Privacy on the Internet is important because privacy risks range from the gathering of statistics on users to more malicious acts such as the spreading of spyware and the exploitation of various forms of bugs (software faults). Many companies, such as Google, track which websites people visit and then use the information, for instance by sending advertising based on one’s web browsing history. Sometimes prices on products are changed on the same website, depending on tracking information, and two people may view the exact same product on the exact same website yet be presented with very different prices.
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The problem is that your offline CA stores won’t use OCSP revocation logs or certificate transparency. You need live updates for those. The latter is especially important, as without it you’re completely dependent on one group of CAs.
Usually not so fast, download a list is still needed (e.g. if there are security problems with some CA). IMHO, a completely “mute” browser isn’t necessarily good, but of course every connection should be explained
If you’re concerned about your browser “phoning home”, you can find out exactly what it’s chattering about using key logs and a packet sniffer (I recommend Wireshark or derivatives). Key logs are required for decrypting TLS traffic, and Firefox + Chromium support them.
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