Anyone that is interested in security, privacy, or in - finer-grained control over their web and Internet experience. - Everyone is encouraged to try Privoxy. -
Privoxy is certainly a good choice, especially for those who want more - control and security. Those that have the ability to fine-tune their installation - will benefit the most. One of Privoxy's - strength's is that it is highly configurable giving you the ability to - completely personalize your installation. Being familiar with, or at least - having an interest in learning about HTTP and other networking - protocols, HTML, - IP (Internet - Protocol), and - "Regular - Expressions" - will be a big plus and will help you get the most out of Privoxy. - A new installation just includes a very basic configuration. The user - should take this as a starting point only, and enhance it as he or she - sees fit. In fact, the user is encouraged, and expected to, fine-tune the - configuration. -
Much of Privoxy's configuration can be done - with a Web browser. - But there are areas where configuration is done using a - text editor - to edit configuration files. -
A web proxy - is a service, based on a software such as - Privoxy, that clients (i.e. browsers) can use - instead of connecting directly to web servers on the Internet. The - clients then ask the proxy to fetch the objects they need (web pages, - images, movies etc) on their behalf, and when the proxy has done so, it - hands the results back to the client. It is a "go-between". See - the Wikipedia proxy - definition for more. -
There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security (firewalling), - efficiency (caching) and others, and there are any number of proxies - to accommodate those needs. -
Privoxy is a proxy that is primarily focused on privacy - protection, ad and junk elimination and freeing the user from restrictions placed on his - activities. Sitting between your browser(s) and the Internet, - it is in a perfect position to filter outbound personal information that your - browser is leaking, as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do - this, all of which are under your complete control via the various configuration - files and options. -
A long time ago, there was the - Internet Junkbuster, - by Anonymous Coders and Junkbusters - Corporation. This saved many users a lot of pain in the early days of - web advertising and user tracking.
But the web, its protocols and standards, and with it, the techniques for - forcing ads on users, give up autonomy over their browsing, and - for tracking them, keeps evolving. Unfortunately, the Internet - Junkbuster did not. Version 2.0.2, published in 1998, was - (and is) the last official - release - available from Junkbusters Corporation. - Fortunately, it had been released under the GNU - GPL, which allowed further - development by others.
So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an - improved version of the - software, to which eventually a number of people contributed patches. - It could already replace banners with a transparent image, and had a first - version of pop-up killing, but it was still very closely based on the - original, with all its limitations, such as the lack of HTTP/1.1 support, - flexible per-site configuration, or content modification. The last release - from this effort was version 2.0.2-10, published in 2000.
Then, some - developers - picked up the thread, and started turning the software inside out, upside down, - and then reassembled it, adding many - new - features along the way.
The result of this is Privoxy, whose first - stable version, 3.0, was released August, 2002. -
Junkbusters Corporation - continues to offer their original version of the Internet - Junkbuster, so publishing our - Junkbuster-derived software under the same name - led to confusion.
There are also potential legal complications from the continued use of the - Junkbuster name, which is a registered trademark of - Junkbusters Corporation. - There are, however, no objections from Junkbusters Corporation to the - Privoxy project itself, and they, in fact, still - share our ideals and goals.
The developers also believed that there are so many improvements over the original - code, that it was time to make a clean break from the past and make - a name in their own right.
Privoxy is the - "Privacy Enhancing Proxy". Also, its content - modification and junk suppression gives you, the user, more - control, more freedom, and allows you to browse your personal and - "private edition" of the web.
Privoxy picks up where - Junkbuster left off. 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 greatly enhanced, and many, - 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 if upgrading from - Junkbuster 2.0.x. The "blocklist" - "cookielist", "imagelist" and much more has been - combined into the "actions" files, with a completely different - syntax. See the What's New - page for the latest updates.
Privoxy's new features include:
Integrated browser based configuration and control utility at http://config.privoxy.org/ - (shortcut: http://p.p/). Browser-based - tracing of rule and filter effects. Remote toggling. -
Web page content filtering (removes banners based on size, - invisible "web-bugs", JavaScript and HTML annoyances, pop-up windows, etc.) -
Modularized configuration that allows for standard settings and - user settings to reside in separate files, so that installing updated - actions files won't overwrite individual user settings. -
HTTP/1.1 compliant (but not all optional 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. -
Improved cookie management features (e.g. session based cookies). -
GIF de-animation. -
Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script redirection). -
Multi-threaded (POSIX and native threads). -
User-customizable HTML templates for all proxy-generated pages (e.g. "blocked" page). -
Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes. -
Improved signal handling, and a true daemon mode (Unix). -
Every feature now controllable on a per-site or per-location basis, configuration - more powerful and versatile over-all. -
Many smaller new features added, limitations and bugs removed, and security holes fixed. -
Privoxy's approach to blocking ads is twofold:
First, there are certain patterns in the locations (URLs) - of banner images. This applies to both the path (you wouldn't guess how many - web sites serve their banners from a directory called "banners"!) - and the host (blocking the big banner hosting services like doublecklick.net - already helps a lot). Privoxy takes advantage of this - fact by using URL - patterns to sort out and block the requests for things that sound - like they would be ads or banners.
Second, banners tend to come in certain sizes. But you - can't tell the size of an image by its URL without downloading it, and if you - do, it's too late to save bandwidth. Therefore, Privoxy - also inspects the HTML sources of web pages while they are loaded, and replaces - references to images with standard banner sizes by dummy references, so that - your browser doesn't request them anymore in the first place.
Both of this involves a certain amount of guesswork and is, of course, freely - and readily configurable.
Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to have a broad - rule accidentally block or change something by mistake. You will almost surely - run into such situations at some point. It is tricky writing rules to - cover every conceivable possibility, and not occasionally get false positives.
But this should not be a big concern since the - Privoxy configuration is very flexible, and - includes tools to help identify these types of situations so they can be - addressed as needed, allowing you to customize your installation. - (See the Troubleshooting section below.)
No, not really. The default installation should give you a good starting - point, and block most unwanted content.
But you will certainly run into situations where there are false positives, - or ads not being blocked that you may not want to see. In these cases, you - would certainly benefit by customizing Privoxy's - configuration to more closely match your individual situation. And we would - encourage you to do this. This is where the real power of - Privoxy lies!
You will have to tell your browser about Privoxy - (see the Installation section below).
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. -
The most important reason is because you have access to - everything, and you can control everything. You can - check every line of every configuration file yourself. You can check every - last bit of source code should you desire. And even if you can't read code, - there should be some comfort in knowing that thousands of other people can, - and do read it. You can build the software from scratch, if you want, so - that you know the executable is clean, and that it is - yours. In fact, we encourage this level of scrutiny. It - is one reason we use Privoxy ourselves. -
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. Please see the Copyright section for more - information on the license and copyright. Or the LICENSE file - that should be included. -
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! -
No. Privoxy cannot remove anything. It is not a removal tool. It is a - preventative. Privoxy can help prevent contact from sites - that use such tactics with approriate configuration rules, and thus could - conceivably prevent contamination from such sites.
Privoxy should work fine with other proxies and other software in general.
But it is probably not necessary to use Privoxy in conjunction with other - ad-blocking products, and this could conceivably cause undesirable results. - It would be better to choose one software or the other and work a little to - tweak its configuration to your liking.
Well, we always need help. There is something for - everybody who wants to help us. We welcome new developers, packagers, - testers, documentation writers or really anyone with a desire to help in - any way. You DO NOT need to be a - "programmer". There are many other tasks available. In fact, - the programmers often can't spend as much time programming because of some - of the other, more mundane things that need to be done, like checking the - Tracker feedback sections. -
So first thing, get an account on SourceForge.net - and mail your id to the developers - mailing list. Then, please read the Developer's Manual, at least - the pertinent sections.
Once we have added you to the team, you'll have access to the CVS repository, and - together we'll find a suitable task for you.
We, of course, welcome donations and could use money for domain registering, - buying software to test Privoxy with, and, of course, - for regular world-wide get-togethers (hahaha). If you enjoy the software and feel - like helping us with a donation, just drop us a note.
If you are a vendor of a web-related software like a browser, web server - or proxy, and would like us to ensure that Privoxy - runs smoothly with your product, you might consider supplying us with a - copy or license. We can't, however, guarantee that we will fix all potential - compatibility issues as a result.
Anyone who is interested in security, privacy, or in finer-grained + control over their web and Internet experience.
+Privoxy is certainly a good choice, + especially for those who want more control and security. Those with the + willingness to read the documentation and the ability to fine-tune + their installation will benefit the most.
+ +One of Privoxy's strengths is that + it is highly configurable giving you the ability to completely + personalize your installation. Being familiar with, or at least having + an interest in learning about HTTP and other + networking protocols, HTML, and "Regular Expressions" will be a + big plus and will help you get the most out of Privoxy. A new installation just includes a very + basic configuration. The user should take this as a starting point + only, and enhance it as he or she sees fit. In fact, the user is + encouraged, and expected to, fine-tune the configuration.
+ +Much of Privoxy's configuration can + be done with a Web browser. But there are areas where configuration + is done using a text editor to edit configuration files. Also note + that the web-based action editor doesn't use authentication and should + only be enabled in environments where all clients with access to + Privoxy listening port can be + trusted.
+A web proxy is a service, based on a software such as + Privoxy, that clients (i.e. browsers) + can use instead of connecting to web servers directly. The clients then + ask the proxy to request objects (web pages, images, movies etc) on + their behalf and to forward the data to the clients. It is a + "go-between". For details, see Wikipedia's + proxy definition.
+ +There are many reasons to use web proxies, such as security + (firewalling), efficiency (caching) and others, and there are any + number of proxies to accommodate those needs.
+ +Privoxy is a proxy that is + primarily focused on privacy enhancement, ad and junk elimination and + freeing the user from restrictions placed on his activities. Sitting + between your browser(s) and the Internet, it is in a perfect position + to filter outbound personal information that your browser is leaking, + as well as inbound junk. It uses a variety of techniques to do this, + all of which are under your complete control via the various + configuration files and options. Being a proxy also makes it easier to + share configurations among multiple browsers and/or users.
+Yes, ad blocking is but one possible use. There are many, many ways + Privoxy can be used to sanitize and + customize web browsing.
+A long time ago, there was the Internet + Junkbuster, by Anonymous Coders and Junkbusters Corporation. + This saved many users a lot of pain in the early days of web + advertising and user tracking.
+ +But the web, its protocols and standards, and with it, the + techniques for forcing ads on users, give up autonomy over their + browsing, and for tracking them, keeps evolving. Unfortunately, the + Internet Junkbuster did not. Version + 2.0.2, published in 1998, was the last official release, available from + Junkbusters Corporation. Fortunately, it had been released under the + GNU GPL, which allowed further development by others.
+ +So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an improved version of the + software, to which eventually a number of people contributed patches. + It could already replace banners with a transparent image, and had a + first version of pop-up killing, but it was still very closely based on + the original, with all its limitations, such as the lack of HTTP/1.1 + support, flexible per-site configuration, or content modification. The + last release from this effort was version 2.0.2-10, published in + 2000.
+ +Then, some developers picked up the thread, and started turning the + software inside out, upside down, and then reassembled it, adding many + new features along the way.
+ +The result of this is Privoxy, + whose first stable version, 3.0, was released August, 2002.
+ +As of 2012 the Junkbusters Corporation's website + (http://www.junkbusters.com/) has been shut down, but Privoxy is still + actively maintained.
+Though outdated, Junkbusters Corporation continued to offer their + original version of the Internet + Junkbuster for a while, so publishing our Junkbuster-derived software under the same name + would have led to confusion.
+ +There were also potential legal reasons not to use the Junkbuster name, as it was (and maybe still is) a + registered trademark of Junkbusters Corporation. There were, however, + no objections from Junkbusters Corporation to the Privoxy project itself, and they, in fact, shared + our ideals and goals.
+ +The Privoxy developers also believed that there were so many + improvements over the original code, that it was time to make a clean + break from the past and make a name in their own right.
+ +Privoxy is the "Privacy Enhancing + Proxy". Also, its content modification and junk + suppression gives you, the user, more control, more freedom, and + allows you to browse your personal and "private + edition" of the web.
+Privoxy picks up where Junkbuster left off. Privoxy still blocks ads and banners, still + manages cookies, and still helps protect your privacy. But, most of + these features have been enhanced, and many new ones have been added, + all in the same vein.
+ +Privoxy's new features include:
+ +Supports "Connection: keep-alive". Outgoing connections can be + kept alive independently from the client.
+Supports IPv6, provided the operating system does so too, and + the configure script detects it.
+Supports tagging which allows to change the behaviour based on + client and server headers.
+Can be run as an "intercepting" proxy, which obviates the need + to configure browsers individually.
+Sophisticated actions and filters for manipulating both server + and client headers.
+Can be chained with other proxies.
+Integrated browser-based configuration and control utility at + http://config.privoxy.org/ (shortcut: http://p.p/). Browser-based tracing + of rule and filter effects. Remote toggling.
+Web page filtering (text replacements, removes banners based on + size, invisible "web-bugs" and HTML + annoyances, etc.)
+Modularized configuration that allows for standard settings and + user settings to reside in separate files, so that installing + updated actions files won't overwrite individual user settings.
+Support for Perl Compatible Regular Expressions in the + configuration files, and a more sophisticated and flexible + configuration syntax.
+GIF de-animation.
+Bypass many click-tracking scripts (avoids script + redirection).
+User-customizable HTML templates for most proxy-generated pages + (e.g. "blocked" page).
+Auto-detection and re-reading of config file changes.
+Most features are controllable on a per-site or per-location + basis.
+Many smaller new features added, limitations and bugs + removed.
+Privoxy's approach to blocking ads + is twofold:
+ +First, there are certain patterns in the locations (URLs) of banner + images. This applies to both the path (you wouldn't guess how many web + sites serve their banners from a directory called "banners"!) and the host (blocking the big banner + hosting services like doublecklick.net already helps a lot). + Privoxy takes advantage of this fact + by using URL patterns to sort out and block the requests for things + that sound like they would be ads or banners.
+ +Second, banners tend to come in certain sizes. But you can't tell the + size of an image by its URL without downloading it, and if you do, it's + too late to save bandwidth. Therefore, Privoxy also inspects the HTML sources of web + pages while they are loaded, and replaces references to images with + standard banner sizes by dummy references, so that your browser doesn't + request them anymore in the first place.
+ +Both of this involves a certain amount of guesswork and is, of + course, freely and readily configurable.
+Actually, it's a black art ;-) And yes, it is always possible to + have a broad rule accidentally block or change something by mistake. + You will almost surely run into such situations at some point. It is + tricky writing rules to cover every conceivable possibility, and not + occasionally get false positives.
+ +But this should not be a big concern since the Privoxy configuration is very flexible, and + includes tools to help identify these types of situations so they can + be addressed as needed, allowing you to customize your installation. + (See the Troubleshooting section + below.)
+That depends on your expectations. The default installation should + give you a good starting point, and block most ads and unwanted + content, but many of the more advanced features are off by default, and + require you to activate them.
+ +You do have to set up your browser to use Privoxy (see the Installation section below).
+ +And you will certainly run into situations where there are false + positives, or ads not being blocked that you may not want to see. In + these cases, you would certainly benefit by customizing Privoxy's configuration to more closely match your + individual situation. And we encourage you to do this. This is where + the real power of Privoxy lies!
+Yes, Privoxy runs as a server + already, and can easily be configured to "serve" more than one client. See How can I set up Privoxy to act as a + proxy for my LAN below.
+Modern browsers do indeed have some of the same functionality as Privoxy. Maybe this is adequate for you. But + Privoxy is very versatile and + powerful, and can probably do a number of things your browser just + can't.
+ +In addition, a proxy is good choice if you use multiple browsers, or + have a LAN with multiple computers since Privoxy can run as a server application. This way + all the configuration is in one place, and you don't have to maintain a + similar configuration for possibly many browsers or users.
+ +Note, however, that it's recommended to leverage both your browser's + and Privoxy's privacy enhancing + features at the same time. While your browser probably lacks some + features Privoxy offers, it should + also be able to do some things more reliably, for example restricting + and suppressing JavaScript.
+The most important reason is because you have access to everything, and you can + control everything. You can check every line of every configuration + file yourself. You can check every last bit of source code should you + desire. And even if you can't read code, there should be some comfort + in knowing that other people can, and do read it. You can build the + software from scratch, if you want, so that you know the executable is + clean, and that it is yours. In fact, we encourage this level of + scrutiny. It is one reason we use Privoxy ourselves.
+Privoxy is free software and + licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. It is free to + use, copy, modify or distribute as you wish under the terms of this + license. Please see the Copyright section + for more information on the license and copyright. Or the LICENSE file that should be included.
+ +There is no + warranty of any kind, expressed, implied or otherwise. That + is something that would cost real money ;-) There is no registration + either.
+No, at least not reliably enough to trust it. Privoxy is not designed to be a malware removal + tool and the default configuration doesn't even try to filter out any + malware.
+ +Privoxy could help prevent contact + from (known) sites that use such tactics with appropriate configuration + rules, and thus could conceivably prevent contamination from such + sites. However, keeping such a configuration up to date would require a + lot of time and effort that would be better spend on keeping your + software itself up to date so it doesn't have known + vulnerabilities.
+Privoxy should work fine with other + proxies and other software in general.
+ +But it is probably not necessary to use Privoxy in conjunction with other ad-blocking + products, and this could conceivably cause undesirable results. It + might be better to choose one software or the other and work a little + to tweak its configuration to your liking.
+ +Note that this is an advice specific to ad blocking.
+Well, we always need help. There is something for + everybody who wants to help us. We welcome new developers, packagers, + testers, documentation writers or really anyone with a desire to help + in any way. You DO + NOT need to be a "programmer". + There are many other tasks available. In fact, the programmers often + can't spend as much time programming because of some of the other, + more mundane things that need to be done, like checking the Tracker + feedback sections or responding to user questions on the mailing + lists.
+ +So first thing, subscribe to the Privoxy Users or the Privoxy Developers mailing list, join the + discussion, help out other users, provide general feedback or report + problems you noticed.
+ +If you intend to help out with the trackers, you also might want + to get an account on SourceForge.net so we don't confuse you + with the other name-less users.
+ +We also have a Developer's Manual. While it is partly out of date, it's + still worth reading.
+ +Our TODO list may be of interest to you as well. Please + let us know if you want to work on one of the items listed.
+Donations are welcome. Our TODO list is rather long and being able to pay one + (or more) developers to work on Privoxy would make a huge difference, + even if it was only for a couple of weeks. Donations may also be used + for Privoxy-related travel expenses (for example to attend + conferences), for hardware used for Privoxy development and for + hosting expenses etc.
+ +Privoxy is an associated project + of Software in the + Public Interest (SPI), which allows us to receive tax-deductible + donations in the United States. If you want to donate through SPI, + please use SPI's donation page to see what the options are.
+ +You can also donate to Privoxy using a bank account or a "Paypal" + address:
+ +
+ Name on account: Zwiebelfreunde
+ e.V.
+ IBAN: DE95430609671126825604
+ BIC: GENODEM1GLS
+ Bank: GLS Bank
+ "Paypal" address: privoxy@zwiebelfreunde.de
+ +Donations made through Zwiebelfreunde e.V. are tax-deductible in + Germany and other countries that recognize German charitable clubs. + Feel free to use the Subject field to provide a name to be credited + and a list of TODO list items you are interested in the most. For + example: Max Mustermann: #16, #1, #14.
+ +Note that donations made through Zwiebelfreunde e.V. currently + can't be checked automatically so you may not get credited right + away. The credits currently reflect donations received before + 2016-01-14.
+ +If you have any questions regarding donations please mail to + either the public user mailing list or, if it's a private matter, to + Fabian Keil + (Privoxy's SPI liason) directly.
+