Privacy Please is a lightweight extension that redirects to ad-free, tracker-free front ends for YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and more. Protect your privacy today.
Privacy Please: The One-Click Extension That Sends You to Tracker-Free Front Ends
Published by Brav
Table of Contents
TL;DR
- Every click on YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, or Google is tracked by the platform and its partners.
- The Privacy Please extension silently intercepts those clicks and sends you straight to a privacy-first mirror, stripping ads, JavaScript, and tracking.
- Installation is one click from the Firefox Add-ons store or from the open-source GitHub repo.
- No telemetry, no logs, no forced logins – just clean, ad-free content.
- You can tweak which sites get redirected, add your own instances, and contribute to the project.
Why this matters
When I first opened my browser, I felt a wave of unease. Every time I clicked a link, a tiny invisible spider spun a web of data—search terms, video IDs, click counts—slipping straight into a corporate inbox. Those invisible threads are not just a curiosity; they are the backbone of a surveillance economy that treats my personal life as raw data to be mined. Over time, that surveillance becomes invisible, and I started to unknowingly give away more and more. The problem is twofold: 1) the sheer scale of tracking across the web, and 2) the friction users face when trying to evade it. Traditional tools like ad blockers only scratch the surface, leaving deep-rooted tracking hidden behind JavaScript, cookies, and server-side profiling.
The Privacy Please extension was born out of that frustration. I wanted a single, lightweight, open-source tool that would let me keep my browsing habits private without the hassle of toggling a dozen extensions or manually switching sites.
Core concepts
At its heart, the extension is a simple redirector. It listens for every link click in the browser, checks if the target matches a list of known mainstream sites, and silently rewrites the URL to point to a privacy-respecting front end. The redirect happens before the request reaches the target server, so no data ever leaves the original domain. This is why the extension can claim “no data logging” and “no reporting.” The code never touches any telemetry endpoints, and the source is available for anyone to audit. It is written in plain JavaScript, stays under 100 KB, and ships with the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can run it yourself or even fork it.
The front ends themselves are mirrors of the original platforms that strip out everything that could be used for profiling. They run on servers that do not serve JavaScript, do not store session data, and do not require logins. For example:
- NVIDIA is an open-source front end for YouTube that removes ads and tracking.
- Nitter (or Knitter) is a Twitter/X alternative that eliminates JavaScript, fingerprinting, and forced logins.
- Libreddit serves Reddit content without cookies or ads.
- SearXNG is a metasearch engine that aggregates results without logging queries.
Each of these front ends has a public repository or official site, so you can verify their privacy posture yourself.
How to apply it
Install
- From Firefox Add-ons: visit the Privacy Please — Firefox Add-on page and click Add to Firefox.
- From GitHub: clone the repo or download the ZIP from the Privacy Please — GitHub Repository (2023), then open chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode, and Load unpacked the extracted folder.
Configure
- Open the extension’s options page (chrome://extensions → Privacy Please → Options).
- Enable the sites you want redirected. The UI groups them by platform, so you can tick “YouTube,” “Twitter/X,” “Reddit,” “Google,” etc.
- For each platform, pick your preferred instance. The defaults are community-maintained: NVIDIA for YouTube, Nitter for Twitter, Libreddit for Reddit, SearXNG for Google.
Use
- Click a YouTube link. The extension silently rewrites the URL to https://nvidia.
.com/watch?v=… and you land on the NVIDIA front end. - Click a Twitter link. You’re taken to https://nitter.net/… with no cookies and no ads.
- Click a YouTube link. The extension silently rewrites the URL to https://nvidia.
Optional
- Add custom instances. If you host your own NVIDIA or Nitter, paste the base URL in the options.
- Toggle “Exclude” for sites where you still want the original experience (e.g., for paid YouTube content).
Audit
- The code is on GitHub, so run npm test or simply review the background.js.
- Look for any network calls: there should be none to third-party analytics or data collection.
| Front End | JavaScript | Ads | Tracking | Forced Login | Use Case | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | YouTube videos, playlists | Requires HTTPS only; some features missing |
| Nitter | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Twitter/X timelines, profiles | No live threads |
| Libreddit | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Reddit threads, comments | Limited media hosting |
| SearXNG | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Google searches | Query limits on some instances |
Pitfalls & edge cases
- Front-end downtime: If a community-maintained instance goes offline, the extension falls back to the original site. You can add a backup instance in the options.
- Feature loss: Some interactive features (e.g., live chats, real-time comment replies) are not supported by the front ends because they rely on JavaScript.
- Paid content: Premium YouTube channels or Reddit Premium require logins that the front ends cannot emulate; in those cases you’ll be taken to the original site.
- Browser updates: New versions of Chrome or Firefox occasionally change extension APIs. The project keeps up-to-date, but users should check for updates in the browser’s extension page.
- Data privacy: While the extension itself does not log data, the front ends may still send requests to their own servers. All of them publish their privacy policies, so you can review them.
Quick FAQ
- Does Privacy Please collect any of my data? No – the extension logs nothing and does not send telemetry. All network requests are redirected to the privacy-first front ends, which themselves do not track users. See Privacy Please — GitHub Repository (2023).
- Can I add my own front-end instances? Yes. In the options page you can enter any instance URL, such as your own self-hosted NVIDIA or Nitter. The README on the GitHub page explains how to add custom instances. (See Privacy Please — GitHub Repository (2023).)
- Will it work on Chrome? Yes. The extension is available on the Chrome Web Store (once approved) and can also be installed from the GitHub repo by loading it unpacked. (See Privacy Please — GitHub Repository (2023).)
- What if a front end is down? The extension falls back to the original site, but you can quickly add a backup instance in the settings. The community maintains a list of healthy instances in the GitHub repo. (See Nitter — GitHub Repository (2024) and Libreddit — GitHub Repository (2024).)
- Is the extension safe to run? The source is open source and audited by the community. It adheres to privacy best practices, including the GDPR (2018) and ISO/IEC 27001 (2024) standards for data protection. (See GDPR — Official Regulation (2018) and ISO/IEC 27001 — International Standard (2024).)
- How many sites does it support? Over ten major sites: YouTube (NVIDIA, Invidious), Twitter/X (Nitter, Knitter), Reddit (Libreddit), Google (SearXNG), Medium (Scribe), Instagram (Proxigram), TikTok (ProxiTok), and more. A full list is in the options page. (See SearXNG — Official Documentation (2025).)
- Will it break site functionality? Some interactive features that rely on JavaScript (like live chats or comment replies) may be limited, but core content remains accessible. Forced logins are removed, which can affect premium content. (See Invidious — Official Site (2025).)
Conclusion
The privacy-first web is no longer a distant dream. With a single, lightweight extension you can keep your browsing habits from being profiled by a corporate surveillance ecosystem. Privacy Please removes the friction barrier: install, configure, and forget it. If you’re comfortable with open source, review the code, add new instances, or contribute bug fixes. If you’re just looking to reclaim your privacy, download the extension from the Firefox Add-ons store or the GitHub repo and start clicking with confidence.
References
- Privacy Please — GitHub Repository (2023)
- Mozilla Add-on — Privacy Please (2023)
- Nitter — GitHub Repository (2024)
- Libreddit — GitHub Repository (2024)
- SearXNG — Official Documentation (2025)
- Invidious — Official Site (2025)
- GDPR — Official Regulation (2018)
- ISO/IEC 27001 — International Standard (2024)