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Internet
Privacy Resources
- How to ban Web sites from
access to your computer.
- This is a useful way to ban advertising Web sites from
even accessing your computer. Add their domain names to your HOSTS
file. Helpdeskgeek
shows how to do it. This is even more effective than ad-blocking
software because the entire advertising domain or subdomain is banned
from your computer.
- To block
YouTube pre-roll ads. We know that YouTube needs advertising
revenue to operate, but it also
needs to recognize that access to people's computers is a privilege and
not a right. Advertisers need to meanwhile recognize that an
unskippable ad that evokes hostility in the viewer is not a good way to
market a product. Think about it; if you shove a brochure for your
product on top of a book or newspaper that somebody is reading, do you
think he is likely to buy from you? Static and noninvasive ads
will rarely be
resented, will rarely if ever be blocked (except by people who don't
like any advertising at all), and will evoke no worse than a neutral
reaction from the viewer.
- How to block advertising
(clutter)
- Adblock Plus will
block a lot, if not most, unwanted content. The default setting, which we use, does not
block non-invasive advertising such as banner ads that appear off to
the side. We recognize that many Web sites rely on legitimate
advertising income to provide free content, so we do not block
non-invasive ads. Adblock Plus can also be configured to exempt sites
you like and want to support even though the advertising does not match
Adblock's criteria; we have safe-listed many such sites. On the other
hand, pop-up ads that intrude over the desired content, or uninvited
video or audio that play without us clicking on it--one strike and
they're out (unless they are hosted by sites we really want to support.)
- UBlock
Origin also is useful, and works on Chrome,
Firefox, and possibly other browsers.
- How to block (or remove)
tracking cookies
- Levinson Productivity Systems PC respects visitors'
privacy and does not use tracking cookies (except on our blog; if we
can figure out how to disable cookies for Wordpress, we will). We use Cookie
AutoDelete by Kenny Do to ensure that the sites we visit respect
ours. This add-on is available for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge
and can also safe-list sites you visit frequently and for which cookies
save you time..
Other
Privacy, Security, and Browswer Performance Controls
- AdBlock Plus allows
(default setting, our recommendation) non-invasive advertising to
support Web sites and blocks invasive advertising. It can also be
turned off for hobbyist-run and other Web sites whose owners don't have
the knowledge or resources necessary to display only ads that meet
AdBlock's criteria, and enabled for larger publishers that know, or
should know, the difference between invasive and non-invasive ads. Well
worth the recommended contribution.
- AdFender
($19.95, we have not tried it) claims to eliminate all advertising
including YouTube pre-roll ads. We prefer, however, to allow
non-invasive ads to support Web sites and Web content.
- Cookie
AutoDelete by Kenny Do, can be set to safe-list sites from which
you want to allow cookies
- FB Purity removes
clutter from Facebook. Well worth the recommended contribution.
- F-Prot Antivirus
(security program)
- HostsMan
(Hosts Manager, we have not tried it) is an easy way to edit your Hosts
file, although this also can be done with Notepad. It is freeware, with
no requested donation.
- Malwarebytes
anti-malware security software. The paid (professional) version is well
worth the money in our opinion.
- NoScript for Firefox
disables unauthorized JavaScript links, but desirable JavaScript
sources can be temporarily or permanently whitelisted. This disables
not only JavaScript-dependent pop-up ads but also (potentiallly)
sources of malware as well. This security is well worth a contribution
to the developer.
- Screencastify
for Google Chrome (we have not tried it) can record videos with
unskippable ads in the background. The videos can then be treated much
like those recorded from a television broadcast, with the ability to
fast-forward or skip through the clutter entirely.
- uBlock
Origin blocks clutter and other undesirable/extraneous material
Disclaimer: Levinson Productivity Systems PC does not have any
financial interest in any of these products.
Contact Us
Levinson Productivity Systems P.C.
6 Lexington Court
Wilkes-Barre PA 18702
570-824-1986
TheBoss "at" ct-yankee.com
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