How to judge which addon/ extension to install? [Privacy / Security] (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 week ago by jupyter@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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I'd like to make an informed decision on extensions I install. Usually I read about people caring about browser extensions. I install extensions in vscode, in zed, gnome, kde and probably in a lot of other tools like bash as well.

Usually, I do not think much about security/ privacy. I only install what I want/ need and delete what I do not need.

How can I judge which extension to install and which not? There are extensions releasing builds regularly but the last release of public code on github was years ago. Downloads and stars give a hint on popularity. With popularity the people who will look into the code increases but if there's no code, there's nothing to look into. And just because it's not popular, it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad software.

How do you judge which extension to install?

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[-] furrowsofar@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago

The site alternativeto.net can help learn more about a piece of software and the alternatives. I have not tried but can you download an extension and run it through VirusTotal? I use that for software all the time.

Like others said, less is more. Also use uBlock Origin to the fullest. It does most of what you need usually. Though it is a pain, I have also started using Noscript again too.

this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025

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