A very recent change on the internet causing me concern

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
magpens

magpens

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
15,911
Location
Canada
I like to check the current time in various cities of the world. And, I like to view a map of the different (usually foreign) cities that come up in the daily news.
I enter my requests for the time or the map in my Firefox browser.

Starting about midday today ( Tuesday Mar 01 ) my request for this info results in a new prompt to go through an extra step or two.
I have not "gone along with" the extra steps because I am wary.

At the top left corner of a new window there is a symbol of an open book surrounded by two words " manuals library " (just as I've typed).
The name of the new window is "Consent Settings - Manuals Library" (as typed) in one position and "Extension (Ma...rary Search)" in another position.

The extra steps involve being presented with a requirement to agree to :

Read and Consent to data usage by
"Manuals Library Search" addon

Then, in the same new window, there are a couple of YES/NO questions to answer,

And finally, at the bottom of the window:

" Please click "Save" after enabling Manuals Search Box, or you can continue using the addon with web search without One click Search for Manuals. " (just as typed)
And then there is a box, with the word "Save" to click on in the lower right corner of the new window.

I'm wary and skeptical, and that is partly because the terminology and wording seem rather strange .

Has anybody else experienced anything similar to this ?

Any comments about whether my wary skepticism is reasonable or unwarranted ?

EDIT: I just discovered that I get the same "new window" when I attempt to use Wikipedia to acquire knowledge about any subject.
This troubles me because I tend to use Wikipedia a lot.

And I get the same "new window" when I ask a question in my browser ( Firefox ) such as :

" What are the names of the 4 main islands of Japan ? "

Something seems very fishy ! ! ! . I hope that some of you computer wizards can offer a comment on these weird happenings that started for me about noon today.
 
Last edited:
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Don`t know , Mal . Just downloaded Firefox onto my new computer , tried your Japan question , and got the answer directly , as I also did using Chrome . Both browsers use Google search . Will switch my preferred browser to Firefox and see if that changes the result . Did Firefox just do an update ?
 
Given the current state of global affairs, cyber attacks are becoming widespread. IMHO updating your virus protection frequently and being extra cautious about unrecognizable solicitations while browsing is paramount. Be safe everyone!
 
jrista said:
It looks like a Firefox addon:

manualslibrary.org

Manuals Library - manualslibrary.org

manualslibrary.org manualslibrary.org

If you did not choose to install this into Firefox, then you should remove it.
Click to expand...

@jrista - Thanks for the advice, but . . .

"If you did not choose to install this into Firefox, then you should remove it."

How do I remove it ? . . By the way, I did not install anything . . . certainly not deliberately
 
@jrista . . . and others

The . . . . manualslibrary . org . . . . that you show looks to be identical to the "thing" that is causing me the concern

The icon showing the open book . . . surrounded by the words "manuals" . . . "library" . . . looks exactly like what I am seeing on my screen
every time that I . . .
1) try to invoke Wikipedia by using my browser ( Firefox )
2) try to find the time in any city around the world by using my browser ( Firefox )
3) try to display a map of any city in the world by using my browser ( Firefox )
4) try to view the daily "Wordle" puzzle from New York Times by using my browser ( Firefox )
5) ask a question of my browser ( Firefox ) such as . . . " names of the 4 main islands of Japan "
6) ask for the meaning of a word by using my browser ( Firefox ) . . . such as . . . " meaning of the word sartorial "

The point I am making is that there are a whole variety of unrelated browser invocations that produce the same " new window " on my screen.
Of course I'm always invoking the Firefox browser so perhaps the same response is to be expected.

However, the " addon " purports to be for the purpose of retaining info about technical manuals and that subject seems to be totally
unrelated to the (a) word definitions, (b) international times, (c) geographical maps, (d) geographical place names, . . etc., etc., that I am seeking.

So that's why I am very suspicious ! . . . . The strange wording of the text in the "manuals . . . library" screen on my computer just increases my suspicion !

Plus . . . . I seem to be given no alternative options other than to "Save" my answers to the 2 Yes/No questions that I am being asked to answer.
I do not want to click on anything that I see in the strange " new window " presented to me.
 
Last edited:
To the far right of the address bar there's a menu that's three horizontal lines. About halfway down you should see "Add-ons and themes". Choosing that should open a new tab for "Add-ons Manager". The top group is your enabled extensions. Manuals Library should be in that list. On the right is an on/off slider button. To the right of that is three dots, which will pop up a menu. "Remove extension" is in that pop-up.

While you're there, see what other extensions are active. If any are not from Mozilla and you don't recognize them, remove them too.
 
1080Wayne said:
Don`t know , Mal . Just downloaded Firefox onto my new computer , tried your Japan question , and got the answer directly , as I also did using Chrome . Both browsers use Google search . Will switch my preferred browser to Firefox and see if that changes the result . Did Firefox just do an update ?
Click to expand...
Chrome and Firefox have both had recent updates, but nothing that would change default searches. This is almost certainly an extension that was inadvertently installed.
 
cjester said:
To the far right of the address bar there's a menu that's three horizontal lines. About halfway down you should see "Add-ons and themes". Choosing that should open a new tab for "Add-ons Manager". The top group is your enabled extensions. Manuals Library should be in that list. On the right is an on/off slider button. To the right of that is three dots, which will pop up a menu. "Remove extension" is in that pop-up.

While you're there, see what other extensions are active. If any are not from Mozilla and you don't recognize them, remove them too.
Click to expand...

@cjester

Thanks, Carl.

I'll try to work on your suggestion in a few minutes.
 
This is nothing to be concerned with. It IS pretty shady the way they sometimes go about getting the extensions/add-ons installed, but nothing new or inherently bad about them. Some are extremely useful! Usually they try to sneak it in when you install a program or sign up for an email list or something. There will be a pre-checked box that is slipped in next to the click here to agree to terms etc. that gives them permission to add the extension/add-on to the browser.

On firefox you can press ctrl+shift+a to pull up the add-ons/extensions list. There you should be able to just toggle it on/off or press the ... button next to the toggle and press delete.

-Danger
 
@DBDanger

Thank you Zack . . . yes, it IS pretty shady the way "they" do things, and it is especially annoying when the language "they" use is full of obscurities, either due to "their" failure to use accepted constructs of language or due to "their" overuse of technical jargon that only a PhD in IT can understand.

I deserve the option to reject what they are offering to me ( ie. trying to force upon me ) regardless of what it is . . . but I don't readily see that option.

And, what they are throwing in my face is preventing me from carrying on with my "as normal" activities.

I DO appreciate your assessment that "This is nothing to be concerned with." but I cannot help being concerned when one of the big elements of the warfare currently being waged is on the "cyber-field". All of us need to be hyper-aware of potentially lethal weaponry of all kinds.

I don't see that " manuals .... library " is sufficient to convince me or anyone else that I "involuntarily need" what's being thrust at me to the exclusion of everything that I normally do . . such as look up a word definition, explore geography of Europe/Asia, download a word puzzle from NYT, etc., etc..

For the present time I have had to abandon Firefox and I have "regressed" to using Microsoft Edge to get around the problem that started yesterday.

There is no reason that "their" thrusting at me the " manuals .... library " addon should disrupt my daily life in the way that it has.
They could have been "nice" about it, but they chose to "invade" for no reason at all. And, I don't even need/want " manuals .... library".
Also, the result of "their" approach is that I am unable to use "their" primary product ( ie. Firefox ) for all that I routinely have used it for.
So "they" are suffering too, because of reduced advertising revenue from my not using Firefox presently.

Please understand that I am only ranting at "them" . . . not at you.

Your reply above has improved my insight into the ways of the "cyber-world".

I appreciate your reply very much . . . . Thanks again ! Please feel free to make additional comments.
 
@cjester , @DBDanger , and others

THANKS VERY MUCH for the replies ! ! ! ! !

The replies put me on the right track to find the "Addons Manager", the existence of which I was previously unaware.

To the right of the address bar in "Addons Manager" I found an icon which proved to be a representation of the "manuals .... library" addon.

With much fear and trembling I clicked on that icon.

That click presented me with the option to remove the "manuals .... library" addon.

HOORAY ! ! ! ! ! . . . . . I THINK that I have now gotten rid of the "manuals .... library" addon ! ! ! ! !

But . . . . the ALARMING thing is that . . .
. . . . the addon had obviously been installed AGAINST MY WILL and without my doing anything to consent to its installation !!!!

I have learned a fair bit in the last few hours . . . . . about the bullying and invasive tactics of some cyber-world "nations" ! ! ! ! !

I hope that I can get back to "life as normal and as usual" . . . . but I shall always be more aware of potential invasions by the cyber-bullies out there !!

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR VERY HELPFUL REPLIES ! ! ! ! !
 
magpens said:
Also, the result of "their" approach is that I am unable to use "their" primary product ( ie. Firefox ) for all that I routinely have used it for.
So "they" are suffering too, because of reduced advertising revenue from my not using Firefox presently.
Click to expand...
I can appreciate the rant and thank you for clarifying that it was not directed at any of us. Sometimes you just gotta get some stuff off your chest, I get it.

One thing I want to clarify on these extensions/add-ons: While Mozilla/Firefox do have and manage some add-ons, most are third party programming that are separate from Mozilla/Firefox. They(Mozilla) provide a frame for you to use that allows you to customize it in some ways that you can choose. Other parties can make a tool or feature as an add-on that you can then (sometimes without being aware) add onto your browser. There are a ton of fun and sometimes very helpful extensions that you can add onto your browser experience, too. Some things as simple as changing the theme of your browser to have different colors and designs. Others can block ads, and still others can download videos from youtube or facebook. Or they can search for coupons for items in your shopping cart to save you money or add an email widget in the tool bar for convenience. Just make sure that you are always aware of the information you allow these add-ons to access. It is up to you to decide what you allow, which is why the sneaky ones like the one you have experienced are so frustrating. Offer me the option and I will decide what I want!

I just don't want you to get a sour taste for Mozilla because of something they had nothing to do with.


-Danger
 
magpens said:
@DBDanger

Thank you Zack . . . yes, it IS pretty shady the way "they" do things, and it is especially annoying when the language "they" use is full of obscurities, either due to "their" failure to use accepted constructs of language or due to "their" overuse of technical jargon that only a PhD in IT can understand.

I deserve the option to reject what they are offering to me ( ie. trying to force upon me ) regardless of what it is . . . but I don't readily see that option.

And, what they are throwing in my face is preventing me from carrying on with my "as normal" activities.

I DO appreciate your assessment that "This is nothing to be concerned with." but I cannot help being concerned when one of the big elements of the warfare currently being waged is on the "cyber-field". All of us need to be hyper-aware of potentially lethal weaponry of all kinds.

I don't see that " manuals .... library " is sufficient to convince me or anyone else that I "involuntarily need" what's being thrust at me to the exclusion of everything that I normally do . . such as look up a word definition, explore geography of Europe/Asia, download a word puzzle from NYT, etc., etc..

For the present time I have had to abandon Firefox and I have "regressed" to using Microsoft Edge to get around the problem that started yesterday.

There is no reason that "their" thrusting at me the " manuals .... library " addon should disrupt my daily life in the way that it has.
They could have been "nice" about it, but they chose to "invade" for no reason at all. And, I don't even need/want " manuals .... library".
Also, the result of "their" approach is that I am unable to use "their" primary product ( ie. Firefox ) for all that I routinely have used it for.
So "they" are suffering too, because of reduced advertising revenue from my not using Firefox presently.

Please understand that I am only ranting at "them" . . . not at you.

Your reply above has improved my insight into the ways of the "cyber-world".

I appreciate your reply very much . . . . Thanks again ! Please feel free to make additional comments.
Click to expand...
....wait...you abandoned Firefox?

You understand that it was Firefox WARNING you about the addon, and telling you to make sure you read about what was going on and CONSENT...BEFORE installing/using the addon, right?

The reason you were repeatedly asked these things, is because you kept rejecting them, but teh addon was still there. Firefox did what you asked...it did NOT enable the addon, as far as I can tell, because you kept not consenting. So every time you did something that this addon wanted to hook into, Firefox was asking if you wanted to allow it to.

I think you are blaming the wrong actor here. Firefox has become a very secure browser, much more secure than any Chrome-based browser. Because we live in a world now where monopolies are apparently ok, Chrome has literally taken over almost all of the web. Chrome of course is Chrome. Opera is Chrome. Microsoft Edge is Chrome. Brave is Chrome. Etc. Etc. Google produces their Chrome browser...and they have also published the core browser "engine" as something called Chromium, which is what all those other browsers are built around.

Here is the cold, dark fact: Chrome, being Google's product, is the LEAST secure browser on the planet...which means, 99% of browsers are just as insecure. Because Google WANTS all your PII and all that other tracking that advertisers and data brokers gather about everyone. So Chrome and Chromium, contain a crap-tone of loopholes and back doors for advertisers and data brokers and google themselves to gather as much data about you as they can.

Firefox, with their more recent browser versions, has implemented numerous new kinds of security measures to make it as hard as possible for advertisers and data brokers to sneakily watch and track you from the background! I've been switching to Firefox on all my devices lately myself, because I'm so sick of being tracked. Firefox even "sandboxes" every single browser tab, which means that if an advertiser or data broker loads some code into that browser tab, they cannot communicate with any other tab, and cross-track you on multiple sites simultaneously (one of the things they do, and have done for well over a decade, and part of why they can deeply know so much about every individual who browses the web...they cross-link EVERYTHING you do online under a central, secret hidden identity in their own data warehouses....that identity is associated with your name, ip address, probably email addresses (all email, unless expressly encrypted by the user, is "clear text" and flows all over the world over completely unencrypted transport protocols, called SMTP), and all of the various web sites you visit and other things you do online.))

You might want to reconsider your decision to abandon what is becoming the most secure browser on the web. The other secure browser is Safari...and I applaud Apple for trying to make the web a more secure place, but Apple also rejects a lot of modern web technologies because they would encroach on their app store revenues, which makes Safari a less capable browser for many modern web sites. So I still think Firefox is a better choice.
 
jrista said:
....wait...you abandoned Firefox?

You understand that it was Firefox WARNING you about the addon, and telling you to make sure you read about what was going on and CONSENT...BEFORE installing/using the addon, right?
Click to expand...
@jrista

NO !! . . . I did not ever give my consent for a stated pending installation. The installation was obviously already done. . It may not have been FULLY activated although it certainly did prevent my using Firefox to do the things I had become accustomed to doing on a regular basis.

Can you imagine being cut off from using Wikipedia by the screen which the addon threw up ?

I don't know if I am blaming the wrong actor, but Firefox gets the blame because of the addon being associated with them on (nearly) every launch of Firefox.

In my opinion, if that happens then Firefox is cupable through asssociation AT LEAST ! .

I may not have a full understanding of all the processes and actors involved, but I know how crummy I felt not being able to do what I wanted to do . . . without "risk", perceived or otherwise.

I am sure that you get my point.

Firefox did not present the scenario as a WARNING in any way !!!!!
NEVER did I see the word "WARNING".
NEVER did I see that my permission was going to "activate" (or whatever is the right word) something that I would dearly love to have or even find useful in any way.
The culpability is well and truly there and things should not be done in such an underhanded way.

If you read my last post before this one, you will see that I have solved the problem (for the present ?) and have returned to using Firefox . . THE browser, in your opinion.

By the way . . . . thanks for your input, even tho' I don't fully understand all the issues that may be involved.
 
Mal (@magpens) figured it out for himself before I saw this thread, but I want to add a few comments for him and others. I have some small experience in this area. My comments are wide-ranging, but related to what happened to Mal:

1. Nobody and nothing should install ANY software on YOUR computer without your knowledge and explicit authorization. By "software" I mean anything that runs on your computer, including browser Add-ons, plug-ins, and extensions. By "authorization", I prefer "authenticated authorization" where you must enter your password to confirm your approval, rather than just clicking an "OK" button. Whichever browser you use, check the Options or Preferences to make sure that nothing can be installed without your prior approval.
-> Check your operating system and browser Options / Preferences to be sure that add-ons, plug-ins, extensions, or any other software cannot be installed without your consent.

NOTE: There is an exception: I recommend that typical inexperienced users enable automatic updates for their operating system as well as the antivirus/anti-malware software on their systems. (An example is Microsoft "Windows Update" which is built into Windows.) Those updates maintain the security of your computer or device.

2. Carefully read all pop-up dialog boxes before clicking the OK button. You should be especially cautious if you are prompted to enter your password or (eek!) an administrator password. In all cases, be wary any time that an action is requested when you did not initiate it yourself.
-> I am curious to know the exact steps that were taken to install the ManualsLib add-on on Mal's computer. If it was truly automatic, then there must be a setting somewhere to require authorization for installing such software.

(A long time ago, I attended a lecture on this subject. The speaker talked about how "Users swat away dialog boxes like flies on the screen." He ran a test where a pop-up dialog box would appear at a random time. The dialog box read, "Erase your hard disk and wipe all your data now?" The buttons were the default "OK" and "Cancel". [It was just a test. The disks were not actually changed or erased.] I don't remember the exact percentage of people who clicked OK, but it was something around 60-80%. Sadly, I was not surprised by the 80% result.)

3. Add-ons/plug-ins/extensions are software programs that may do much more than the "feature" they provide. A lot of that functionality happens in the background without your knowledge.
-> I recommend that you keep the installed number to an absolute minimum. In one browser, I have two extensions - one of which is a password manager. The other browsers have none.

4. Everybody wants to get their custom app, add-on, or other software installed on your computer or phone. Ask yourself what special features they provide to YOU that an ordinary browser cannot provide. Why a special app or add-on? What does it do in the background? What personal data does it see and collect? Where does that data go?

ManualsLib Comments:
These comments are based on my personal observations and the conclusions I derived from them. The facts are what they are, but the interpretations are mine. They are subject to discussion and change. You may disagree with me and I won't complain.

ManualsLib has gathered what is arguably the largest general collection of user manuals on the internet. ManualsLib is not like the Gutenberg Project and its free books. I believe that ManualsLib is focused on monetizing their collection of user manuals. ManualsLib wants to maximize their profits as much as possible.

One way that ManualsLib does that is by forcing you to install their software programs on your devices - the add-ons, apps, plug-ins, or whatever. They do not want you to have direct access to the full PDF copies of the user manuals and bypass their software. I don't know what their software actually does, and that bothers me enough. If the ManualsLib website recognizes your browser and operating system, they will try to force you towards their software products to install, rather than making a direct PDF download link available.

What I learned is that if you are using a browser/OS that ManualsLib does not recognize or have an add-on for, then they will make a direct download link available for the PDF file. That is what I do. By the way, I check them all on the VirusTotal website before opening them.

I am using an older Safari on an older macOS to access those direct-download PDF links. I do not know whether the newest Safari on the newest macOS does the same, nor do I know whether Safari on Windows would work, but you get the idea.

(For highly experienced LEET HAXORS only: Some browsers will let you change their identifying information so that they look like a different browser on a different operating system. Try that.)
 
jrista said:
I think you are blaming the wrong actor here. Firefox has become a very secure browser, much more secure than any Chrome-based browser. Because we live in a world now where monopolies are apparently ok, Chrome has literally taken over almost all of the web. Chrome of course is Chrome. Opera is Chrome. Microsoft Edge is Chrome. Brave is Chrome. Etc. Etc. Google produces their Chrome browser...and they have also published the core browser "engine" as something called Chromium, which is what all those other browsers are built around.
Click to expand...
Incorrect. Brave was developed by Brave software, and is not beholden to any other tech company.
The browser is based off of the Chromium infrastructure, but is not in any way affiliated with Google.
Brave was co-founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and a co-founder of Mozilla.
Brave doesn't track it's users, and no data is stored. Just can't say the same for Google.
 
pewink said:
Incorrect. Brave was developed by Brave software, and is not beholden to any other tech company.
The browser is based off of the Chromium infrastructure, but is not in any way affiliated with Google.
Brave was co-founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and a co-founder of Mozilla.
Brave doesn't track it's users, and no data is stored. Just can't say the same for Google.
Click to expand...
Brave is developed with Chromium at its core. It is affiliated with Google, because Google is by far the single largest contributor to Chromium, the host of its source code, and its primary sponsor. Now I guess I haven't checked into whether Brave has made extensive modifications to the Chromium codebase or not to make it more secure, but there have been countless issues over the years tracking google call-homes within the base chromium codebase.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom