Referrer is a variable that is automatically submitted when accessing sites on the Internet. If you click on the link to the RefControl Firefox add-on on my site the Mozilla website will see the url of this article as the referrer which simply means the site the user came from. Sometimes the referrer is empty if you enter a url directly in the location bar.
Controlling the referrer variable can be useful under two circumstances. The first is plain paranoia. You do not want that sites can track your movement or know where you came from. This is probably going a bit far but some might find it useful. A far more interesting circumstance is the second in my opinion. Some websites protect their content by using referrer checks.
If you take the Wallstreet Journal Online site for instance. They check if a visitor came from Digg and if he did show him the whole article. If you open the site directly you only see an extract of it normally.
RefControl is a Firefox add-on that can change the referrer on a per site basis. If you want to use digg.com as the referrer when visiting wjo.com and the normal referrer on any other site then this is your extension.
By default the normal referrer is being used if no matching site is found in the user edited list of sites.
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.Related Articles:
RequestPolicy For Firefox Gives You Control Over Cross-Site ConnectionsControl Javascript Events in Firefox
Firefox Search Engine Security Add-On, Protects Against Referred-Based Attacks
Apple and AT&T Will Learn that User Agents are no good for access control
Gamer’s Control Makes Firefox Gamer Friendly