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How to delete web history in Thunderbird - I can't believe this is a thing

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  • 1 has this problem
  • 17 views
  • Last reply by Matt

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Under Preferences, Security/Privacy: I have un selected "Remember Websites and Links I've Visited" but the links are still showing the various colors indicating that Thunderbird is remembering my browsing history.

This is beyond insane. Well, OK if you want to do that, then implement all the privacy controls of a browser.

SPECIFICALLY an option to "clear all browsing history." And "Clear all cookies" is also noticeably absent.

More complication is not better. And adding features that are neato to programmers is fine as long as someone - not the programmer in question - thinks through all the implications for security and privacy.

Perhaps you've heard that security and privacy are a thing in 2021.

Under Preferences, Security/Privacy: I have un selected "Remember Websites and Links I've Visited" but the links are still showing the various colors indicating that Thunderbird is remembering my browsing history. This is beyond insane. Well, OK if you want to do that, then implement all the privacy controls of a browser. SPECIFICALLY an option to "clear all browsing history." And "Clear all cookies" is also noticeably absent. More complication is not better. And adding features that are neato to programmers is fine as long as someone - not the programmer in question - thinks through all the implications for security and privacy. Perhaps you've heard that security and privacy are a thing in 2021.
Attached screenshots

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To clear all cookies. Click on the show cookies button in the image you pasted then click the remove all cookies button.

To clear browsing history tools menu > clear recent history.

DebraBk said

Perhaps you've heard that security and privacy are a thing in 2021.

I have heard of security and privacy, but my locally web history (no sync for mine) on my device is not a security of privacy risk to me. It is not as if the history is accessible to other unless they are sat at my computer using it with my user account. Nor are the cookies I have allowed to make oAuth authentication work something that concerns me. But as both have easily accessible method of deletion and blocking and have had for many years I do not see the issue here.

Perhaps invest some time in understanding the web beacons use before concentrating on good old cookies and browsing history. They represent a far greater issue to privacy and most folk really have no idea about them. Especially as they are present in almost every web page and email as in the ubiquitous share images.