tor-tb-manual.git

1) <page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
2)   type="topic"
3)   id="plugins">
4) 
5) <info>

6)   <desc>How Tor Browser handles add-ons, plugins and JavaScript</desc>

7)   <link type="guide" xref="index" group="ten" />

8) </info>
9) 

10) <title>Plugins, add-ons and JavaScript</title>

11) 
12) <section id="flash">
13) <title>Flash Player</title>
14)  <p>

15)  Video websites, such as Vimeo make use of the Flash Player plugin
16)  to display video content. Unfortunately, this software operates
17)  independently of Tor Browser and cannot easily be made to obey Tor
18)  Browser’s proxy settings. It can therefore reveal your real location
19)  and IP address to the website operators, or to an outside observer.
20)  For this reason, Flash is disabled by default in Tor Browser, and
21)  enabling it is not recommended.

22)  </p>
23)  <p>

24)  Some video websites (such as YouTube) offer alternative video delivery
25)  methods that do not use Flash. These methods may be compatible with
26)  Tor Browser.

27)  </p>
28) </section>
29) 
30) <section id="javascript">
31) <title>JavaScript</title>
32) <p>
33) JavaScript is a programming language that websites use to offer
34) interactive elements such as video, animation, audio, and status
35) timelines. Unfortunately, JavaScript can also enable attacks on the
36) security of the browser, which might lead to deanonymization.
37) </p>

38) 

39) <p>
40) Tor Browser includes an add-on called NoScript, accessed through the
41) “S” icon at the top-left of the window, which allows you to control the
42) JavaScript that runs on individual web pages, or to block it entirely.
43) </p>

44) <p>
45) <media type="image" width="400" src="media/plugins/noscript_menu.png" />
46) </p>

47) <p>
48) Users who require a high degree of security in their web browsing should

49) set Tor Browser’s <link xref='security-slider'>Security Slider</link> to
50) “Medium-High” (which disables JavaScript for non-HTTPS websites) or “High”
51) (which does so for all websites). However, disabling JavaScript will
52) prevent many websites from displaying correctly, so Tor Browser’s default
53) setting is to allow all websites to run scripts.

54) </p>
55) </section>
56) 
57) <section id="add-ons">
58) <title>Browser Add-ons</title>
59) <p>
60) Tor Browser is based on Firefox, and any browser add-ons or themes that
61) are compatible with Firefox can also be installed in Tor Browser.
62) </p>

63) 

64) <p>
65) However, the only add-ons that have been tested for use with Tor Browser
66) are those included by default. Installing any other browser
67) add-ons may break functionality in Tor Browser or cause more serious

68) problems that affect your privacy and security. It is strongly discouraged
69) to install additional add-ons, and the Tor Project will not offer support
70) for these configurations.