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  • Privoxy: Website Security
Technology Articles > Software > Security & Privacy > Privoxy: Website Security

For most Internet browsers and causal users, blocking unwanted ads from popping up or auto-installing is a top priority (and can save you a lot of hassle). For those who run websites, ad blockers can prevent those sites from generating revenue. If you happen to be on the casual Internet user side of things though, a great ad-blocking program is worth a high price. A recent program called Privoxy is gaining a lot of attention for very good reason. This ad-blocker comes with a user-friendly interface and includes plenty of features for those who want some extra options.

The Privoxy Installation Process

No matter how great a program is, if it’s difficult to install you shouldn’t waste your time or money. Privoxy isn’t a complex program, thankfully, and it comes with a very straightforward setup process. All you have to do to get Privoxy up and running is install the program and then tell your system to use the program as a proxy. If you don’t want to mess around with configurations and such, this simple installation process will work just fine.

If you do want to add some more customization options to the installation process, you might find the configuration process a bit time consuming. Privoxy comes with lots of installation guides and more than enough documents to get you where you need to go, but you will be spending quite a bit of time combing through this paperwork in order to figure out some configuration settings. To this end, Privoxy’s setup process could be easier, though, as mentioned, it does run just fine when it comes to the basic setup process (only a few minor glitches were noted).

Some Possible Glitches

When tested, Privoxy works just fine. If you visit a website that’s full of ads, Privoxy will effectively block those ads from popping up. However, this program also tends to block photos and other images (some videos too) from showing up, and this might be a problem if you actually want to view those photos or videos. You’ll also discover that Privoxy will block some URLs entirely. When this happens, you will see a small pop-up that explains why a site was blocked (or wasn’t blocked, as can sometimes happen).

You can’t choose which ads to block and which not to block when using Privoxy, which might be something you’ll want to consider if you wish to have ultimate control over all ads. Other than these few glitches, Privoxy does perform rather well and proves to be a decent ad blocking option. Privoxy is also a free program (the developers do accept donations, so kindly donate if you find this program helpful!), which makes it even more appealing. If you’re looking for a simple ad-blocking program that’s relatively easy to set up, Privoxy is a good and effective choice. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an ad-blocking program that will allow you to gain complete control and easily change configuration options, Privoxy is not the program to use