Shell script for a really private temporary Vivaldi session
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Here is a small script (which can be added to Vivaldi's .desktop file as another Action) to open a really private and temporary session of Vivaldi under Linux:
#!/usr/bin/env sh vivaldi_temp() { DATA_DIR="$(mktemp -d -t 'vivaldi-temp_data_dir.XXXXXXXXXX')" vivaldi-stable --incognito --no-first-run --disable-sync --user-data-dir="${DATA_DIR}" rm -rf "${DATA_DIR}" } unmaximize_window() { wmctrl -ir $(wmctrl -l | grep "Private Window Introduction - Vivaldi" | cut -d ' ' -f 1) -b remove,maximized_vert,maximized_horz } vivaldi_temp & sleep 3 unmaximize_window exit 0
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@Sadi58 Might be private in that it doesn’t leave a trail on your system, but you are running Vivaldi with no setup at all. Speak no special themes, settings, extensions like adblockers, password management… the list goes on. Why not use Tor browser instead, which has protections already in place and leaves no trail on your system either?
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Won't the
vivaldi-stable
fork and therm
be run directly after? Not sure how the Linux launch script works here.Also, no point really in using a private window (incognito flag) if you're going to erase afterwards, unless you just want the special theme
In addition,
rm
will just delete the pointers in the file table, the data will still exists on disk, unless you use something likewipe
.You also need to use
rm -rf
unless you want to be asked every time to delete the tmp dir. Unless it's already aliased to do-f
, which would be a Very Bad IdeaBut a good idea still
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@Sadi58 said in A really private temporary session?:
a really private and temporary session
What does this mean in pragmatic terms? What is the use-case for this? Atm i do not get the point of this.
I run V in Firejail, with its cache in the /tmp tmpfs, within a VPN, & with uMatrix dynamic filters actively used. In what way is your initiative providing some additional benefit here? Pls note: i am not being argumentative, only confused.
If, as i now suspect, your intention is for a session leaving no fingerprint in your pc afterwards in order to withstand oppressive governmental physical audit, maybe V is not the right arrangement at all & instead something like TAILS should be used? Or... run everything from an immutable USB stick?
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@luetage Yes, you're right, this is in no way as private as Tor Browser, but surely more private than Vivaldi's own "Private Window" session, which is so far from being private that it even has access to all my stored passwords!
@Pathduck I have no such alias, but I'm not asked at all while deleting that user created directory under /tmp. Anyway I've added -f also just in case.
@Steffie I think this is just a step ahead of Vivaldi's own "Private Window" (which enables access to all user passwords!) and "Guest Window".
The use-case is like this. Imagine someone asked to use your laptop to do something on the Internet. You can simply open such a Private and Temporary Session of Vivaldi, without even first opening a regular Vivaldi window and then opening a "Guest Window" from within, or without directly starting Vivaldi's so-called "Private Window" (--incognito) that enables access to your stored login credentials. -
@Sadi58 said in Shell script for a really private temporary Vivaldi session:
Imagine someone asked to use your laptop to do something on the Internet. You can simply open such a Private and Temporary Session of Vivaldi, without even first opening a regular Vivaldi window and then opening a "Guest Window" from within
there's the --guest switch for it, you only need a shortcut, or
vivaldi-stable --guest
from the terminal. Yes it's not the best (the rest should be taken care by policies I guess) but you wouldn't leave your laptop unattendant to someone else in the first place.But anyway, a new script maybe helpful to someone, I would put it in the mod section though.
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