C/plugins.page (6624999) - tor-tb-manual.git

plugins.page

<info>
  <desc>How Tor Browser handles browser plugins and add-ons</desc>
  <link type="guide" xref="index" group="#last" />
</info>

<title>Flash, JavaScript, and other add-ons</title>

<section id="flash">
<title>Flash Player</title>
 <p>
 Video websites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, make use of the
 Flash Player plugin to display video content. Unfortunately, this
 software operates independently of Tor Browser and cannot easily be
 made to obey Tor Browser’s proxy settings. It can therefore reveal your
 real location and IP address to the website operators, or to an outside
 observer. For this reason, Flash is disabled by default in Tor Browser,
 and enabling it is not recommended.
 </p>
 <p>
 Some video websites offer alternative video delivery methods that do
 not use Flash. These methods may be compatible with Tor Browser.
 </p>
</section>

<section id="javascript">
<title>JavaScript</title>
<p>
JavaScript is a programming language that websites use to offer
interactive elements such as video, animation, audio, and status
timelines. Unfortunately, JavaScript can also enable attacks on the
security of the browser, which might lead to deanonymization.
</p>
 
<p>
Tor Browser includes an add-on called NoScript, accessed through the
“S” icon at the top-left of the window, which allows you to control the
JavaScript that runs on individual web pages, or to block it entirely.
</p>
<p>
<media type="image" width="400" src="media/plugins/noscript_menu.png" />
</p>
<p>
Users who require a high degree of security in their web browsing should
set Tor Browser’s <link xref='security-slider'>Security Slider</link> to
“Medium-High” (which disables JavaScript for non-HTTPS websites) or “High”
(which does so for all websites). However, disabling JavaScript will
prevent many websites from displaying correctly, so Tor Browser’s default
setting is to allow all websites to run scripts.
</p>
</section>

<section id="add-ons">
<title>Browser Add-ons</title>
<p>
Tor Browser is based on Firefox, and any browser add-ons or themes that
are compatible with Firefox can also be installed in Tor Browser.
</p>
 
<p>
However, the only add-ons that have been tested for use with Tor Browser
are those included by default. Installing any other browser
add-ons may break functionality in Tor Browser or cause more serious
problems that affect your privacy and security. It is strongly discouraged
to install additional add-ons, and the Tor Project will not offer support
for these configurations.
</p>
</section>
</page>

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