| - Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions - | -||
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Anyone who is interested in security, privacy, or in finer-grained + control over their web and Internet experience.
- 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 liaison) directly. -
-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.
- We are currently offering the following sponsor levels as an - experiment: -
-- Logo shown at the bottom of the Privoxy - homepage. Logo, link and self description on the sponsor - page. -
-- Logo shown randomly at the bottom of the Privoxy - homepage. Logo, link and self description on the sponsor - page. -
-- Logo and link on the sponsor - page. -
-- The logo sizes depend on the sponsor level. Logos are served from - our server, no requests are made to the sponsor website unless the - links are being used. -
-- The details may change over time but changes will only affect new - sponsors (or existing sponsors that explicitly agreed to the - changes). -
-- If you want to become a sponsor, please contact Fabian Keil. New - sponsors are only accepted if no developer objects. -
+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 liaison) directly.
| - Prev - | -- Home - | -- Next - | -
| - Privoxy Frequently Asked Questions - | -- - | -- Installation - | -
We are currently offering the following sponsor levels as an + experiment:
+Logo shown at the bottom of the Privoxy homepage. + Logo, link and self description on the sponsor + page.
+Logo shown randomly at the bottom of the Privoxy homepage. + Logo, link and self description on the sponsor + page.
+Logo and link on the sponsor + page.
+The logo sizes depend on the sponsor level. Logos are served from + our server, no requests are made to the sponsor website unless the + links are being used.
+The details may change over time but changes will only affect new + sponsors (or existing sponsors that explicitly agreed to the + changes).
+If you want to become a sponsor, please contact Fabian Keil. New sponsors + are only accepted if no developer objects.