:: Re: [DNG] controlling javascript
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Author: marc
Date:  
To: Devuan ML
Subject: Re: [DNG] controlling javascript
> Greetings
>
> I am quite concerned with the amount of 'whatever one wants to call it'
> that javascript is being used to fiddle with things not often obvious to me
> (or to most) mostly with less than best intents toward me (or anyone else
> for that matter).
>
> Is there a way for me (besides not using web browsers) of limiting the
> access of javascript into my system?


Well, noscript and other plugins do help. There might also still
be an about:config option in firefox to disable javascript totally.

Running the browser from an account without access to multimedia
devices and confidential files can help too. Just create an
account which belongs in the same group as your primary
account, and with the right umask, .Xauthority and su(do) configs
you can launch firefox with much reduced privileges.

Or you could use a browser like dillo ?

Another option is to
dns blacklist domains which server no-good javascript. At
home I block all of facebook and google (yep, including
youtube) and I like to think that this slows down
my cognitive decline too.

> (It seems to me that browsers are today's trojan horses!!)


Totally.

The javascript enabled web-browser is the biggest security
threat facing almost every computer user. People think that their
firewall protects them from the big bad internet, but the
bad guys can program your webbrowser to scan your local
network from the inside - see https://samy.pl/slipstream

Loads of other people think so too. Most
recently made the news at
https://liberda.nl/weblog/javascript-was-a-mistake

Two other long term strategies might help too:

- Move to gemini - not the google product, but the
small gopher/http alternative by solderpunk and
friends

- Embed a bit of javascript in your own web site
which uses

     x = document.getElementById(...)
     x.innerHTML = "please upgrade to a better browser which disables javascript"


to pester people into turning off javascript.
This is like Judo - use the power of the dark side
against itself, and spreads awareness of the
javascript problem as well.

And finally: A big congratulations to the devuan.org
webmasters - the footer at the bottom of the website
"this site if free from javascript and cookies" makes
me feel respected - and I do mean that. Thank you.

marc