Anyone else find Ghostery a nuisance?

[ppppenguin]

Unless Linux Mint instals an ad blocker as standard (i think it uses Firefox as its standard browser) then I don't know why you don't get ads. Modern browsers normally suppress popups on all operating systems unless you explicitly allow them.

As for trackers and 3rd party cookies,  unless you're using Ghostery  or something similar you'll never know about them.

Incidentally, Linux is not totally immune to viruses etc. A lot safer than Windows but I read this advice here: https://www.howtogeek.com/135392/htg-exp...en-you-do/

• Keep Your Software Updated: In an age when browsers and their plug-ins – particularly Java and Flash – are the top targets, staying up-to-date with the latest security patches is important. The biggest malware problem on Mac OS X was caused by the Java plug-in. With a cross-platform piece of software like Java, the same vulnerability can work on Windows, Mac, and Linux. On Linux, you can update all your software with a single, integrated updater.
  
• Beware Phishing: Phishing – the practice of creating websites that pretend to be other websites – is just as dangerous on Linux or Chrome OS as it is on Windows. If you visit a website that pretends to be your bank’s website and enter your banking information, you are in trouble. Luckily, browsers like Firefox and Chrome on Linux have the same anti-phishing filter they do on Windows. You don’t need an Internet security suite to protect against phishing. (However, bear in mind that the phishing filter doesn’t catch everything.)
  
• Don’t Run Commands You Don’t Trust: The Linux command prompt is powerful. Before you copy-paste a command you read somewhere into the terminal, ask yourself whether you trust the source. It could be one of the 8 Deadly Commands You Should Never Run on Linux.