I don't recommend the hosts file approach, it was not designed for this. Privoxy would be a better option if you don't use Firefox.

Cookies are also responsible for this. I use CookieSafe + NoScript + AdBlockPlus wherever i surf..

+1
Strips the advertisements out of a web page. You would never know there were suppose to be ads on the page.

Ah, but they claim they do.

Wow. Another good bookmark in my collection. Thanks alot.

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Running "Ad block" and "no-script" and "ghostery" will take care of most things

but if one is a bit paranoid
There is the "Tor-browser"
or the firefox plugin " tor-button"

My first principle in browsing or publishing stuff is this:

The internet is a public place.

Forget that at your peril.

As regards specific actions, I do use a hosts file and have for years, first on Windows and then later on Linux. I commonly use this one. Why hosts files were created seems irrelevant to me; what they do seems very relevant. Furthermore, they work regardless of the browser I am using.

I recently started using script blockers (No Script on Firefox, notscript on Opera), since that horrible Meebo thingy started infecting newspaper websites after Google bought Meebo (I'm a news junky--inherited it from my father).

As for cookies, I deleted all the cookies I don't want (everything except my "TV listing" and "weather report" pages), restarted my browser (Opera has been my primary browser for years), and set it to "Delete new cookies upon exit."

If you want complete computer security, unplug your computer, put it in box, pour concrete around it, and drop in the the sea. Otherwise, take precautions and browse sensibly.

Just my two cents.

I know you can add all the things like Adblock Plus, Ghostery, NoScript, and BetterPrivacy to Chrome/Chromium, but even still, I don't trust Google, and therefore don't use Chrome or Google services.

What's that Google thing everybody talks about? Something to eat?

Seriously, i don't use the Google website or any of their softwares. My PC is a Google-free zone.

Not long ago, the gov't group known as "Anonymous" betrayed the anonymity of Tor users who go to a certain wiki on Tor. They did this with Mozilla's permission, and it affected at least tor-button.

I use NoScript, Ghostery, Https-Everwhere and have images and cookies set to 'off' in Firefox.
That way I have to turn them on specifically for each site.
Not that hard actually; there aren't many sites that I want/need to turn them on for.

Don't seem to need AdBlock with that lot ...

I always use private browsing mode, and have it set to delete cookies every run.

I agree, but google funded Mozilla and Opera have the same problem. On the plus side it can be disabled in those two and in chromium.

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