To improve your online privacy, we recommend using a number of third-party browser extensions.
We only recommend the ones that we at Mullvad VPN trust and use ourselves. Plus they’re all open source and compatible with Firefox, our recommended browser.
Start with the Mullvad Privacy Companion
If you want a quick and easy way to improve your privacy, then simply install the Mullvad Privacy Companion (beta), available for Firefox desktop.
Built by us, our browser extension guides you through installing all of the privacy tools that we recommend below.
- Get the Mullvad Privacy Companion – free for anyone
Our recommended extensions
If you’re unable to use the Mullvad Privacy Companion, prefer to install the extensions separately, or simply want to know more about our recommendations, read on.
uBlock Origin – block ads
Most websites display ads that are provided by a small number of very large ad providers. Because they acquire information about which websites you visits, they have a detailed view of everything you do online. This data can be used to target you individually, which is why you often see ads that are relevant to your recent web activity.
uBlock Origin is a free and open-source, cross-platform browser extension for ad blocking and other content filtering.
The extension is also available for other browsers.
Privacy Badger – prevent third-party links
The few ad providers mentioned above are the same ones that put trackers on websites which track you across other sites. They can collect a large amount of information about individual users and their surfing habits which allows them to easily target people individually.
Privacy Badger is a plugin that automatically analyzes and blocks any tracker or ad that violates the principle of user consent. In other words, it blocks external websites that seem to be tracking you.
Cookie AutoDelete – remove cookies
Cookies are bits of data sent from a website and stored on your computer while you browse that particular site. They are used in many ways, such as to remember which items you've placed in an online shopping cart or to keep you logged in to your email, even after you close the window.
Cookies, and sometimes the info they use to track your behavior, often remain stored on your computer even after you're no longer browsing a site.
Cookie AutoDelete automatically deletes cookies and their tracking info as soon as you leave a website, preventing them from following and tracking you across the entire web.
This may also cause the unwanted side effect of logging you out of a site as soon as you close the window. However, the plugin allows you to whitelist websites that you trust.
Disable WebRTC
WebRTC is a communication protocol that allows users to have video and audio communications directly in the browser without any plugins installed.
An unfortunate side effect is that it can, by default, leak your actual IP address from behind your VPN. Your real IP is therefore at risk of being exposed, stripping you of your anonymity.
The Disable WebRTC extension fixes that, thereby making VPNs more effective.
In the Mullvad Privacy Companion, this functionality is a setting that is automatically enabled. You’ll find it under the extension’s Privacy settings.
More ways to reclaim your online privacy
Feeling empowered and want to do even more for your privacy? Check out these other privacy guides that are filled with a variety of changes, from simple to more advanced, you can make.