ok first read the following link from a security website "Gibson research corporation" about "download helpers" reporting home with unique identifiers and file-names along with other identifying info. Story posted in 2000 but still has relevance to today's question. https://www.grc.com/downloaders.htm What I would like to know is if add-on "Video Downloadhelper" does the same thing? (reporting home what people are downloading with some kind of unique ID attached to it, (to identify people {unique ID} and the specific files they are downloading.) I can see motivation behind doing such a thing as a means to generate profits on the side by selling user download histories to interested parties. Or just plain sloppy programming. I really do not know, which is why I am asking here. If you do not understand why this is of a concern, I will spell it out for you. If a group sees your entire download history and do not like the content to which you download, they could target you for retaliatory actions. using said download history. (Make your life hell) For example NSA/CIA/FBI accesses the "download history with unique identifiers" collected by Realnetwork's "Realdownload"(formerly "demon download" a download helper) {The relevance is on the linked security site above}. You been downloading files and programs related to "encryption" like "truecrypt" and disk erasers like "deban". NSA has openly claimed people who try to protect their privacy as "adversaries" (the enemy) along with the general population. Then NSA/CIA/FBI uses the download history as proof that you are a trouble maker/domestic terrorist(adversary). (Not real proof, your just viewed as "adversary" because you exercised your right to privacy or other rights protected under constitution and laws). Think "The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz" Regarding being targeted by NSA/CIA/FBI as an activist or someone who exercises their rights, who they view as "needing to be made example of as a trouble maker" for going against the establishment. Reason I used NSA/CIA/FBI as the example is of their view that all Americans in the general public is considered Adversaries to these agencies. We now know this in light of Snowden's Leak. These organizations have been and are now openly a threat to the American people. Because of their view of us as adversaries , Not because any of us did anything wrong. Because of this threat, our privacy has become vital for own survival. And thus our Activities need to be protected from prying eyes, no matter how trivial those activities may seem. When enough data is collected any person can be painted in a manor as to look as if they were bad people, like "Aaron Swartz" was. When in reality we are law abiding citizens. I think it would be prudent that Mozilla consider making a rule (if one does not exist yet) that addon that are used in firefox must not contain reporting home functions, unless it is exclusively crash report type content. And that any-kind of identifier must not be attached to any content "reported home" Identifiers also include fingerprinting of any kind (like browser fingerprints, and canvas fingerprints, unique strings of code that is static to a single computer. etc)