Shamil's Blog. Software Engineering Processes, Android, CI, Devops.

In light of google disabling adblocking-related API parts for Chrome extensions and lots of other shit about Chrome I started to look for an alternative.
What I came into is "ungoogled chromium" which can be downloaded as many other chromium variants from here. Not sure on next step, can possibly compile it myself with importing latest patches or reverting patch related to API cut (I'm sure they'll make it impossible. though).
There're some challenges in process of moving to Chromium from Chrome, though. Copying profile is not enough ;)

• If you want to move to Chromium smooth and save your opened tabs, the trick is to copy user profile while Chrome is opened (as Chromium resets some of settings while opening newly copied profile it starts with "Open with new tab" option effectively forgetting all your tabs
• In Chromium passwords cannot be imported. At all. Or saved. Until you delete "Login Data*" files (DB itself and -journal).
• Extensions cannot be set up from chrome store. Download process is manual using download URL below or here with pictures (if you don't mind some Japanese).
• Look through 

Download link for chrome extension is below, replace version (in format: 74.0) and extension ID with actual values:

https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx?response=redirect&prodversion=[PRODVERSION]&acceptformat=crx2,crx3&x=id%3D[EXTENSIONID]%26uc

PS Speaking of privacy and adblock-related extensions, I'm using uBlock origin (gorhill's one) and Tampermonkey with some Medium-related scripts. Cannot imagine browsing without them - internet is just hell (from my point of view I can compare it with popups and blinking banners of 90s).

Labels: chrome, chromium, extensions, google, opensource, privacy, security, ublock

Discovered several days ago that in order to use GMail Google requires that the 3rd party cookies is enabled in browser! As often said, it hurts the online provacy, but why does google require this? The answer is very simple: to track you by its adsense/doubleclick engines! They can track your path in web only if you enable the 3rd party cookies.
What to do to save your privacy?
1) Use different browsers for web browsing and working in GMail (i.e. Opera for browsing/Firefox for GMail)
2) Use "Enable 3rd party Cookies" setting for all these sites: gmail.com, google.com, google.*/, *.google.*. (You can do this in Opera AFAIK). The default setting for Cookies should be "Accept cookies only from site I visit" (=no 3rd party cookies).
Take care!
PS Do you believe in "Don't be evil" anymore?

Labels: cookies, evil, google, privacy, security