Hello world. I just started using Steemit and decided to write a series of articles sharing some of my knowledge of web security and privacy from the point of view of a user. I'm still working on the others but here's the first piece, focusing on browser plugins. I hope this can help some of you out there!

HTTPS Everywhere

This is definitely the most straightforward plugin listed. One that you should not go without. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the method by which web pages are sent through the internet to your computer. What this plugin does is force websites to use HTTPS on any site that has this feature available. This 'Secure' version of the protocol encrypts the connection to the site, making you less vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, as well as others. The lock symbol in the URL bar indicates that you're connected using HTTPS.

Adblock Plus

Advertisements are all over the web these days and can take away from the experience of using it. This is where Adblock Plus comes in. It will block most forms of explicit advertising; whether it's banners on the side of the page, pop-up windows, or even video ads before the requested content. The blocking of pop-ups can help prevent malware infections, hence why it's listed here. You can disable blocking on a site by site basis to help websites that advertise respectfully with relevance to the content of their site and non invasive ads. This is important if you want to support websites that rely on ad revenue to stay online.

Ghostery

Data mining is an incredibly valuable resource to businesses on the internet, largely for advertising purposes. Trackers can now be found on most websites, whether through Google Ads, the biggest ad platform on the internet, or through other sources. These trackers collect and transmit data about your browsing habits to various companies in the form of cookies. Although most browsers now feature a 'do not track' setting this doesn't actually block anything, but only sends an opt-out request, therefore it will not help against malicious trackers which do not honor this. Ghostery shows you a list of all the trackers on the current web page and gives you the option to either block them all automatically or individually.

Priv3

Social Networks like Google+ and Facebook are two of the main culprits when it comes to data mining. These two companies combined have phenomenal reach over the internet. Almost every site you visit is linked to one or the other, if not both. Facebook's 'Like', and Google's '+1' button add a whole lot more to a web page than what you see. Whether you click on the button or not, data is transmitted. This gives Facebook/Google a list of all the websites you visit. Priv3 is targeted specifically at social networking trackers, so although Ghostery offers more complete coverage, Priv3 may help add an extra layer of protection.

NoScript

The web is largely built on three technologies: HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) for the text and content, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for the formatting/layout of the content, and JavaScript for the interactive elements of the page. This plugin blocks all scripts on the internet by default and requires the user to add websites to the allow list for scripts to run on them properly. This definitely requires the most maintenance and can be an annoyance at times as it only allows through the scripts you choose. So pages rich in interactive content (e.g. video players or forms) may not load properly until you allow elements through NoScript and refresh the page. For most users this is overkill, but adds a great deal of security when browsing the internet.