You can inspect details of the most recent raw HTTP requests which have been made by a web page (see below).
This is mostly useful to advanced users who want to investigate exactly what a web page has been doing. But logging these HTTP requests requires memory, and if you don't care about this technical information, then memory is being wasted.
Hence this field which lets you adjust the maximum number of the most recent HTTP requests which are to be logged for further inspection.
Enter “0” to turn off detailed logging (and consequently reduce the memory footprint of µMatrix).
Blacklisted cookies are not prevented by µMatrix from entering your browser. However they are prevented from leaving your browser, which is what really matters. Not blocking cookies before they enter your browser gives you the opportunity to be informed that a site tried to use cookies, and furthermore to inspect their contents if you wish.
Once these blacklisted cookies have been accounted for by µMatrix, they can be removed from your browser if you wish so.
Important note: Extensions can make web requests during the course of their normal operation. These requests can result in cookies being created in the browser. If the hostname from where a cookie originate is not whitelisted, the cookie will be removed from the browser by µMatrix if this option is checked. So be sure that the hostname(s) with which an extension communicate is whitelisted.
", "description": "" }, "privacyDeleteNonBlockedSessionCookiesPrompt1" : { "message": "Delete non-blocked session cookies ", "description": "First part of 'Delete non-blocked session cookies [n] minutes after the last time they have been used'" }, "privacyDeleteNonBlockedSessionCookiesPrompt2" : { "message": " minutes after the last time they have been used.", "description": "Second part of 'Delete non-blocked session cookies [n] minutes after the last time they have been used'" }, "privacyDeleteNonBlockedSessionCookiesHelp" : { "message": "W3C: “A session cookie ... is erased when you end the browser session. The session cookie is stored in temporary memory and is not retained after the browser is closed.”
Except that this might not be happening when using a Chromium-based browser. Also, to some, having to close the browser in order for the session cookies to clear might not be early enough.
", "description": "" }, "privacyDeleteBlockedLocalStoragePrompt" : { "message": "Delete local storage content set by blocked hostnames", "description": "" }, "privacyDeleteBlockedLocalStorageHelp" : { "message": "TODO", "description": "" }, "privacyClearCachePrompt1" : { "message": "Clear browser cache every", "description": "First part of 'Clear browser cache every [n] minutes'" }, "privacyClearCachePrompt2" : { "message": "minutes.", "description": "Second part of 'Clear browser cache every [n] minutes'" }, "privacyClearCacheHelp" : { "message": "Some web sites are really bent on tracking you, so much that they will use not-so-nice tricks to work around whatever measures you take in order to not be tracked.
A few of these tricks rely[1, 2] on the browser cache, which content is often long lasting since rarely will users take the time to regularly clear their browser cache.
There is little inconvenience to clear the browser cache regularly (likelihood is that you won't notice when it happens), and the benefit is to prevent these obnoxious trackers from invading your privacy.
Check this option to have µMatrix do it for you, at the interval you wish.
[1] “Preventing Web Tracking via the Browser Cache”
[2] “Cookieless cookies”
From Wikipedia: “HTTP referer is an HTTP header field that identifies the address of the webpage that linked to the resource being requested. ... Because referer information can violate privacy, some web browsers allow the user to disable the sending of referer information.”
If this setting is checked, µMatrix will remove the HTTP referer information if both of the following conditions are true:
From Mozilla Developer Network:
If [a] HTTPS page includes content retrieved through regular, cleartext HTTP, then the connection is only partially encrypted: the unencrypted content is accessible to sniffers and can be modified by man-in-the-middle attackers, and therefore the connection is not safeguarded anymore. When a webpage exhibits this behavior, it is called a mixed content page.", "description": "" }, "privacyProcessHyperlinkAuditingPrompt" : { "message": "Block all hyperlink auditing attempts.", "description": "" }, "privacyProcessHyperlinkAuditingHelp" : { "message": "
Hyperlink auditing is a mechanism which allow a party, any party, to be informed about which link a user clicked on a particular web page. It is essentially a tracking feature: it allows a web site, or any third-party to that web site, to be informed about which link you clicked on which one of its web pages. The sole purpose is to track your browsing activity.
", "description": "" }, "privacySpoofUserAgentPrompt1" : { "message": "Spoof User-Agent string by randomly picking a new one below every", "description": "First part of UA-spoofing prompt" }, "privacySpoofUserAgentPrompt2" : { "message": "minutes.", "description": "Second part" }, "privacySpoofUserAgentHelp" : { "message": "According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation: “[...] your browser sends a ‘User Agent’ header to the website saying precisely which operating system and web browser you are using. This information could help distinguish Internet users from one another because these versions differ, often considerably, from person to person. [...] the User Agent string becomes a real privacy problem.”This option allows you to address the privacy issue raised by the EFF.
You can supply your own list of user agent strings. One string per line. Blank lines and lines prefixed with ‘#’ will be ignored.
", "description": "" }, "privacyBehindTheSceneHeader" : { "message": "Chromium: behind-the-scene requests", "description": "" }, "privacyProcessBehindTheSceneHelp" : { "message": "According to Google Chrome Privacy Whitepaper, Chromium might send HTTP requests to Google without the user expressly visiting a web page. Let's call these special requests behind-the-scene requests. Also, other installed browser extensions can send behind-the-scene HTTP requests.
µMatrix lets you intercept and treat these requests like any other request: they can be processed in order to allow/block them as per your whitelist/blacklist.
Click the extension icon while viewing this page to get started. Required reading: Behind-the-scene requests.
Beware! Blocking behind-the-scene net requests is potentially causing an issue when the user wants to install an extension from the Chrome store (including maybe preventing extensions from being updated), hence the ability to disable the feature here. Blocking can also cause other installed extensions to not work properly (those querying for remote data).
Even if this feature is not enabled, behind-the-scene requests are still logged by µMatrix. You can inspect these requests on the Statistics page.
", "description": "" }, "userRulesPermanentHeader": { "message": "Permanent rules", "description": "" }, "userRulesTemporaryHeader": { "message": "Temporary rules", "description": "" }, "userRulesRevert": { "message": "Revert", "description": "Will remove all temporary rules" }, "userRulesCommit": { "message": "Commit", "description": "Will save all temporary rules" }, "userRulesEdit": { "message": "Edit", "description": "Will enable manual-edit mode (textarea)" }, "userRulesEditSave": { "message": "Save", "description": "Will save manually-edited content and exit manual-edit mode" }, "userRulesEditDicard": { "message": "Discard", "description": "Will discard manually-edited content and exit manual-edit mode" }, "userRulesImport": { "message": "Import from file...", "description": "" }, "userRulesExport": { "message": "Export to file...", "description": "" }, "userRulesFormatHint": { "message": "See this page for rule syntax.", "description": "" }, "userRulesDefaultFileName": { "message": "my-umatrix-rules.txt", "description": "default file name to use" }, "hostsFilesPrompt" : { "message": "All hostnames in a hosts file are loaded as blacklisted hostnames in the global scope.", "description": "" }, "hostsFilesStats" : { "message": "{{blockedHostnameCount}} distinct blocked hostnames from:", "description": "" }, "hostsFilesPerFileStats" : { "message": "{{used}} used out of {{total}}", "description": "" }, "hostsFilesApplyChanges" : { "message": "Apply changes", "description": "" }, "hostsFilesAutoUpdatePrompt":{ "message":"Auto-update hosts files.", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesUpdateNow":{ "message":"Update now", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesPurgeAll":{ "message":"Purge all caches", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesExternalListsHint":{ "message":"One URL per line. Lines prefixed with ‘#’ will be ignored. Invalid URLs will be silently ignored.", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesExternalListsParse":{ "message":"Parse", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesExternalListPurge":{ "message":"purge cache", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesExternalListNew":{ "message":"new version available", "description":"" }, "hostsFilesExternalListObsolete":{ "message":"outdated", "description":"" }, "aboutChangelog" : { "message": "Change log", "description": "" }, "aboutStorageUsed" : { "message": "Storage used: {{storageUsed}} bytes", "description": "" }, "aboutDoc" : { "message": "Documentation", "description": "" }, "aboutPermissions" : { "message": "Permissions", "description": "" }, "aboutCode" : { "message": "Source code (GPLv3)", "description": "" }, "aboutIssues" : { "message": "Bugs and issues", "description": "" }, "aboutContributors":{ "message":"Contributors", "description":"English: Contributors" }, "aboutCodeContributors":{ "message":"Code:", "description":"" }, "aboutIssueContributors":{ "message":"Issues:", "description":"" }, "aboutTranslationContributors":{ "message":"Translations:", "description":"" }, "aboutUserDataHeader" : { "message": "Your data", "description": "" }, "aboutBackupButton" : { "message": "Backup to file...", "description": "" }, "aboutBackupFilename" : { "message": "my-umatrix-backup.txt", "description": "default filename to use" }, "aboutRestoreButton" : { "message": "Restore from file...", "description": "" }, "aboutRestoreConfirm" : { "message": "All your settings will be overwritten using data backed up on {{time}}, and µMatrix will restart.\n\nOverwrite all existing settings using backed up data?", "description": "Message asking user to confirm restore" }, "aboutRestoreError" : { "message": "The data could not be read or is invalid", "description": "" }, "aboutOr" : { "message": "... or ...", "description": "English: ... or ..." }, "aboutResetButton" : { "message": "Reset to default settings", "description": "English: Reset to default settings" }, "aboutResetConfirm" : { "message": "Caution! this will remove all your custom settings. Are you sure you want to proceed?", "description": "Message asking user to confirm reset" }, "commandRevertAll" : { "message": "Remove all temporary changes", "description": "" }, "commandWhitelistPageDomain" : { "message": "Temporarily whitelist page domain", "description": "" }, "commandWhitelistAll" : { "message": "Temporarily whitelist all", "description": "" }, "commandOpenDashboard" : { "message": "Open dashboard", "description": "" }, "errorCantConnectTo":{ "message":"Network error: Unable to connect to {{url}}", "description":"" } }