Blocking tracking scripts

Most websites carry hidden trackers that watch browsing habits, build profiles, and slow pages down. Two free extensions, uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger, block the bulk of them and are the least demanding place to start.

What tracking scripts do

Tracking scripts are small pieces of code that:

  • Record which sites a browser visits, including in private mode

  • Slow browsing by loading extra ads and trackers

  • Build a profile that is sold to advertisers and data brokers

Common examples include Google Analytics (present on a large share of sites), the Facebook Pixel (tracks visitors for targeted ads), and real-time bidding scripts from the ad-tech industry.

uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin blocks ads, trackers and malware domains, stays current through filter lists such as EasyList, and stays light on browser resources.

Which version is available now depends on the browser. Firefox and Brave carry the full extension. Chrome and Edge have completed the move to Manifest V3, which withdrew the API the full version relies on, and offer uBlock Origin Lite in its place. Lite blocks from the same filter lists and is built for installing and forgetting, but it works declaratively, which rules out the per-site rules under stricter blocking below. Safari support is limited. The steps that follow assume the full version.

The extra filter lists are worth enabling. Open the uBlock icon, then Dashboard, then the Filter lists tab, and enable:

  • EasyPrivacy (blocks trackers)

  • uBlock filters, Annoyances (suppresses cookie pop-ups)

  • AdGuard Tracking Protection

In Lite these arrive as rulesets on the options page instead, and raising the blocking mode to Complete is what tightens them.

When a blocked element breaks a page, the element zapper (the uBlock icon, then the zapper tool) removes a single element by hovering and clicking it.

Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger blocks trackers by how they behave rather than from a hand-curated list, shipping a pre-trained blocklist that the EFF refreshes and restricting third-party trackers that follow you between sites. It runs alongside uBlock Origin. It comes from the EFF’s official site for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, works without setup, and shows what it has blocked from its toolbar icon.

Stricter blocking

For tighter control, uBlock Origin’s Dashboard, under My rules, accepts dynamic rules that block all third-party content and scripts. Paste them into the temporary rules pane, then commit:

* * 3p block
* * 3p-script block

This breaks some sites but stops nearly all tracking. Dynamic filtering is the one thing Lite cannot do, so this section needs Firefox or Brave. Firefox Multi-Account Containers isolate logins, keeping Facebook in one container and Google in another. NextDNS or Pi-hole block trackers for every device on a network at once.

What these tools miss

  • Browser fingerprinting, which Firefox’s privacy.resistFingerprinting setting in about:config addresses

  • IP-level tracking, which a trusted VPN such as ProtonVPN or Mullvad covers

  • First-party tracking, such as a retailer watching clicks on its own site

For everyday browsing, uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger together are enough to set and forget. A stricter setup pairs the full uBlock in hard mode with Firefox Containers and NextDNS. Neither makes a browser anonymous, but both stop a good deal of tracking and usually speed pages up.

Testing

Last reviewed: 2026-07-08.