On June 2, 2019, a new version of the GNU IceCat browser 60.7.0 was released. This browser is built on the Firefox 60 ESR codebase, modified according to the requirements for completely free software.
In this browser, non-free components have been removed, appearance elements replaced, the use of registered trademarks ceased, the search for non-free plugins and add-ons disabled, and moreover, add-ons aimed at enhancing privacy have been integrated.
Privacy protection features:
- Included is the LibreJS add-on to block the processing of non-free JavaScript code;
- HTTPS Everywhere for using encryption on all websites where possible;
- TorButton for integration with the anonymous Tor network (for operation, the 'tor' service must be installed and started in the OS);
- HTML5 Video Everywhere to replace the Flash player with a player based on the video tag, and to implement a private browsing mode where resources can only be loaded from the current site;
- DuckDuckGO is used as the default search engine, sending requests over HTTPS and without using JavaScript.
- There is an option to disable JavaScript processing and third-party cookies.
What's new in the new version?
- The package includes the ViewTube and disable-polymer-youtube add-ons, allowing videos on YouTube to be viewed without enabling JavaScript;
- By default, the following settings are enabled: Referer header spoofing, isolation of requests within the main domain and blocking of the Origin header;
- The LibreJS add-on has been updated to version 7.19rc3, TorButton to version 2.1, and HTTPS Everywhere — 2019.1.31;
- The interface for identifying hidden HTML blocks on pages has also been improved;
- The settings for the third-party request blocker have been modified to allow requests to the current page's host subdomains, known content delivery servers, CSS files, and resources from YouTube.
Source: linux.org.ru
