Image Load Control is a simple image blocker for Firefox
Image Load Control is a browser extension for Mozilla’s Firefox web browser to block the loading of images on sites. The extension includes blacklist / whitelist functionality to block or allow uploading to selected sites.
Firefox includes native options to disable the loading of images on sites. The downside to using it is that it works globally only, which means it is on or off, and it is controlled by a preference, which means it is not easily changed. Firefox included a front end setting once to toggle image loading for sites, but Mozilla removed it.
To use it, Firefox users must change the preference permissions.default.image; This can be done by loading about: config in the browser’s address bar.
A value of 1 is the default and means that Firefox will load all images. A value of 2 blocks the loading of all images, a value of 3 only the loading of third-party images.
Image Load Control adds granularity to image locking functionality. Rather than using an all-or-nothing approach, it allows users to configure image loading by source. You can block the upload of all images on sites with many images to speed up the upload, block images on all sites except selected sites, or block images on sites that may post inappropriate images.
The extension blocks the loading of all images on all sites by default. Once installed, it works automatically on all sites that load or reload in Firefox.
Image Load Control adds an icon to the Firefox address bar; This icon controls the loading behavior of the images. Click the icon to toggle the functionality, that is, from block to allow or allow to block.
There are no other controls available. The extension keeps logs of all changes it makes to blocking behavior, but you cannot access the list or add sites manually.
Other browsers
Other browsers include options to block the loading of images on sites. Google Chrome has such an option in the browser’s site settings. Clicking on a site icon in front of the address and selecting Site Settings opens the site. There you will find an option to block the loading of “images” on the site in question.
Vivaldi tops this with a toggle on its bottom toolbar to allow or disable the loading of images or animations in the web browser.
Closing words
Image blocking used to be a good solution in the days of dial-up internet connections to speed up site loading. It’s unclear if it had anything to do with the widespread use of animated images on web pages during that time, but they may have played a role.
The Firefox plugin does a good job, but you need a switch to set the global option to allow by default. As is, it blocks loading on all sites unless you allow a site to upload images.
Now you: Do you block images on certain sites or have you done so in the past?
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