Thunderbird: Free Your InboxMay 9, 2023

By default, #Thunderbird automatically blocks images in your emails from being displayed -- because many of those images may contain tracking code.

(Sometimes these images are tiny "tracking pixels" you may not even see).

Take your protection one step further by installing #uBlock Origin to block all kinds of unwanted content in your RSS feeds -- it's now an official Thunderbird Add-on: https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/ublock-origin/

#Privacy #Email

(EDITED FOR CLARITY)

uBlock Origin

Finally, an efficient blocker. Easy on CPU and memory. uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory-efficient wide-spectrum content blocker that blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, annoying anti-blockers, etc. in your feeds.

Show threadJohn DalMay 9, 2023
@thunderbird why would any image viewing software treat bytes in an image stream as code and then execute it? Really, I'm asking how do "tracking pixels" work?
Show threadKai Engert 🔑✉️ (:KaiE)
@JohnDal @thunderbird here is an explanation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_pixel#Mechanism
Spy pixel - Wikipedia

May 9, 2023 at 8:15amWeb
Show threadJohn DalMay 9, 2023
@kaiengert Thanks. So it's considered a "good thing" in some circumstances and the clients which render the data streams as images look for these little packets of data and execute them? Bonkers. Personally speaking I'd like image rendering software which did just that, then we wouldn't ever need to block these little bits of crap.
Show threadKai Engert 🔑✉️ (:KaiE)May 9, 2023
@JohnDal the point is that images referenced in an email can be stored on a server that the sender of email controls, which allows the sender of the email to see (in log files) whenever an image was loaded. If the sender of the email uses a different image address for each email recipient, and the sender kept a list of email addresses and related image addresses, then the sender can learn which email recipient has loaded an image, and thereby learn that the email was read.
Show threadJohn DalMay 9, 2023
@kaiengert Thanks Kai. After a working life writing software, this all FEELS very flaky. I'll have a read up on it I think.