About the required permissions

"Access your data on all web sites"

Since first version.

• To be able to inspect all net requests so that they can be cancelled if needed.
  • Only on http- and https-based URL addresses.

See code:

• chrome.webRequest

"Access your tabs and browsing activity"

Since first version.

This is necessary to be able to:

• Create new tabs (when you click on a filter list, to see its content)
• To detect when a tab is added or removed:
• To update badge
• To flush from memory internal data structures
• To find out which tab is currently active (to fill popup menu with associated stats/settings)
• To be able to inject the element picker script
• To implement the popup-blocker

See code:

• chrome.tabs
• chrome.webNavigation

"Change your privacy-related settings"

Since version 0.9.8.2.

This is necessary to be able to:

• Disable "Prefetch resources to load pages more quickly"
  • This will ensure no TCP connection is opened at all for blocked requests: It's for your own protection privacy-wise.^[1]
  • For pages with lots for blocked requests, this will actually remove overhead from page load (if you did not have the setting already disabled).

See code:

• chrome.privacy.network

_{[1] Merely opening a TCP connection leaks your IP address to the remote server -- this is incompatible with an extension which primary purpose is to completely prevent connections to remove server, not just merely prevent the transfer of data.}