Author: Martin Brinkmann

When I was young, I studied German, History and English at Essen University in Germany. I worked in computer support for several years at the time to help other computer users when they ran into issues. Writing started out as a passion project, as I wanted to help more users and not just the ones that I handled in support. This lead to the founding of Ghacks Technology News in 2005. First, as a side-project, but shortly thereafter as a full-time project as the site's popularity exploded. I sold Ghacks to Softonic some years ago, but stayed on as Editor. You can still read my articles on the site. I do publish on Betanews as well. In recent years, I started to write and publish technology books, including my latest book "Windows 11 From Beginner to Advanced", which is available on Amazon. I'm also a freelance writer for the German publisher Gamestar. Chipp.in is my newest project. I want to use it to talk about my book projects, sell my books directly, and write about technology, as this is what interests me.

How to bypass YouTube video ads without adblockers

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

YouTube is a popular destination for all things video. It is a Google-owned property and video ads are common on the platform. One of the main issues for many users is that advertisement has become annoying on YouTube lately.

Probably the most annoying type is the mid-video ad, as it interrupts the video. There are other types, including multiple unskippable ads before videos or after videos.

Lately, Google started to block videos from playing if it detected the use of an ad blocker. Not all YouTube visitors face this, but tests are conducted. These tests have grown in intensity up to the point to locking out users if they continue to use ad-blockers.

It is possible to bypass YouTube video ads without use of a traditional ad blocker. Probably the easiest way is to subscribe to YouTube Premium, but this is not what this guide is about.

Below, you find different suggestions to watch YouTube videos without ads and traditional content blocker.

YouTube Frontends

One of the better options is to redirect YouTube videos to frontends. You can do that manually, often by simply editing the URL of the video, or automatically.

I reviewed LibRedirect and Privacy Redirects on Ghacks. These browser extensions redirect YouTube videos to privacy friendly frontends. All frontends come without ads or privacy-invasive features.

Invidious is a popular frontend that many extensions use. A list of domains is available here. Note that you may need to adjust the default frontends in the extensions with working ones.

Take yewtu.be as an example. Open it and you get a basic search interface. You may use it to find any YouTube video and play it. To use it manually, simply replace youtube.com with yewtu.be and keep the rest of the address the same.

The extensions do the heavy lifting for you, so that you don’t have to edit domain names manually each time.

You bypass YouTube video ads automatically when you use the frontends.

There are some downsides, especially for users who sign-in. You can’t access your channel subscriptions, vote on videos or do other activities that require an account.

Other frontends are available. Here is a short list of options:

A full list is available on GitHub.

Third-party YouTube apps

YouTube frontends work in all modern browsers, including on mobile devices. Some may prefer to run apps and it may sometimes be the only option.

A popular app for Android is NewPipe. It is an open source app that supports a wide range of features. The app pulls data from the official API, internal APIs or the official website, depending on the level of restrictions.

NewPipe supports video resolutions up to 4K and live streams. It can be used to play audio in the background, search for videos on YouTube, enqueue videos and even subscribe to channels.

Other options include downloading videos for offline viewing, watching playlists or browsing channel feeds.

Another app option is SmartTubeNext, which works well on Android TVs and Fire TV devices. It is open source and brings YouTube to the television.

Other alternatives are:

Bypass YouTube video ads by skipping them

Fadblock is a browser extension for Google Chrome, Firefox and other Chromium-based browsers. I reviewed it today on Ghacks.

Note: the developer of the extension has turned it into a commercial one.

Instead of blocking YouTube ads, it is loading and skipping them. This happens quickly and automatically. In other words: ads may be displayed for a fraction of a second before the actual video starts to play.

It is not an adblocker, as it does not block YouTube ads outright. Ads get loaded but skipped or fast forwarded immediately.

It is an interesting concept, one that is likely better protected against anti-adblocking techniques on YouTube.

About Samsung’s Temporary Cloud Backup

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Temporary Cloud Backup is a new service by Samsung. It is rolling out to Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets with One UI 6 or later.

The backup solution looks like many other cloud-based backup services on first glance. Samsung users may use it to back up data on cloud servers. What makes this different is that the storage is temporary.

The data is stored for up to 30 days in the cloud. Samsung claims that there are not any storage size restrictions. The only limitation, in fact, is that individual files may not be larger than 100 Gigabytes, which most users should not run into.

All the backing up and transferring happens on the user’s device. A second device, for instance a PC, is not required.

The backup feature is ideal for securing data before handing devices over to others, for instance for repairs.

The idea behind the feature

Samsung explains that the service is ideal for securing data before replacements or repairs. Devices that need to be repaired are often inaccessible for a period of time.

If they need to be send in, there is a slim but existing chance that the package gets lost during transit.

Temporary Cloud Backup is integrated into Maintenance Mode. Samsung introduced Maintenance Mode in the Samsung Galaxy S22. It protects personal data and information when activated.

When users activate the mode, a separate user account is created that others may access when repairing Samsung devices. Samsung users find the mode under Settings > Battery and Device Care > Maintenance Mode.

Samsung explains:

Maintenance mode protects your privacy while someone else is using your phone, such as when you’re sending it for repairs.

Personal data, including a user’s photos, documents and messages, is restricted in Maintenance Mode. User-installed apps become unavailable as well. While apps may be downloaded and installed in the mode, they are removed from the device along with any “data or accounts” when the owner of the device exits Maintenance Mode.

Temporary Cloud Backup complements Maintenance Mode. It pushes a backup of the user’s personal data to the Samsung cloud. From there, it can be retrieved at any time during the 30-day period.

Temporary Cloud Backup

Temporary Cloud Backup by Samsung

The new backup feature serves several purposes. Repair and maintenance are two of the main applications, but it is also helpful for new devices.

The integrated Setup Wizard of Samsung devices includes an option to restore data backed up at Samsung’s Cloud using the temporary backup feature. Users may use it to move their files between devices.

The feature is attached to Maintenance Mode and the device’s Reset function.

The backup app displays the available options. These include backing up apps, calls and contacts, messages, secure folder data, settings and more.

The process requires an active wireless connection. Samsung’s device displays the transfer progress during the operation.

Samsung informs owners of the data before the 30-day limit is reached. This should give them enough time to restore the data before it is deleted automatically.

Closing Words

The full rollout is starting this fall for all Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets with One UI 6. The first devices will be the Galaxy S and Z series in Korea.

Temporary Cloud Backup and Maintenance Mode are two useful features. Maintenance Mode blocks access to personal data during repairs and maintenance operations. Cloud backup saves the data so that it can be restored at a later point; this is also useful when sending in devices.

Now You: how do you handle data on your devices during repairs?

How to block Firefox from importing OS Certificate Authorities

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla’s Firefox web browser maintains its own root certificate store by default. The browser uses these as “trust anchors” and the functionality is essential for making sure that only trusted SSL/TLS certificates are used by the browser.

Starting in Firefox 120, Firefox will automatically trust operating sysdtem certificates installed by the user or an administrators.

The beta release notes offer the following explanation:

By default, Firefox now uses TLS trust anchors (e.g., certificates) added to the operating system by the user or an administrator. This works on Windows, macOS, and Android, and it can be turned off in the “Privacy & Security” section of Firefox settings, under “Certificates”.

Administrators may add certificates to the operating system for a number of reasons. Some applications and devices may require them to work properly, and they may also be required in development environments. Antivirus solutions on Windows may try and register with Firefox to monitor data.

Blocking Firefox from trusting OS certificates

Firefox block third-party root certificates installed by the user

Firefox users may disable the functionality in Firefox 120 and newer versions. It is enabled by default. To modify this setting, follow these instructions:

  1. Load about:preferences#privacy in the Firefox address bar to open the Privacy settings.
  2. Scroll down to the Security section.
  3. Locate Certificates there.
  4. Remove the checkmark from “Allow Firefox to automatically trust third-party root certificates you install”.

You can undo the change at any time by checking the box again.

Another certificate preference

Firefox supports an Enterprise root preference already. When the browser runs into a TLS connection error, it will enable this Enterprise Roots preference automatically. This imports “any root certificate authorities” that users or administrators have added to the operating system.

Firefox tries to connect again to the site that threw the error. If successful, Firefox will keep the preference enabled and thus also the imported certificates.

Here is how this automatic behavior gets disabled:

  • Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
  • Click “Accept the Risk and Continue” if the warning page is displayed.
  • Search for security.certerrors.mitm.auto_enable_enterprise_roots.
  • Change the value from True to False with a double-click or by using the button.
  • Search for security.enterprise_roots.enabled.
  • Change the value from True to False.
  • Restart the Firefox web browser.

Closing Words

Most Firefox users may want to keep the default as these are designed to minimize connection errors and issues. Users who want to be in full control may disable the functionality, on the other hand.

O&O ShutUp10++ review: tame Windows’ data hunger

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

O&O ShutUp10++ is a free tool for Microsoft’s Windows operating system to improve privacy. Designed initially for Windows 10, the program is now also available for Windows 11.

While its main focus is on blocking the operating system’s data hunger, it is also a helpful tool for managing other Windows settings.

First, the basics. You can download the free tool from the official project website. Just run the program after download, an installation is not required. Note that elevated privileges are required to modify settings on the system.

The main interface looks like this on start.

O&O ShutUp10++ interface

O&O ShutUp10++ groups settings for better recognition. You may disable that under View > Group by Categories if you prefer a long list. There is also a search to find settings that match search terms quickly.

Using O&O ShutUp10++ to improve Windows Privacy

All tweaks use a color coding to indicate whether a feature is enabled or disabled. Each setting has a toggle to turn a feature on or off. A short description and a recommendation is also displayed.

Note that you may hover over any description and click with the left mouse button to display additional information. Excellent if you need to know more about a setting.

Many options are self-explanatory, but some may require additional research. “Disable People icon in the taskbar” is quite clear, but “disable input personalization” or “disable automatic receipt of updates” may not.

You can modify individual options with a click on the switch next to a setting. The program prompts you to create a system restore point, which you should accept. It allows you to restore the system to the previous state. The settings do not have the capacity to break the system, but it is still better to have a restore option.

The Actions menu at the top lists bulk options for the most part. You may use them to apply all recommended settings among other things. These are safe changes that should not impact usability on the device.

Bulk Actions in O&O ShutUp 10++

Options to apply “somewhat recommended” or all settings are also available, but this is not recommended. It is better to go through the remaining settings manually to make changes.

The two other options let you reset everything to factory defaults and to create a system restore point manually.

Administrators may also switch between the user and machine tabs. User settings apply only to the logged-in user, machine to all users on the system.

Verdict

O&O ShutUp10++ is a useful tool for Windows users. It is easy to use, free for personal use and includes major privacy settings. The settings don’t have the capacity to break a system, but some of the advanced options may impact certain settings or features on the device. It is easy enough to restore these, should you ever run into any issues in this regard.

All in all, O&O ShutUp10++ is an excellent program that every Windows user should run after installation and major upgrades. O&O Software updates the program frequently to include new options, which is another major plus.

Firefox will get Early Hints support

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla plans to integrate support for Early Hints in the Firefox web browser. The feature may improve the time it takes to load webpages by up to 30% according to early studies.

Cloudflare announced Early Hints back in 2021 as a novel way to speed up the loading of webpages. Then, in 2022, the company announced a collaboration with Google and Shopify to establish Early Hints.

Early Hints explained

Whenever a user instructs a browser to open a webpage, some time is spend waiting. Some of the wait time depends on the user’s Internet connection and the website’s servers.

When a browser connects to a site, it requires instructions to know what to render and which resources it needs to fetch. The server provides the instructions. Often, servers require a bit of time to generate the list that they need for their response to the browser.

Traditionally, during that time, browsers don’t do anything. This changes with the introduction of Early Hints. Think of the feature as a way for the server to tell the browser where to start right away.

Instead of waiting for the full list of instructions and resources, the feature gives the browser some instructions. The browser may then use the information to start processing data, even before all instructions are provided by the server.

Early Hints is a web standard that defines the HTTP status code 103. You can read the linked blog posts for additional technical details.

Web Browser Support

Early Hints Test Page

Google implemented Early Hints support in Chrome 103 and Apple introduced support in Safari 17. Chromium-based browsers should also support the feature by and large.

You can point your browser to this page to find out if it supports the feature.

Mozilla Firefox will soon support the new technology as well. Mozilla confirmed this on Bugzilla. There, Mozilla writes:

The early-hints-preconnect showed overall positive results and we would like to enable Early Hints preconnect in the next version. An experiment on Early Hint preload will follow.

It looks as if Firefox 120 will support Preconnect only and that the full feature, Preload, will be introduced at a later point in time.

Closing Words

The integration in Firefox ensures support for Early Hints in all major browsers. While it will take a bit of time before the full feature lands in Firefox, Firefox users may notice speed improvements in Firefox 120 already. Firefox 120 looks to be a big release, as it will also block cookie banners.

Archive

WinRAR 7 Beta: new features and backwards compatibility

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

RARlab released WinRAR 7 Beta today. This new version of the popular archiver comes with important changes, some of which affect backwards compatibility.

Note: the new version is released as beta. Don’t install and run beta software on production systems. Beta releases are ideal for testing purposes.

With that out of the way: you may download WinRAR 7 from the official website. The graphical user interface version is available for Windows; Linux and macOS devices may use a command line version.

Existing users may download and install the latest WinRAR over an existing installation.

WinRAR 7.0

Selecting Help > About WinRAR displays the current version.

WinRAR 7.0: Dictionary Size changes

The new release improves the handling of dictionary sizes in WinRAR. The new limit is 64 gigabytes, but it depends on the physical available memory on the device WinRAR is run on.

Any dictionary size may be selected in the new version, which means that you are no longer limit to certain values.

Dictionary sizes play a role when creating archives. Larger dictionary sizes may improve the compression rate “for large files with distant repeat blocks” according to the developers. Files like virtual disk images or collections of similar large files may benefit from this.

The new options introduce a backwards compatibility issue. Only WinRAR 7.0 can unpack archives with 4 GB or higher dictionary sizes.

This is an issue under certain circumstances, as users may need to upgrade to the new version to extract certain formats. Windows 11’s RAR extraction capabilities may not support this either in the beginning.

WinRAR displays a prompt to the user if the dictionary size exceeds the “Maximum dictionary size allowed to extract” preference. Select Options > Settings to change the value, which is set to 4 GB by default. There you may also set the sizes you want to see in the create archive menu.

The Command Prompt version, furthermore, blocks unpack events if the dictionary size exceeds 4 GB. The use of the parameters -md and mx allow the unpacking. MD and MDX allow setting the dictionary size; the latter is applied to the extraction only.

Other changes in the new WinRAR

Exhaustive Search and Long Range Search in WinRAR 7.0.0

The changelog lists other changes besides those already mentioned.

Another change that affects backwards compatibility is that WinRAR 7.0 can’t create RAR 4.x archives anymore. Compression is not affected and most users may not need to create this type of archives specifically.

New search algorithms may help improve the compression ratio for certain data sets. WinRAR’s compression ratio may improve for “big text files” when the feature is turned on. Downside is that it will increase memory usage and may reduce the compression speed.

In addition, exhaustive search may improve the compression ratio even further, but at the expense of speed.

WinRAR users may turn these features on or off under advanced compression parameters. Exhaustive search depends on Long Range Search, which means that it activates automatically.

Another useful feature is giving users control over “Mark of the Web”. This feature adds security zone information to files, which Widows and software may use for security purposes. Files may for instance load read-only, if they have the mark.

This functionality is found under Settings > Security.

Here is a short list of other important changes:

  • Option to enable Attributes column under Settings > File List > Columns.
  • Benchmark command supports exact number of threads and results copying to Clipboard.
  • New “remove redundant folders from extraction path” option in Settings > Paths.
  • Comments support Word Wrap now.
  • Maximum path length is now 65535 characters.
  • The archive formats .bz2, .lz, .tar.bz2, .tar.gz, .tar.lz, .tar.zs show dictionary sizes now.
  • The new switch -ol blocks archiving and extracting symbolic links.

You can check out all of the entries here.

Closing Words

WinRAR 7.0 is a major new release. It improves the handling of dictionary sizes, but this may lead to some backwards compatibility issues.

Now You: do you use WinRAR?

Everyone wants your browsing data

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

On today’s Internet, data is as precious as gold was in the Ancient world. Browsing data is data that is created automatically when you browse the Internet.

Whenever you visit a website, lots of things happen in the background. Requests are made, cookies and site data may be saved to the local system, and the cache is filled with data. The browser adds a record to its browsing history and maybe to other logs, e.g., when files get downloaded.

Data stored on third-party servers is not considered browsing data, but it may be generated as well.

This browsing data reveals a lot about you. What you like or your interests. It may reveal how old you are, if you are ill or looking for companionship. It may reveal what you plan to buy next or have bought, what you may need or needed.

Browsing data is personal data. This makes it desirable for nearly everyone on today’s Internet.

Who wants it and why: advertising

Google Chrome Privacy Sandbox

When asked, most Internet users would probably mention advertising first. Today’s advertising on the Internet relies to a large degree on information. The more information about a user, the better the chance to display targeted adverts and produce sales.

Tracking plays a large role in this. Most Internet users would probably disallow tracking if there was an easy switch integrated in browsers. There is none.

Google would be in an excellent position to create such a switch: it controls Chromium, the world’s most widely used browser source and Chrome,, the world’s most widely used browser. It also operates some of the world’s most visited websites.

Google is, however, an advertising company. Most of its revenue comes from advertising, which means that it benefits from the system that is in place.

But Google is ending third-party cookies in 2024, I hear you say. This is true, but this is not done without introducing another system that works in its place beforehand.

Built-into Google Chrome directly, it analyzes the browsing history locally to assign interests groups to the user. Websites may also suggests interests based on your visits.

Sites and advertisers may use the information for displaying ads based on your interests.

Google calls these “Interests estimated by Chrome” and “sites you visit that define your interests”.

Granted, Google Chrome includes controls to turn all of this off. There is also a popup with information about this in Chrome.

As is often the case in life, the wording matters. Google calls this Privacy Sandbox, which is an euphemistic term. It may be better than tracking via third-party cookies, but it is still tracking in the end. By the way, you can already disable third-party cookies in your browser, no need to wait for Google to do so in 2024.

Quick Tip: disabling Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox

Disable Chrome's Privacy Sandbox

All you have to do is the following:

  1. Load chrome://settings/privacySandbox in the Chrome address bar.
  2. Disable “Trials” on the page that opens.

Note that this page is not final and that Google will likely make changes to it. You may also want to click on every option there to expand it and make sure it is turned off as well.

These are at the time of writing:

  • Browser-based ad personalization
  • Ad measurement
  • Spam & fraud protection.

AI wants it, too

AI has taken a big leap in 2023. New products release on a weekly basis. All of these have in common that they require data, lots of data.

It is used for training for the most part. A current trend is the integration of AI services into browsers and other programs. Even Windows 11 has its own AI integration, called Windows Copilot now.

These work best if they got access to user data. Personal data usually requires giving consent in these cases, for instance when the request comes from a user.

Microsoft is testing a new option in Edge Canary currently that gives Bing Chat Microsoft access to all page content. It is disabled by default, as it sends all browsing data to Microsoft “to make AI-generated answers and suggestions more relevant on Copilot”.

Not all AI products require access to personal data. The basic chat AI tools act on user input. Personalization, on the other hand, gets better with data. If an AI knows your interests, it may be of better service.

Take holiday planning as an example. If you ask AI for 5 sights in Barcelona, it may look like this: Gothic Quarter, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller and Park Güell.

If the AI knew more about your interests or personal information, it may have suggested different sights. Say, you love football or are travelling with young children or dislike crowds.

Users who like this may opt-in and maybe improve their experience with the AI. Whether that is also giving Microsoft more information and also better options to display targeted ads should be clear from the previous paragraphs.

Closing Words

Browsing data is valuable and it should be protected. Not everything is opt-in in today’s world and that is a problem. An upcoming tutorial will provide guidance on protecting browsing data.

What about you? Do you allow services to use your browsing data?

enter password

Password Managers that restrict passwords should not exist

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Password service Dashlane announced restrictions for free account users this week that limit passwords to 25. Starting November 7, 2023, all Dashlane Free users are restricted to 25 passwords instead of unlimited passwords, the previous limit.

Those with more than 25 passwords keep access to them but they face the same restrictions in regards to adding new passwords. In short: once the 25 passwords limit is reached or crossed, new passwords can only be added if enough old passwords are deleted. Dashlane will also limit support access to paying customers.

The company explains that it made the decision to “focus resources on providing the highest level of service, support, and security”. This is marketing speak.

Dashlane Free remains a product, which means that it requires development resources. Limiting passwords won’t change that. This leaves pushing Free users to paid plans by artificially worsening the experience for many of them as a plausible reason.

Restricting passwords is not right

Dashlane Free users could and can store as many passwords as they want using the password manager. This won’t change until November 7, 2023.

The new artificial limit puts many Free users in a precarious position. Those with more than 25 stored passwords can’t continue using the service, as new passwords need to be stored eventually. They have just a few options:

  • Delete passwords regularly to stay under the 25 passwords limit.
  • Upgrade to a paid account and give in to Dashlane’s pressuring.
  • Migrate to another password manager.

The first option is only feasible for users who don’t have many passwords in Dashlane. Upgrading is the quickest option to deal with the issue, but it also means paying for the password manager.

Migration is another option. Dashlane supports exporting all passwords to CSV files, which most password managers can import.

Password storage is a core feature of every password manager. Restricting the feature limits the password manager significantly. With the artificial limit in place, what is keeping Dashlane from introducing another restriction in the future that limits password storage even further or ends Dashlane Free altogether?

A short term boost to subscriptions

Bitwarden Password Manager

Dashlane will likely notice a short term boost to subscriptions. As users hit the new limit in November, part of the affected group will sign-up for a paid account, especially since a discount is offered.

Others will migrate to a different password manager. Plenty are also free and most do not limit password storage.

My recommendation is Bitwarden. It is open source, does not restrict passwords and is considered one of the best password managers out there. If you don’t need cloud syncing, you could also check out KeePass, another excellent password manager.

Dashlane sign-ups will slow down after the change lands. Users who look for a password manager may not pick the one that is limiting a core feature of a password manager. Less Free signups will also lead to less free to paid upgrades, as fewer users may choose that path. This will impact revenue.

Closing Words

Dashlane could have selected a different path. It could make old user accounts grandfathered accounts. This would have allowed existing free users to continue using the password service as well, at least in regards to passwords storage. This, on the other hand, would not have pushed sales as much, as only new users would be subject to the passwords limit.

It remains to be seen if Dashlane is going to reverse the limit eventually. This is not totally out of the question.

This uBlock Origin filter blocks IDN attacks in browsers

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

IDN attacks are a common threat on today’s Internet. IDN stands for Internationalized Domain Name. It refers to domain names that contain one or multiple characters in “non-Latin script or alphabet, or in the Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics or ligatures”.

This enables support for domain names in all languages. German-speaking organizations and users may for instance use the letter Ö in domain names.

One problem associated with this is that it is sometimes impossible for users to distinguish between different characters. The Latin letters e and a, for instance, look identical to the Cyrillic letters e and a. The strings ghacks and ghаcks are not identical, for example, even though they are not distinguishable from just looking at them.

IDN homograph attacks

IDN homograph attacks take advantage of this. Threat actors create domain names that look like a legitimate domain. Links are then pushed via online advertising, comments, chats, email or other forms of communication.

Ars Technica published a story just yesterday about an online ad on Google Search that impersonated the official KeePass website. A search for KeePass listed a sponsored result at the top. This sponsored result pointed to the same domain as the legitimate KeePass website, at least on visual inspection.

It is not uncommon for organizations to place ads for key search terms, even if their domain is the first organic result.

In this particular case, it turned out that the sponsored ad was malicious. It used an IDN to look like the official KeePass website. The fake site pushed a malware family known as FakeBat according to Ars Technica’s research.

Protection against IDN attacks

blocked IDN attacks example

Ars Technica writer Dan Goodin concluded that there is no 100% protection against IDN attacks. All major browsers load IDN URLs without issues.

Chromium-based browsers copy the punycode version of the domain, which offers a quick way to find out if it is an IDN.

Raymond Hill, creator of uBlock Origin, disagreed with Goodin’s conclusion as well. He published a single filter line for use in uBlock Origin, which blocks access to all IDN URLs by default. Users still have the option to proceed and to add an exception for the site, if it is legitimate.

Here is a step-by-step guide to add the filter to uBlock Origin:

  • Open the web browser.
  • Activate the uBlock Origin icon and select Settings.
  • Switch to the My Filters tab.
  • Paste the following string into an empy line: ||xn--$doc,frame
  • Select Apply changes.

That’s all there is to it. Any attempt to load an IDN in the browser is now met with uBlock Origin’s “blocked” window.

Disable OneDrive’s Back up folders on this PC feature

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft Onedrive’s back up up folders on this PC feature may transfer files from system folders to Microsoft cloud servers automatically.

OneDrive is integrated natively into Windows 11. Users who sign-in with a Microsoft account, which Microsoft encourages, get access to OneDrive. File Explorer lists a OneDrive folder and there is an icon in the system tray.

One of the integrated features is the option to back up files to OneDrive automatically. This feature is limited to system folders — Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music and Videos — similarly to what the new Windows Backup app offers.

These folders are protected when backed up to OneDrive, according to Microsoft.

Tip: the easiest way to stop this is to sign-in to Windows with a local account.

Problems related to OneDrive’s automatic backup feature

In an ideal world, backups would only happen automatically when users give their ok. User reports on the Internet suggest that OneDrive’s backup feature may transfer files without user consent sometimes.

I confirmed this behavior on one of my PCs. I only noticed it because OneDrive’s occupied storage increased from less than 1 Gigabyte to nearly 25 Gigabytes over night. Never enabled automatic backups on the Windows 11 version 22H2 system.

Another issue is related to this. Automatic updates may push files in the cloud that OneDrive may flag. This does not necessarily have to be illegal content; false positives happen, and they may lead to temporary or permanent account bans.

How to manage OneDrive folder backups

onedrive back-up folders on this pc

Here is a step-by-step guide to manage automatic folder backups:

  1. Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the System Tray area of Windows.
  2. Select the Help & Settings icon and then Settings from the menu.
  3. Under Sync and backup, select Manage backup.
  4. OneDrive lists the five system folders in the window that opens.
  5. Toggle one of the folders to Off to stop automatic backups.
  6. OneDrive displays a “where do you want to keep your files” prompt afterwards. Select “This computer only” and then continue.
  7. Select OK to confirm the change when the prompt appears.

Selecting this computer only stops automated backups of the selected folder to OneDrive. Repeat the process for all other folders that are set to backup at the time.

The Sync and backup menu’s preference “save photos and videos from devices” lists another automatic backup option. It transfers photos and videos from connected devices, e.g. cameras or smartphones, to OneDrive when enabled.

There is also “save screenshots I capture to OneDrive”, which transfers screenshots to OneDrive.

Closing Words

It appears that OneDrive may sometimes upload files to the cloud automatically on Windows 11 devices. This is a problem as it may lead to all kinds of issues.

Windows 11 users who sign-in with a Microsoft account may want to check the sync settings regularly because of that.