in this situation is recommended as
+ well.</p>
+ <p>The above steps should be the same for any TCP network, regardless of operating system.</p>
+ <p>If you run <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> on a LAN with untrusted users, we recommend that you
+ double-check the <a href="../user-manual/config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL" target="_top">access control and
+ security</a> options!</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NOSEEUM" id="NOSEEUM">3.13. Instead of ads,
- now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't want to see
- anything.</a></h3>
- <p>The replacement for blocked images can be controlled with the
- <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER" target=
- "_top"><tt class="LITERAL">set-image-blocker</tt> action</a>. You have
- the choice of a checkerboard pattern, a transparent 1x1 GIF image (aka
- <span class="QUOTE">"blank"</span>), or a redirect to a custom image of
- your choice. Note that this choice only has effect for images which are
- blocked as images, i.e. whose URLs match both a <tt class=
- "LITERAL"><a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE"
- target="_top">handle-as-image</a></tt> <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">and</i></span> <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">block</a></tt>
- action.</p>
- <p>If you want to see nothing, then change the <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER" target=
- "_top"><tt class="LITERAL">set-image-blocker</tt> action</a> to
- <span class="QUOTE">"blank"</span>. This can be done by editing the
- <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt> file, or through the <a href=
- "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target="_top">web-based actions
- file editor</a>.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NOSEEUM" id="NOSEEUM">3.13. Instead of ads, now I get a checkerboard pattern. I don't
+ want to see anything.</a></h3>
+ <p>The replacement for blocked images can be controlled with the <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER" target="_top"><tt class="LITERAL">set-image-blocker</tt>
+ action</a>. You have the choice of a checkerboard pattern, a transparent 1x1 GIF image (aka <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"blank"</span>), or a redirect to a custom image of your choice. Note that this choice only has effect
+ for images which are blocked as images, i.e. whose URLs match both a <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#HANDLE-AS-IMAGE" target="_top">handle-as-image</a></tt> <span class=
+ "emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">and</i></span> <tt class="LITERAL"><a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">block</a></tt> action.</p>
+ <p>If you want to see nothing, then change the <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#SET-IMAGE-BLOCKER"
+ target="_top"><tt class="LITERAL">set-image-blocker</tt> action</a> to <span class="QUOTE">"blank"</span>. This
+ can be done by editing the <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt> file, or through the <a href=
+ "http://config.privoxy.org/show-status" target="_top">web-based actions file editor</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="WHYSEEUM" id="WHYSEEUM">3.14. Why would
- anybody want to see a checkerboard pattern?</a></h3>
- <p>Remember that <a href="general.html#WHATSANAD">telling which image
- is an ad and which isn't</a>, is an educated guess. While we hope that
- the standard configuration is rather smart, it will make occasional
- mistakes. The checkerboard image is visually decent, and it shows you
- where images have been blocked, which can be very helpful in case some
- navigation aid or otherwise innocent image was erroneously blocked. It
- is recommended for new users so they can <span class=
- "QUOTE">"see"</span> what is happening. Some people might also enjoy
- seeing how many banners they <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">don't</i></span> have to see.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="WHYSEEUM" id="WHYSEEUM">3.14. Why would anybody want to see a checkerboard
+ pattern?</a></h3>
+ <p>Remember that <a href="general.html#WHATSANAD">telling which image is an ad and which isn't</a>, is an
+ educated guess. While we hope that the standard configuration is rather smart, it will make occasional mistakes.
+ The checkerboard image is visually decent, and it shows you where images have been blocked, which can be very
+ helpful in case some navigation aid or otherwise innocent image was erroneously blocked. It is recommended for
+ new users so they can <span class="QUOTE">"see"</span> what is happening. Some people might also enjoy seeing how
+ many banners they <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">don't</i></span> have to see.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BLOCKEDBYTEXT" id="BLOCKEDBYTEXT">3.15. I
- see some images being replaced with text instead of the checkerboard
- image. Why and how do I get rid of this?</a></h3>
- <p>This happens when the banners are not embedded in the HTML code of
- the page itself, but in separate HTML (sub)documents that are loaded
- into (i)frames or (i)layers, and these external HTML documents are
- blocked. Being non-images they get replaced by a substitute HTML page
- rather than a substitute image, which wouldn't work out technically,
- since the browser expects and accepts only HTML when it has requested
- an HTML document.</p>
- <p>The substitute page adapts to the available space and shows itself
- as a miniature two-liner if loaded into small frames, or full-blown
- with a large red "BLOCKED" banner if space allows.</p>
- <p>If you prefer the banners to be blocked by images, you must see to
- it that the HTML documents in which they are embedded are not blocked.
- Clicking the <span class="QUOTE">"See why"</span> link offered in the
- substitute page will show you which rule blocked the page. After
- changing the rule and un-blocking the HTML documents, the browser will
- try to load the actual banner images and the usual image blocking will
- (hopefully!) kick in.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BLOCKEDBYTEXT" id="BLOCKEDBYTEXT">3.15. I see some images being replaced with text
+ instead of the checkerboard image. Why and how do I get rid of this?</a></h3>
+ <p>This happens when the banners are not embedded in the HTML code of the page itself, but in separate HTML
+ (sub)documents that are loaded into (i)frames or (i)layers, and these external HTML documents are blocked. Being
+ non-images they get replaced by a substitute HTML page rather than a substitute image, which wouldn't work out
+ technically, since the browser expects and accepts only HTML when it has requested an HTML document.</p>
+ <p>The substitute page adapts to the available space and shows itself as a miniature two-liner if loaded into
+ small frames, or full-blown with a large red "BLOCKED" banner if space allows.</p>
+ <p>If you prefer the banners to be blocked by images, you must see to it that the HTML documents in which they
+ are embedded are not blocked. Clicking the <span class="QUOTE">"See why"</span> link offered in the substitute
+ page will show you which rule blocked the page. After changing the rule and un-blocking the HTML documents, the
+ browser will try to load the actual banner images and the usual image blocking will (hopefully!) kick in.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="SRVANY" id="SRVANY">3.16. Can Privoxy run as
- a service on Win2K/NT/XP?</a></h3>
- <p>Yes. Version 3.0.5 introduces full <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Windows</span> service functionality. See <a href=
- "../user-manual/installation.html#installation-pack-win" target=
- "_top">the <i class="CITETITLE">User Manual</i></a> for details on how
- to install and configure <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> as a
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="SRVANY" id="SRVANY">3.16. Can Privoxy run as a service on Win2K/NT/XP?</a></h3>
+ <p>Yes. Version 3.0.5 introduces full <span class="APPLICATION">Windows</span> service functionality. See
+ <a href="../user-manual/installation.html#INSTALLATION-PACK-WIN" target="_top">the <i class="CITETITLE">User
+ Manual</i></a> for details on how to install and configure <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> as a
service.</p>
- <p>Earlier 3.x versions could run as a system service using <b class=
- "COMMAND">srvany.exe</b>. See the discussion at <a href=
- "https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118"
- target=
- "_top">https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118</a>,
+ <p>Earlier 3.x versions could run as a system service using <b class="COMMAND">srvany.exe</b>. See the discussion
+ at <a href="https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118"
+ target="_top">https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=361118&aid=485617&group_id=11118</a>,
for details, and a sample configuration.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OTHERPROXY" id="OTHERPROXY">3.17. How can I
- make Privoxy work with other proxies?</a></h3>
- <p>This can be done and is often useful to combine the benefits of
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> with those of a another proxy,
- for example to cache content. See the <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#FORWARDING" target="_top">forwarding
- chapter</a> in the <a href="../user-manual/index.html" target=
- "_top">User Manual</a> which describes how to do this. If you intend to
- use Privoxy with Tor, please also have a look at <a href=
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OTHERPROXY" id="OTHERPROXY">3.17. How can I make Privoxy work with other
+ proxies?</a></h3>
+ <p>This can be done and is often useful to combine the benefits of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> with
+ those of a another proxy, for example to cache content. See the <a href="../user-manual/config.html#FORWARDING"
+ target="_top">forwarding chapter</a> in the <a href="../user-manual/index.html" target="_top">User Manual</a>
+ which describes how to do this. If you intend to use Privoxy with Tor, please also have a look at <a href=
"misc.html#TOR">How do I use Privoxy together with Tor</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="PORT-80" id="PORT-80">3.18. Can I just set
- Privoxy to use port 80 and thus avoid individual browser
- configuration?</a></h3>
- <p>No, its more complicated than that. This only works with special
- kinds of proxies known as <span class="QUOTE">"intercepting"</span>
- proxies (<a href="configuration.html#INTERCEPTING">see below</a>).</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="PORT-80" id="PORT-80">3.18. Can I just set Privoxy to use port 80 and thus avoid
+ individual browser configuration?</a></h3>
+ <p>No, its more complicated than that. This only works with special kinds of proxies known as <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"intercepting"</span> proxies (<a href="configuration.html#INTERCEPTING">see below</a>).</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="TRANSPARENT" id="TRANSPARENT">3.19. Can
- Privoxy run as a <span class="QUOTE">"transparent"</span>
- proxy?</a></h3>
- <p>The whole idea of Privoxy is to modify client requests and server
- responses in all sorts of ways and therefore it's not a transparent
- proxy as described in <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616"
- target="_top">RFC 2616</a>.</p>
- <p>However, some people say <span class="QUOTE">"transparent
- proxy"</span> when they mean <span class="QUOTE">"intercepting
- proxy"</span>. If you are one of them, please read the <a href=
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="TRANSPARENT" id="TRANSPARENT">3.19. Can Privoxy run as a <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"transparent"</span> proxy?</a></h3>
+ <p>The whole idea of Privoxy is to modify client requests and server responses in all sorts of ways and therefore
+ it's not a transparent proxy as described in <a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616" target="_top">RFC
+ 2616</a>.</p>
+ <p>However, some people say <span class="QUOTE">"transparent proxy"</span> when they mean <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"intercepting proxy"</span>. If you are one of them, please read the <a href=
"configuration.html#INTERCEPTING">next entry</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="INTERCEPTING" id="INTERCEPTING">3.20. Can
- Privoxy run as a <span class="QUOTE">"intercepting"</span>
- proxy?</a></h3>
- <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can't intercept traffic
- itself, but it can handle requests that where intercepted and
- redirected with a packet filter (like <span class=
- "APPLICATION">PF</span> or <span class="APPLICATION">iptables</span>),
- as long as the <tt class="LITERAL">Host</tt> header is present.</p>
- <p>As the <tt class="LITERAL">Host</tt> header is required by HTTP/1.1
- and as most web sites rely on it anyway, this limitation shouldn't be a
- problem.</p>
- <p>Please refer to your packet filter's documentation to learn how to
- intercept and redirect traffic into <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>. Afterward you just have to configure
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ACCEPT-INTERCEPTED-REQUESTS" target=
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="INTERCEPTING" id="INTERCEPTING">3.20. Can Privoxy run as a <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"intercepting"</span> proxy?</a></h3>
+ <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can't intercept traffic itself, but it can handle requests that where
+ intercepted and redirected with a packet filter (like <span class="APPLICATION">PF</span> or <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">iptables</span>), as long as the <tt class="LITERAL">Host</tt> header is present.</p>
+ <p>As the <tt class="LITERAL">Host</tt> header is required by HTTP/1.1 and as most web sites rely on it anyway,
+ this limitation shouldn't be a problem.</p>
+ <p>Please refer to your packet filter's documentation to learn how to intercept and redirect traffic into
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>. Afterward you just have to configure <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to <a href="../user-manual/config.html#ACCEPT-INTERCEPTED-REQUESTS" target=
"_top">accept intercepted requests</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OUTLOOK" id="OUTLOOK">3.21. How can I
- configure Privoxy for use with Outlook?</a></h3>
- <p>Versions of <span class="APPLICATION">Outlook</span> prior to Office
- 2007, use <span class="APPLICATION">Internet Explorer</span> components
- to both render HTML, and fetch any HTTP requests that may be embedded
- in an HTML email. So however you have <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> configured to work with IE, this
- configuration should automatically be shared, at least with older
- version of Internet Explorer.</p>
- <p>Starting with Office 2007, Microsoft is instead using the MS-Word
- rendering engine with Outlook. It is unknown whether this can be
- configured to use a proxy.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OUTLOOK" id="OUTLOOK">3.21. How can I configure Privoxy for use with Outlook?</a></h3>
+ <p>Versions of <span class="APPLICATION">Outlook</span> prior to Office 2007, use <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Internet Explorer</span> components to both render HTML, and fetch any HTTP requests that may be
+ embedded in an HTML email. So however you have <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> configured to work with
+ IE, this configuration should automatically be shared, at least with older version of Internet Explorer.</p>
+ <p>Starting with Office 2007, Microsoft is instead using the MS-Word rendering engine with Outlook. It is unknown
+ whether this can be configured to use a proxy.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OUTLOOK-MORE" id="OUTLOOK-MORE">3.22. How
- can I have separate rules just for HTML mail?</a></h3>
- <p>The short answer is, you can't. <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> has no way of knowing which particular
- application makes a request, so there is no way to distinguish between
- web pages and HTML mail. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> just
- blindly proxies all requests. In the case of <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Outlook Express</span> (see above), OE uses IE anyway,
- and there is no way for <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to
- ever be able to distinguish between them (nor could any other proxy
- type application for that matter).</p>
- <p>For a good discussion of some of the issues involved (including
- privacy and security issues), see <a href=
- "https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=211118&aid=629518&group_id=11118"
- target=
- "_top">https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=211118&aid=629518&group_id=11118</a>.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="OUTLOOK-MORE" id="OUTLOOK-MORE">3.22. How can I have separate rules just for HTML
+ mail?</a></h3>
+ <p>The short answer is, you can't. <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> has no way of knowing which
+ particular application makes a request, so there is no way to distinguish between web pages and HTML mail.
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> just blindly proxies all requests. In the case of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Outlook Express</span> (see above), OE uses IE anyway, and there is no way for <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> to ever be able to distinguish between them (nor could any other proxy type
+ application for that matter).</p>
+ <p>For a good discussion of some of the issues involved (including privacy and security issues), see <a href=
+ "https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=211118&aid=629518&group_id=11118" target=
+ "_top">https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=211118&aid=629518&group_id=11118</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="SNEAKY-COOKIES" id="SNEAKY-COOKIES">3.23. I
- sometimes notice cookies sneaking through. How?</a></h3>
- <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target=
- "_top">Cookies</a> can be set in several ways. The classic method is
- via the <tt class="LITERAL">Set-Cookie</tt> HTTP header. This is
- straightforward, and an easy one to manipulate, such as the
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> concept of <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY" target=
- "_top">session-cookies-only</a>. There is also the possibility of using
- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript" target=
- "_top">Javascript</a> to set cookies (<span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> calls these <tt class=
- "LITERAL">content-cookies</tt>). This is trickier because the syntax
- can vary widely, and thus requires a certain amount of guesswork. It is
- not realistic to catch all of these short of disabling Javascript,
- which would break many sites. And lastly, if the cookies are embedded
- in a HTTPS/SSL secure session via Javascript, they are beyond
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> reach.</p>
- <p>All in all, <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can help manage
- cookies in general, can help minimize the loss of privacy posed by
- cookies, but can't realistically stop all cookies.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="SNEAKY-COOKIES" id="SNEAKY-COOKIES">3.23. I sometimes notice cookies sneaking through.
+ How?</a></h3>
+ <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target="_top">Cookies</a> can be set in several ways.
+ The classic method is via the <tt class="LITERAL">Set-Cookie</tt> HTTP header. This is straightforward, and an
+ easy one to manipulate, such as the <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> concept of <a href=
+ "../user-manual/actions-file.html#SESSION-COOKIES-ONLY" target="_top">session-cookies-only</a>. There is also the
+ possibility of using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javascript" target="_top">Javascript</a> to set
+ cookies (<span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> calls these <tt class="LITERAL">content-cookies</tt>). This is
+ trickier because the syntax can vary widely, and thus requires a certain amount of guesswork. It is not realistic
+ to catch all of these short of disabling Javascript, which would break many sites. And lastly, if the cookies are
+ embedded in a HTTPS/SSL secure session via Javascript, they are beyond <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span>
+ reach.</p>
+ <p>All in all, <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> can help manage cookies in general, can help minimize the
+ loss of privacy posed by cookies, but can't realistically stop all cookies.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="EVIL-COOKIES" id="EVIL-COOKIES">3.24. Are
- all cookies bad? Why?</a></h3>
- <p>No, in fact there are many beneficial uses of <a href=
- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target=
- "_top">cookies</a>. Cookies are just a method that browsers can use to
- store data between pages, or between browser sessions. Sometimes there
- is a good reason for this, and the user's life is a bit easier as a
- result. But there is a long history of some websites taking advantage
- of this layer of trust, and using the data they glean from you and your
- browsing habits for their own purposes, and maybe to your potential
- detriment. Such sites are using you and storing their data on your
- system. That is why the privacy conscious watch from whom those cookies
- come, and why they really <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">need</i></span> to be there.</p>
- <p>See the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie"
- target="_top">Wikipedia cookie definition</a> for more.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="EVIL-COOKIES" id="EVIL-COOKIES">3.24. Are all cookies bad? Why?</a></h3>
+ <p>No, in fact there are many beneficial uses of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target=
+ "_top">cookies</a>. Cookies are just a method that browsers can use to store data between pages, or between
+ browser sessions. Sometimes there is a good reason for this, and the user's life is a bit easier as a result. But
+ there is a long history of some websites taking advantage of this layer of trust, and using the data they glean
+ from you and your browsing habits for their own purposes, and maybe to your potential detriment. Such sites are
+ using you and storing their data on your system. That is why the privacy conscious watch from whom those cookies
+ come, and why they really <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">need</i></span> to be there.</p>
+ <p>See the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_cookie" target="_top">Wikipedia cookie definition</a>
+ for more.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ALLOW-COOKIES" id="ALLOW-COOKIES">3.25. How
- can I allow permanent cookies for my trusted sites?</a></h3>
- <p>There are several actions that relate to cookies. The default
- behavior is to allow only <span class="QUOTE">"session cookies"</span>,
- which means the cookies only last for the current browser session. This
- eliminates most kinds of abuse related to cookies. But there may be
- cases where you want cookies to last.</p>
- <p>To disable all cookie actions, so that cookies are allowed
- unrestricted, both in and out, for <tt class=
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="ALLOW-COOKIES" id="ALLOW-COOKIES">3.25. How can I allow permanent cookies for my
+ trusted sites?</a></h3>
+ <p>There are several actions that relate to cookies. The default behavior is to allow only <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"session cookies"</span>, which means the cookies only last for the current browser session. This
+ eliminates most kinds of abuse related to cookies. But there may be cases where you want cookies to last.</p>
+ <p>To disable all cookie actions, so that cookies are allowed unrestricted, both in and out, for <tt class=
"LITERAL">example.com</tt>:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
- <pre class="SCREEN">
- { -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies -session-cookies-only -filter{content-cookies} }
+ <pre class=
+ "SCREEN"> { -crunch-incoming-cookies -crunch-outgoing-cookies -session-cookies-only -filter{content-cookies} }
.example.com</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>Place the above in <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>. Note that
- some of these may be off by default anyway, so this might be redundant,
- but there is no harm being explicit in what you want to happen.
- <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt> includes an alias for this
- situation, called <tt class="LITERAL">allow-all-cookies</tt>.</p>
+ <p>Place the above in <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>. Note that some of these may be off by default
+ anyway, so this might be redundant, but there is no harm being explicit in what you want to happen. <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">user.action</tt> includes an alias for this situation, called <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">allow-all-cookies</tt>.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="MULTIPLES" id="MULTIPLES">3.26. Can I have
- separate configurations for different users?</a></h3>
- <p>Each instance of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> has its
- own configuration, including such attributes as the TCP port that it
- listens on. What you can do is run multiple instances of <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, each with a unique <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#LISTEN-ADDRESS" target=
- "_top">listen-address</a> configuration setting, and configuration
- path, and then each of these can have their own configurations. Think
- of it as per-port configuration.</p>
- <p>Simple enough for a few users, but for large installations, consider
- having groups of users that might share like configurations.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="MULTIPLES" id="MULTIPLES">3.26. Can I have separate configurations for different
+ users?</a></h3>
+ <p>Each instance of <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> has its own configuration, including such attributes
+ as the TCP port that it listens on. What you can do is run multiple instances of <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>, each with a unique <a href="../user-manual/config.html#LISTEN-ADDRESS" target=
+ "_top">listen-address</a> configuration setting, and configuration path, and then each of these can have their
+ own configurations. Think of it as per-port configuration.</p>
+ <p>Simple enough for a few users, but for large installations, consider having groups of users that might share
+ like configurations.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="WHITELISTS" id="WHITELISTS">3.27. Can I
- set-up Privoxy as a whitelist of <span class="QUOTE">"good"</span>
- sites?</a></h3>
- <p>Sure. There are a couple of things you can do for simple
- white-listing. Here's one real easy one:</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="WHITELISTS" id="WHITELISTS">3.27. Can I set-up Privoxy as a whitelist of <span class=
+ "QUOTE">"good"</span> sites?</a></h3>
+ <p>Sure. There are a couple of things you can do for simple white-listing. Here's one real easy one:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
- <pre class="SCREEN">
- ############################################################
+ <pre class="SCREEN"> ############################################################
# Blacklist
############################################################
- { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target=
-"_top">+block</a> }
+ { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">+block</a> }
/ # Block *all* URLs
############################################################
# Whitelist
############################################################
- { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target=
-"_top">-block</a> }
+ { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">-block</a> }
kids.example.com
toys.example.com
games.example.com</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>This allows access to only those three sites by first blocking all
- URLs, and then subsequently allowing three specific exceptions.</p>
- <p>Another approach is <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span>
- <tt class="LITERAL">trustfile</tt> concept, which incorporates the
- notion of <span class="QUOTE">"trusted referrers"</span>. See the
- <a href="../user-manual/config.html#TRUSTFILE" target="_top">Trust
- documentation</a> for details.</p>
- <p>These are fairly simple approaches and are not completely foolproof.
- There are various other configuration options that should be disabled
- (described elsewhere here and in <a href="../user-manual/" target=
- "_top">the User Manual</a>) so that users can't modify their own
- configuration and easily circumvent the whitelist.</p>
+ <p>This allows access to only those three sites by first blocking all URLs, and then subsequently allowing three
+ specific exceptions.</p>
+ <p>Another approach is <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> <tt class="LITERAL">trustfile</tt> concept,
+ which incorporates the notion of <span class="QUOTE">"trusted referrers"</span>. See the <a href=
+ "../user-manual/config.html#TRUSTFILE" target="_top">Trust documentation</a> for details.</p>
+ <p>These are fairly simple approaches and are not completely foolproof. There are various other configuration
+ options that should be disabled (described elsewhere here and in <a href="../user-manual/" target="_top">the User
+ Manual</a>) so that users can't modify their own configuration and easily circumvent the whitelist.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NO-ADBLOCK" id="NO-ADBLOCK">3.28. How can I
- turn off ad-blocking?</a></h3>
- <p>Ad blocking is achieved through a complex application of various
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">actions</a>. These
- actions are deployed against simple images, banners, flash animations,
- text pages, JavaScript, pop-ups and pop-unders, etc., so its not as
- simple as just turning one or two actions off. The various actions that
- make up <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> ad blocking are
- hard-coded into the default configuration files. It has been assumed
- that everyone using <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is
- interested in this particular feature.</p>
- <p>If you want to do without this, there are several approaches you can
- take: You can manually undo the many block rules in <tt class=
- "FILENAME">default.action</tt>. Or even easier, just create your own
- <tt class="FILENAME">default.action</tt> file from scratch without the
- many ad blocking rules, and corresponding exceptions. Or lastly, if you
- are not concerned about the additional blocks that are done for privacy
- reasons, you can very easily over-ride <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">all</i></span> blocking with the following very simple rule
- in your <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>:</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="NO-ADBLOCK" id="NO-ADBLOCK">3.28. How can I turn off ad-blocking?</a></h3>
+ <p>Ad blocking is achieved through a complex application of various <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span>
+ <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html" target="_top">actions</a>. These actions are deployed against simple
+ images, banners, flash animations, text pages, JavaScript, pop-ups and pop-unders, etc., so its not as simple as
+ just turning one or two actions off. The various actions that make up <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> ad
+ blocking are hard-coded into the default configuration files. It has been assumed that everyone using
+ <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> is interested in this particular feature.</p>
+ <p>If you want to do without this, there are several approaches you can take: You can manually undo the many
+ block rules in <tt class="FILENAME">default.action</tt>. Or even easier, just create your own <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">default.action</tt> file from scratch without the many ad blocking rules, and corresponding
+ exceptions. Or lastly, if you are not concerned about the additional blocks that are done for privacy reasons,
+ you can very easily over-ride <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">all</i></span> blocking with the
+ following very simple rule in your <tt class="FILENAME">user.action</tt>:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
<pre class="SCREEN"> # Unblock everybody, everywhere
- { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target=
-"_top">-block</a> }
+ { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">-block</a> }
/ # UN-Block *all* URLs</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>Or even a more comprehensive reversing of various ad related
- actions:</p>
+ <p>Or even a more comprehensive reversing of various ad related actions:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
- <pre class="SCREEN">
- # Unblock everybody, everywhere, and turn off appropriate filtering, etc
- { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target=
-"_top">-block</a> \
- <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER-BANNERS-BY-SIZE" target=
-"_top">-filter{banners-by-size}</a> \
- <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER-BANNERS-BY-LINK" target=
-"_top">-filter{banners-by-link}</a> \
+ <pre class="SCREEN"> # Unblock everybody, everywhere, and turn off appropriate filtering, etc
+ { <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#BLOCK" target="_top">-block</a> \
+ <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER-BANNERS-BY-SIZE" target="_top">-filter{banners-by-size}</a> \
+ <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#FILTER-BANNERS-BY-LINK" target="_top">-filter{banners-by-link}</a> \
<tt class="LITERAL">allow-popups</tt> \
}
/ # UN-Block *all* URLs and allow ads</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>This last <span class="QUOTE">"action"</span> in this compound
- statement, <tt class="LITERAL">allow-popups</tt>, is an <a href=
- "../user-manual/actions-file.html#ALIASES" target="_top">alias</a> that
- disables various pop-up blocking features.</p>
+ <p>This last <span class="QUOTE">"action"</span> in this compound statement, <tt class=
+ "LITERAL">allow-popups</tt>, is an <a href="../user-manual/actions-file.html#ALIASES" target="_top">alias</a>
+ that disables various pop-up blocking features.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="TEMPLATES" id="TEMPLATES">3.29. How can I
- have custom template pages, like the <span class="emphasis"><i class=
- "EMPHASIS">BLOCKED</i></span> page?</a></h3>
- <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <span class=
- "QUOTE">"templates"</span> are specialized text files utilized by
- <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> for various purposes and can
- easily be modified using any text editor. All the template pages are
- installed in a sub-directory appropriately named: <tt class=
- "FILENAME">templates</tt>. Knowing something about HTML syntax will of
- course be helpful.</p>
- <p>Be forewarned that the default templates are subject to being
- overwritten during upgrades. You can, however, create completely new
- templates, place them in another directory and specify the alternate
- path in the main <tt class="FILENAME">config</tt>. For details, have a
- look at the <a href="../user-manual/config.html#templdir" target=
- "_top">templdir</a> option.</p>
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="TEMPLATES" id="TEMPLATES">3.29. How can I have custom template pages, like the
+ <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">BLOCKED</i></span> page?</a></h3>
+ <p><span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> <span class="QUOTE">"templates"</span> are specialized text files
+ utilized by <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> for various purposes and can easily be modified using any
+ text editor. All the template pages are installed in a sub-directory appropriately named: <tt class=
+ "FILENAME">templates</tt>. Knowing something about HTML syntax will of course be helpful.</p>
+ <p>Be forewarned that the default templates are subject to being overwritten during upgrades. You can, however,
+ create completely new templates, place them in another directory and specify the alternate path in the main
+ <tt class="FILENAME">config</tt>. For details, have a look at the <a href="../user-manual/config.html#TEMPLDIR"
+ target="_top">templdir</a> option.</p>
</div>
<div class="SECT2">
- <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BLOCKALL" id="BLOCKALL">3.30. How can I
- remove the <span class="QUOTE">"Go There Anyway"</span> link from the
- <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">BLOCKED</i></span>
- page?</a></h3>
- <p>There is more than one way to do it (although Perl is not
- involved).</p>
- <p>Editing the BLOCKED template page (see above) may dissuade some
- users, but this method is easily circumvented. Where you need this
- level of control, you might want to build <span class=
- "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> from source, and disable various features
- that are available as compile-time options. You should <b class=
+ <h3 class="SECT2"><a name="BLOCKALL" id="BLOCKALL">3.30. How can I remove the <span class="QUOTE">"Go There
+ Anyway"</span> link from the <span class="emphasis"><i class="EMPHASIS">BLOCKED</i></span> page?</a></h3>
+ <p>There is more than one way to do it (although Perl is not involved).</p>
+ <p>Editing the BLOCKED template page (see above) may dissuade some users, but this method is easily circumvented.
+ Where you need this level of control, you might want to build <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> from
+ source, and disable various features that are available as compile-time options. You should <b class=
"COMMAND">configure</b> the sources as follows:</p>
<table border="0" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
- <pre class="SCREEN">
- ./configure --disable-toggle --disable-editor --disable-force</pre>
+ <pre class="SCREEN"> ./configure --disable-toggle --disable-editor --disable-force</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
- <p>This will create an executable with hard-coded security features so
- that <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> does not allow easy
- bypassing of blocked sites, or changing the current configuration via
- any connected user's web browser.</p>
- <p>Finally, all of these features can also be toggled on/off via
- options in <span class="APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> main <a href=
- "../user-manual/config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL" target="_top">config</a>
+ <p>This will create an executable with hard-coded security features so that <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy</span> does not allow easy bypassing of blocked sites, or changing the current
+ configuration via any connected user's web browser.</p>
+ <p>Finally, all of these features can also be toggled on/off via options in <span class=
+ "APPLICATION">Privoxy's</span> main <a href="../user-manual/config.html#ACCESS-CONTROL" target="_top">config</a>
file which means you don't have to recompile anything.</p>
</div>
</div>
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