Is this uMatrix PaleMoon browser extension fork potentially unsafe?

[polonus]

See: hXtps://addons.basilisk-browser.org/addon/ematrix/
Not flagged: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/url/78002ce002bc88b64b16d0d218ef61e0a0e1ab9b64e6bf7597aee7b795feb71f/details

As uMatrix has been discontinued by the developer, this is a fork,
but firefox will nag the extension is a potential risk.

Anyone?

polonus

[DavidR]

I wasn't aware that uMatrix had been discontinued, it has been one of my go to extensions for some considerable time.

[polonus]

Hi DavidR,

Yes, the developer remarked, that there is room for other developers to come up with a fork.
Read here: https://www.ghacks.net/2020/09/20/umatrix-development-has-ended/
The repository has been set by Raymond Hill to "archived".

And that is a real pity, just as governments will step up CSS scanning and other surveillance
(In the UK weakening of encryption).

You could use privacy extension. YT won't allow users with working adblockers.
The going gets narrow for the average end-user.
This exisiting fork also has been discontinued: https://github.com/geekprojects/nuTensor

Read for an alternative routine: https://www.ghacks.net/2020/09/20/umatrix-development-has-ended/#comment-4473395

Anyway, it still works in a sense, then combine with EFF's Decentraleyes extension,

polonus

[polonus]

Hi DavidR,

On to nuTensor,

Good alternative - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nutensor-gl0w/

Plays like a charm in my firefox on Ubuntu, and in Windows as well.

polonus

[DavidR]

Hi DavidR,

On to nuTensor,

Good alternative - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nutensor-gl0w/

Plays like a charm in my firefox on Ubuntu, and in Windows as well.

polonus

If you hadn't said and I viewed the images in the link, the first I would have sworn that it was/is uMatrix.  The second, I thought uMatrix with a different colour scheme.

So I guess the underlying code is virtually the same.  I've still got uBlock Origin also.

The notes would hopefully make novices think twice.
Also this:
I will do my best to maintain this extension, but no promises.  So we could be down this path in a short time.

[DavidR]

Well I have tried it for a short time the warning that it breaks sites is very true and it isn't obscure sites.  The first one it broke was youtube and for a while I thought it was down, but no it was blocked. 

I still have uMatrix installed and the difference between that and nuTensor on youtube was massive and it took a lot of tweaking to get it working.  I didn't just want to disable it for youtube as I wanted to see just how much I would need to allow to get youtube running again.

I'm also wondering how or if there might be an interaction between the two extensions.

[polonus]

Hi DavidR

This is probably being caused by the requirements for that particular configuration
of the Pale Moon browser. This extension was developed with this browser in mind.

Refreshing the actual page opened up inside nuTensor will do the job to enhance performance. It works well on both YT and Rumble etc. for me.

In YT and Rumble for that matter it is an ever growing list of what eventually has to be blocked. YT now comes to block users with active ad-blocking installed 

Also the new browser extension configuration for the chromium type browsers
will seriously hamper blocking extensions, which is understandable
from the point of view of Big Tech (Google etc.).

Their data slurping will go on almost unabided. No two ways about that fact.

Receive kind regards from your avast forum friend,

polonus

[DavidR]

Well the page YouTube didn't open at all to start with, I thought YouTube was down. After a few hours I did a search on is it downforeveryone or just me hxxps://downforeveryoneorjustme.com, it was up. 

At that point It dawned on me the warning "This extension will break websites and is for an advanced user. " So adjusting the settings, resolved that.  However monitoring both uMatrix and nuTensor and the difference in blocked elements/links is big.  I know some of these sites I have already tweaked to my wishes/blocking elements I didn't want.

So for now it is removed, I may try again as and when uMatrix fades into the shadows.

[polonus]

Hi DavidR,

Sensible thing to do. I will experiment with it as it seems to block more and more while
your video is running. Running YT is a kind of ads galore experience nowadays it seems.

Hope to get a better grasp of the specific toggling it needs to stay stable.

As long as the new restricted extensions haven't entered chromium engine based browsers yet, the 'classic' uMatrix extension will function and continue to function properly,

Good we both explored territory there. 

pol

[DavidR]

Definitely exploring new ground, but when you get up to your neck in the swamp it is time to stop walking in the swamp.

I just found it a shock when effectively blocked everything, so no real clue as to what it might be.  I had been watching some youtube clips before installing, but they wouldn't resume, when I refreshed, nothing at all that's what threw me, thought it must be down for some reason.

[polonus]

Agree with you there. Probably these hick-ups caused the discontinuation of the aforementioned add-on(s) -
Apparently unhindered data-slurping and surveillance has to continue 
In my linux version of Firefox I use the User-Agent Switcher and Manager add-on.

polonus

[polonus]

This is the latest fork that existed:
https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix/releases/tag/1.4.1b6

polonus

[polonus]

One can make use of view-source:moz-extension:
view-source:moz-extension://XXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/popup.html

For rule syntax, see: https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix/wiki/Rules-syntax

Also read: https://github.com/gorhill/httpswitchboard/wiki/How-to-use-HTTP-Switchboard:-Two-opposing-views#the-allow-allblock-exceptionally-approach being archived during 2017.

Another fork, zie: https://github.com/Minimalist73/nuTensor

Blocking in uBlock can be performed as follows (random example)
"uBlock Origin has prevented the following page from loading:
-https://www.facebook.com/
Because of the following filter:
||facebook.com"  (source: anonymous)

polonus