We advise you to block scripts although you might know that they help us browse the web. So, why would anyone do that? We will explain what scripts should do, but also what they can do and how dangerous they may be.
Therefore, you will be ready to make your own decision, based on this information. You will learn what risks you take if you do not do this, but you will also find out how to stay away from many online threats.
Why we should block scripts
In order to understand why we should stop them, we need to know what scripts are. Well, they are text documents that include a list of instructions. These should be executed by a program. Thus, they manage to automate actions.
But users have no control on these scripts. So, although they made web more friendly, they also come with threats.
Would it be surprising to learn that there are more than 50 million redirect scripts in use? This means that they lead users to some other pages than the ones they access. The Internet Society, even top websites use them.
Also, some webmasters use scripts to produce the titles and subtitles for their online pages. Google does not see these by default. But most creative writers use some workarounds to make them these appear as though Google is using this data. Which is, again, a threat.
Moreover, webmasters use scripts to produce the “backlinks” Google loves. Off-page scripts help this process. They are also the main reason Google can show us so many links to a site that we probably never intended to visit.
The most malicious websites use JavaScript to steal data from their visitors. Browser fingerprinting is one way these scripts can steal data.
So, websites can run legal ads, as well as ‘surprise’ and create bad experiences for the visitors, as we have explained.
How to block scripts
So, if we feel like there is a need to block these pieces of code, let’s see how we can do this. There might seem to be some simple solutions. For instance, Google Chrome offers the AutoComplete option. But this is not working all the time.
Of course, we might download a txt file and place it in a folder on our hard drive. Then, whenever we come across a script, we can click it and disable the suggested scripts. But sometimes there may be no way to disable them through the Chrome settings.
In this case, we can resort to some other browsers, such as Firefox. Here, the feature is called “Add-ons Manager” under the Firefox menu bar. In most cases, you should disable scripts altogether. Anyway, if there is a script we can not disable, we should have two layers of defense: blocking and reducing the impact.
So, for some of us, Google Safe Browsing might seem a safer and modern way to do it. Still, it can detect some scripts. Also, if we read all the information, there is a “surprise.” There are some exceptions, including JavaScript ad code. Because Google makes a lot of money out of them.
How to choose the right blocker
There are many script blockers, but they can only block scripts. Thus, they would let some other threats that might come with ads still reaching your browser.
So, would you just learn as much as possible about scripts and try to block them on your own? We believe that this might not apply to many of us. As a result, we might think about a different and more convenient solution.
An HTML code filter that removes images, links and scripts would sound just as the solution. Ad Guardian plus comes with such a code. So, any user can browse safely by using it.
Also, keep in mind that no browser extension can do this. But Ad Guardian Plus is a Windows native ad blocker, so it can manage it. Just go for it!
