What is Privacy Badger used for?

Privacy Badger is a browser extension from the EFF that automatically learns to block hidden trackers and sends Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals. It is a good fit for blocking third-party trackers while browsing and opting out of data sharing automatically.

Is Privacy Badger open source?

Yes. Privacy Badger is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at EFForg/privacybadger and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Is Privacy Badger free?

Yes. Privacy Badger is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Privacy Badger?

Yes. Privacy Badger can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to Privacy Badger?

Similar open-source tools in the Security category include uBlock Origin, Cryptomator and VeraCrypt. SaaS products in the same category include ContextBlur, AIBlurWeb and ADM Guard.

Is Privacy Badger actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Privacy Badger was on 1 October 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.

Privacy Badger: open-source security

About Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is a browser extension from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit, that automatically learns to block hidden trackers. It is meant to stop companies from spying on people as they browse.

The extension sends the Global Privacy Control signal to opt out of data sharing and selling and the Do Not Track signal asking companies not to track you. If trackers ignore these signals, Privacy Badger learns to block them. Extra features include click-to-activate replacements for potentially useful trackers such as video players and comment widgets, and link cleaning on Facebook and Google.

It is built as a WebExtension for browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, written in JavaScript, and licensed under GPL v3 or later. The project follows EFF's Public Projects Code of Conduct, welcomes contributions, and holds public meetings over Jitsi. Installation instructions and an FAQ are on privacybadger.org.

Key features

Automatic learning of hidden trackers
Global Privacy Control signal
Do Not Track signal
Click-to-activate widget replacements
Link cleaning on Facebook and Google
WebExtension for Chrome and Firefox

Good fit for

→Blocking third-party trackers while browsing
→Opting out of data sharing automatically

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: privacy; tracker-blocking; browser-extension; eff; cookies; fingerprinting; firefox; chrome

Privacy Badger: questions and answers

What is Privacy Badger used for?: Privacy Badger is a browser extension from the EFF that automatically learns to block hidden trackers and sends Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals. It is a good fit for blocking third-party trackers while browsing and opting out of data sharing automatically.
Is Privacy Badger open source?: Yes. Privacy Badger is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at EFForg/privacybadger and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Privacy Badger free?: Yes. Privacy Badger is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Privacy Badger?: Yes. Privacy Badger can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to Privacy Badger?: Similar open-source tools in the Security category include uBlock Origin, Cryptomator and VeraCrypt. SaaS products in the same category include ContextBlur, AIBlurWeb and ADM Guard.
Is Privacy Badger actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Privacy Badger was on 1 October 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.