Waterfox

This is a hardened version of Firefox, and I’ve found it to be the best browser for streaming. Waterfox combines functionality with strong privacy features, keeping it separate from many other browsers. While streaming has various privacy implications, it remains robust because it is a hardened browser. For me, it’s all about striking a balance while watching. I want to enjoy my content without sacrificing much of my privacy.

Streaming services can be nice, but they’re certainly not privacy-focused, so we must ensure that we have a browser like Waterfox and even a separate device if we want to stream. The separate device could also be a Raspberry Pi.


Download Waterfox

The Waterfox Browser

In addition, I use Waterfox for streaming. I know it’s not ideal with streaming services, but you gotta live. I am also expanding my private collection of movies and such. What’s great about Waterfox is that it is hardened, meaning the browser is designed for privacy and security. By tweaking the settings just a little, I can strike a balance that allows me to have a dedicated watching browser while keeping my activities hidden from other services.

Privacy & Security

  1. In the settings tab of Waterfox, go to “Privacy & Security.”
  2. Make sure “Enhanced Tracking Protection” is set to “Strict.”
  3. Find and click the “Waterfox will” drop-down menu.
  4. Pick “Use custom settings for history.”
  5. Disable all if you want to stay logged in; otherwise, only enable “Clear history when Waterfox closes.”
  6. Under the “Permissions” section right below, click each option and disable all.
  7. Enable “Block pop-up windows.”
  8. Enable “Warn you when websites try to install.”
  9. Enable “Load images automatically.”
  10. Enable “Enable JavaScript.”

We don’t do too much here. After all, Waterfox is hardened, and there are already some really good privacy implementations in place. Now let’s proceed to the security area

Security

  1. In the “Security” section, disable all.
  2. Scroll down to the “HTTPS-Only Mode.”
  3. Set it to “Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows.”
  4. In the “DNS over HTTPS,” set it to “Ultra Protection.”
  5. Then select “Never fall back to system DNS.”

Now that you have a slightly modified version of Waterfox, you should test if all your streaming services work. Make sure to try to play something on each and every one of them. If something doesn’t work, it could be due to the OS as well. Paramount+ and SkyShowTime do not support Linux and will not play. This means if you want to ensure you can play all, you need a fully set up Mac.

Alternatively, you can have streaming on the TV, but then you’d need a VPN on your network directly connected to the TV, which is a new issue. It might be that the TV doesn’t have a VPN, but you can always use a VPN on your network if you have a router that supports it. I do not like putting apps on my TV, but I decided to install SkyShowTime or Paramount+ directly on my TV.

The Conclusion

Now that you have a slightly modified version of Waterfox, you should test if all your streaming services work. Make sure to try to play something on each and every one of them. If something doesn’t work, it could be due to the OS as well. Paramount+ and SkyShowTime do not support Linux and will not play. This means if you want to ensure you can play all, you need a fully set up Mac.

Alternatively, you can have streaming on the TV, but then you’d need a VPN on your network directly connected to the TV, which is a new issue. It might be that the TV doesn’t have a VPN, but you can always use a VPN on your network if you have a router that supports it. I do not like putting apps on my TV, but I decided to install SkyShowTime or Paramount+ directly on my TV.

Privacy & Security For All!