WebToppings: Surfly browsing without the “co-“
In our Interaction Middleware intro a month ago we promised more proxy-related announcements. And it is finally here!
Meet WebToppings
Today we officially launch a new project called WebToppings. It is a free service that enhances normal browsing by applying extra functionality layers (“toppings”) on top of the browsed websites. At launch, there are three toppings available:
- Annotations: This allows you to leave text-based annotations on the pages you visit. Annotations are stored locally in your browser, so only you will have access to them.
- Translation: this is an alternative to the Google Translate browser extension, that allows you to instantly translate selected text to any language.
- Privacy Protection. This topping protects user privacy by making modifications to the HTTP traffic and client-side code. This prevents most common tracking and “fingerprinting” techniques used on the web.
Because WebToppings is built on Surfly’s Interaction Middleware, you don’t need to install anything on your computer. All you need is a modern browser (we support Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari). Type a URL you want to browse, pick an optional topping and you’re ready to browse!
Spiritual Successor to Surfly Labs
WebToppings is a spiritual successor to Surfly Labs experiments that we started back in 2017. But this time it’s not just a demonstration of our technology, we hope that users find it helpful and useful by itself. The plan is to maintain and improve this over time by adding more toppings and increasing compatibility with websites. We will also keep in touch with the community, and listen to users while prioritizing work on new features and improvements.
Let us know your thoughts
We are eager to hear your feedback! You can use the Feedback button on the WebToppings page, or just send us an email.