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FAQ \ Known quirks

Sebastian Zimmeck edited this page Jun 9, 2024 · 13 revisions

Is it possible that OptMeowt causes some sites to not load properly? What can I do?

Yes, that is possible. As OptMeowt is injecting a Global Privacy Control signal, a Do Not Track signal, and opt out cookies into sites it may be that some sites will not load properly. As a temporary fix, you can disable OptMeowt on such sites. In addition, we would appreciate if you could let us know of such sites and file an issue.

Why does OptMeowt switch Enabled/Domain List/Disabled to Domain List on its own?

(Refers to Fix possible settings bug that reverts from "enabled" to "domain list" #127 )

Sometimes you may notice that, even if you do not explicitly ask OptMeowt to do so, when you visit the OptMeowt Settings page, the extension on/off mode will be switched to Domain List. Though OptMeowt defaults to Enabled when first installed, if you click on any of the domain on/off switches from inside the extension popup, OptMeowt will automatically switch to the Domain List mode for you.

The reason for this is that the Domain List option functions as a customization mode which sends Do Not Sell signals according to your per-domain preferences (saved in the Domain List accordingly). If you turn off a domain so that it will no longer receive Do Not Sell signals, we presume that you would like that preference to take place automatically and hence we switch away from the Enabled option to the Domain List.

At the same time, Enabled will send Do Not Sell signals to all of your visited domains, regardless of your Domain List.

Why does OptMeowt cause me to log out of Google/Facebook/GitHub, etc.?

(Refers to Disabling a site's domain logs you out of that site #130 )

If you remove a given domain from the Domain List from within the popup and refresh the page, you may find that the site you are on may log you out if you are signed in. This is due to how we clear our placed Do Not Sell signals, in particular, Do Not Sell cookies. It is difficult to distinguish between which cookies are intended to convey your preference for Do Not Sell and which are not, so in order to remove your preference we clear all cookies on the first party domain.

Why is there a 404 error on my browser's console about /.well-known/gpc.json?

(Refers to 404 Error When .Well Know Not Found #138 )

When viewing your browser's console on a site you are sending GPC signals to, a 404 error regarding the site's GPC status file (/.well-known/gpc.json), may be shown. Note that this is perfectly normal, and will occur frequently (1) on sites that do not support GPC and (2) may even occur on sites that do respect GPC simply if the website does not host such a (/.well-known/gpc.json) file.

Why is the green ring missing on the OptMeowt browser icon on some sites?

OptMeowt is limited by individual sites' Content Security Policy (CSP) to send GPC signals. Sites on which OptMeowt is not able to inject a GPC signal can be identified by the browser icon not having the little green ring.

Why does OptMeowt enable itself after being disabled?

(Refers to Extension Enabling Itself #372 )

Sometimes when using OptMeowt in a Chrome browser, you may notice that after disabling OptMeowt either in the settings page or on the popup, it becomes enabled again. To ensure that OptMeowt stays disabled in a Chrome browser, you can manually turn it off in Chrome’s extension page (chrome://extensions/).

Why does Google Meet display a warning banner?

(Refers to Google Meet displays a warning banner #442)

When using OptMeowt in a Chrome browser and opening a Google Meet meeting a warning message may display that reads "You have extensions installed that may affect the quality of your call." This is due to how we set the GPC signal with script injections, and will not actually impact the quality of your call. To keep this banner from appearing, you can disable the extension manually on Chrome's extension page (chrome://extensions/).

Why does OptMeowt log me out of Watertown Savings Bank?

(Refers to OptMeowt causes my online bank to LogMeowt #441)

When using the OptMeowt browser extension and logging into Watertown Savings Bank, you may receive an alert that says "For security reasons, your session has ended. Log in again." To avoid this, you can disable the extension manually on Chrome's extension page (chrome://extensions/).