Harden Firefox until websites think you're in Iceland, without touching your normal browser
Before: websites read your real CPU, graphics card, screen and time zone. After: 4 generic cores, a graphics card called "Mozilla" and a clock in Reykjavik. arkenfox is the settings file privacy pros use to harden Firefox, about 150 changes in one go, set up here in its own profile so your everyday browser stays exactly as it is.
- A before-and-after fingerprint test showing what websites can read, and the one setting that moves you to Iceland
- Commands for Windows, Mac and Linux
- Firefox installed from firefox.com ↗ on Windows, Mac or Linux
- 20 minutes and a terminal: you'll paste a few commands and edit one small text file
- About 2MB of disk space, no account
See what you're about to change
Know what arkenfox does before you set it up, so the result makes sense when you test it.
arkenfox is a free, open-source file called
user.js. Put it in a Firefox profile and, every time Firefox starts, it applies a long list of privacy and security settings: 153 active settings in the current release (v144). It doesn't install anything and it isn't an extension: it's just a text file Firefox reads.Here's where you'll end up. The same test page, on the same laptop, in three setups:
Default arkenfox already reports 8 CPU cores instead of 22 and wipes cookies when Firefox closes. The third column adds the optional fingerprint setting from step 6. You'll do all of it in a separate profile (next step), so your normal browser, bookmarks and logins are never touched. A few sites may need a tweak in the hardened profile, and step 5 shows how.
TipWho this is for: anyone who wants more than a tracker blocker. If you just want fewer ads and trackers in your everyday browser, set Enhanced Tracking Protection to Strict and add uBlock Origin (Block ads and trackers across your whole browser). If you need real anonymity, arkenfox itself points you to Tor Browser.