New Update 3P Request Blocker blocks all third-party requests in Firefox

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HarborFront

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3P Request Blocker is a new add-on for the Firefox web browser designed to block all third-party requests by default in the browser.

The description sounds a lot like NoScript, and while the core functionality is the same, both extensions offer features that the other does not provide.

Third-party requests are all requests that a site makes that load content from third-party domains. The connection can be a subdomain of the domain or an unrelated domain name.

While some third-party requests are required for a site's functionality, think of content being loaded from a content delivery network, other requests are used to display advertisement, social media buttons, tracking scripts, or other often undesirable content.

3P Request Blocker for Firefox

3p-request-blocker.jpg


3P Request Blocker adds an icon to the Firefox main toolbar that you interact with to control the loading of third-party resources on the active website you are on.

A click on the icon displays all third-party connections the page tried to make. Any connection that is not checked there has been blocked. You can allow connections by checking the sites and clicking on the apply button afterward.

Sites that you allow are added to the extension's whitelist by default. You can enable the setting of temporary permissions in the preferences which switches the checkbox layout to a radio button layout with block, allow and temp buttons for each site listed by the extension.

3D Request Blocker offers extensive options which you access with a click on the i-icon or from Firefox's about:addons page.

Here is a quick overview of the available groups:

  • Whitelist -- add, edit or remove whitelisted sites. Comes with import and export functionality.
  • Filter -- lots of options to ignore, block and change functionality.
  • JavaScript -- options to block JavaScript and use a JavaScript whitelist.
  • Popup/icon -- cosmetic changes to the icon, for example, adding the domain count to the icon.
  • Misc -- Change the language and enable temporary permissions
The Filter menu
3p-request-blocker-filter.jpg


The Filter menu deserves a closer look as it offers quite a few useful features. Here is a short list of options that it makes available:

  • Do not block same domain's subdomain.
  • Block Punycode domains.
  • Block unencrypted requests (HTTP or ws).
  • Block abnormal requests methods (allow only GET and POST).
  • Block WebSocket protocol.
  • Block HTTP or HTTPS on non-standard ports.
  • Block requests that include your keywords in URL.
  • Block resource types and ignore the whitelist doing so (beacon, csp_report, font, ping, object, object_subrequest, media, other).
  • Block MIME types and ignore whitelist to prevent downloads (video, audio, PDF, Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, Applications).
  • Block tracking/ads, Internet IP address and tracking/ads patterns automatically and don't show them on the menu.
The filter menu lists several interesting options which improve security while you browse the Internet.

Closing Words
3P Request Blocker is a powerful new content blocker for Firefox that users of RequestPolicy or Policeman may want to consider switching to as the extensions are no longer compatible with stable versions of Firefox.

The extension is compatible with other content blockers, e.g. uBlock Origin or AdBlock Plus.

3P Request Blocker blocks all third-party requests in Firefox - gHacks Tech News
 

HarborFront

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Oct 9, 2016
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Just tested it on a website, gizmodo.com. and it blocks more than uBlock Origin by default resulting in pictures cannot be displayed.

It needs granular control and blocks too much. I'll pass it
 

Transhumana

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Jul 6, 2017
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It looks interesting and I might give it a go in the future but for now I'm quite happy with uBlock Origin + NoScript + HTTPS Everywhere combo in my browser.
 
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