FastForward, the extension to improve privacy
There are add-ons for Chrome or Firefox that help improve the browsing experience. Some can even be used for added security or privacy. One of them is FastForward, whose mission is to omit the shortened links. Cybercriminals often use the technique of sending a shortened link that hides the real link and in this way can sneak in a virus or steal passwords.
You will also avoid intermediate sites that act to track users. Basically what they do is obtain personal information, know what sites they visit, where they click, etc. In this way they can sell that data to third partiesuse them for spam campaigns or even launch more personalized attacks.
You can install this extension in both Google Chrome (in browsers based on Chromium and Mozilla Firefox, in addition to the Edge browser. It is Open Source, so you can analyze its security without problems. Its operation is very simple, since all you have to do is go to the official page, to the download section, and download the plugin for the browser you use.
From there, once you have installed the extension it will start run automatically. You won’t have to configure anything else, or worry about the plugin. It just has to be installed and ready. However, it has a preferences section where you can adjust some points that may interest you.
It is based on user information
The mode of operation is based on the previous experience of other users. That is, the first person who accesses a URL that can track or use the data is registered to prevent other users from being affected. Therefore, it will use the information of the first users to later benefit the rest.
In this way you create a database that you will use in the future to avoid problems with shortened links, for example, that may compromise the privacy or security of users when browsing. You can go to GitHub and check out the source code for this extension and take a deeper look at how it works and how it can help you avoid issues.
In short, as you have seen, FastForward is an interesting add-on that you can install in browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The goal is none other than to help maintain privacy whenever we surf the net, especially protect ourselves from shortened links that can be a major problem. You can always avoid masked links that can be used precisely to attack and compromise privacy.
