LibreWolf, the privacy-oriented Firefox alternative

Snoop Guard

Article from Issue 266/2023
Author(s):

LibreWolf, a modified Firefox-based web browser, simplifies configuration and puts a stop to malware and spying.

Mozilla Firefox is a web browser that can be configured with great granularity, while respecting a user's privacy, unlike Google Chrome. This is why the Tor Browser is also based on Firefox. If you don't want to use the Tor network, but still want your privacy to be protected, setting this up involves some fairly complex Firefox configuration work. Alternatively, you can let the LibreWolf [1] web browser, a modified Firefox, do the work for you. It does away with gimmicks in the default settings and has been thoroughly hardened by its developers.

LibreWolf is available for various Linux distributions, but also for macOS, OpenBSD, and other operating systems. On Linux, various packages are required for the install depending on the distribution. You also can use an AppImage or Flatpak package. In addition, you will find hints on the project page for all of the installation options [2]. If you install from the repositories and use the Flatpak, you will find a launcher in your desktop menu when you are done.

Getting Started

At first startup, you will not notice much of a difference from the original Firefox. The interface design does not show any serious differences at first glance. Of course, the preinstalled uBlock Origin extension, which filters unwanted ads out of websites, located in the top right corner of the program window next to the address bar, might catch your the eye.

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