All websites regularly loose permissions

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @ss9227

@ss9227 At the bottom of the page at the URL opera://settings/content, make sure "Automatically remove permissions from unused sites" is disabled and restart Opera. The setting being enabled shouldn't remove permissions as fast as you're seeing, but maybe the setting is buggy.

Also, make sure you're not clearing "site settings" when clearing things at the URL opera://settings/clearBrowserData.

You can also see if it happens in a test standalone installation. If it doesn't, there might be an issue with your normal installation. For example, it could be due to syncing settings with Opera Sync. Or, it could be permission issues with your profile folder.

To fix permission issues with your profile folder, if you're on Windows, while Opera is closed, in Windows Explorer (File Explorer), with "file extensions" and "hidden items" enabled under "View -> Show", in both "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming" and "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local", right-click on the "Opera Software" folder, goto "properties", click the read only box to clear it (so it's all white) and click apply. Then, switch to the "Security" tab, make sure your username is in the user list and make sure it has full control (all permissions set to "allow" except "special permissions"). Click apply if you had to change anything there and OK out.

Your profile could be corrupted. Starting completely fresh with fresh data and settings by closing Opera and renaming the "Opera Stable" folder to "Opera Stable old" in both "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software" and "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Opera Software", and then going to https://www.sync.opera.com/ in another browser, logging in and choosing "reset passphrase" to wipe out all your Sync data, might fix things.

If it's specific to notifications, in settings in Windows, goto "System -> Notifications" and make sure "Notifications" are on, "Do not disturb" is off, "Turn on do not disturb automatically" is off, "Focus" is off and make sure Opera is listed in the app list below. If Opera isn't there, goto https://cleverpush.com/en/test-notifications/ in Opera and try the "Greetings" test multiple times (and allow it when asked). That should get Opera in the list. With Opera in the list, click it and make sure its settings are all on and correct. Also, in the notification center in Windows, clear any existing notifications from Opera.

Also, make sure you don't have any apps like CCleaner installed on your system that clear things in Opera's profile and cache folders.

You can also uninstall Opera (do not choose to delete your data when uninstalling), delete the install folder afterwards, download the Opera installer in whatever browser you want, launch the installer, click "options", adjust everything how you like and install. That can fix corrupted Opera program files.

Besides all that though, it might just be a bug.

MichaIng

MichaIng @burnout426

@burnout426
As I mentioned above, "Automatically remove permissions from unused sites" has no effect on this.

Site settings are not cleared when the browser is stopping. It really is the permissions which vanish mid operation, while the website is open, mid WebRTC video call, in case.

I do not use Opera Sync, I keep the instance logged out.

Profile permissions are fine. As I mentioned above, I can see the respective permissions set in the JSON file, and I can see them removed again at some point.

I did start with an entirely fresh Opera instance and profile at some point. But the issue reappeared. But IIRC it really appeared after some while, like some weeks, not immediately.

It is not limited to notifications, but to all website permissions, like microphone and camera access, which is why WebRTC video calls break down in the middle of calls.

I do not use CCleaner or similar, only Opera accesses its profile dir.

It certainly is a bug. But as of the low number of users joining in here, it might not affect all instances, but have some condition. First I thought it might be that I use a portable instance, but others here use an installed instance as well.

ss9227

ss9227

"Automatically remove permissions from unused sites" is disabled.
I don't clear "site settings" (on exit) and Opera don't allow me to enable it coz I have sync on.
AppData Roaming and Local:

"click the read only box to clear it": didn't help,
"Security" tab: it's everything fine there.
"Reset passphrase": I done it, additionally I turned off "Settings" sync this time: didn't help.
"System -> Notifications" it's everything fine there... Notifications works as long as Opera doesn't remove them.
CCleaner etc - I don't use apps like that.

Standalone installation / completely fresh profile - I might test this out if I find the time, but like @MichaIng wrote, I'm afraid the problem will return and my efforts will go to waste

I use installed and synced instance but I se here are users with portable and logged out instalation and have the same problem.
And as I wrote previously - this also applies to camera and microphone permissions, but I use notifications every day and I notice their absence immediately. So I specifically gave cam+mic permissions to some website fot test and they disappeared exactly when the notifications also disappeared. It took about 7 hours.

burnout426

burnout426 Volunteer @ss9227

@ss9227 OK. Definitely strange.

stephen4

stephen4

That sounds really frustrating, especially when the permissions disappear right in the middle of a video call.

kamaliya67

kamaliya67

It’s quite frustrating when a permission that was already granted suddenly needs to be approved again. Hopefully this can be tracked down, because it seems to happen across different setups and isn’t limited to portable installations.

ss9227

ss9227

Workaround that works for me so far: always start Opera with the command-line flag --disable-features=DIPS.

Since I did that, my site permissions (notifications etc.) have stopped disappearing.

On Windows just add it in shortcut properties e.g.
"C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe" --disable-features=DIPS
If Opera gets started some other way (by clicking a link in another app etc), it runs without the flag.

MichaIng

MichaIng @ss9227

@ss9227
I'll try it out.

But for everyone else: DIPS, renamed to BTM in the meantime, is a privacy feature of Chromium, which mitigates bounce tracking, i.e. if links do not point to the actual target website, but an intermediate website, which only sets a tracking cookie, and redirects you further to the actual target website, that way bypassing 3rd party cookie blocks. Chromium e.g. prevents this tracking cookie to be set, and it might also reset permissions for websites detected for bounce tracking. More details: https://github.com/chromium/chromium/blob/main/content/browser/btm/README.md

It is possible that Opera breaks this feature with downstream patches, so that it detects regular websites as bounce tracker ones, and then resets their permissions.

But I would not recommend to disable this feature for production, as it makes you vulnerable for being tracked across websites.

ss9227

ss9227

Update: in my case there is a "second" way to stop the permissions from disappearing. Instead of using --disable-features=DIPS, I switched Settings > Privacy & security > Third-party cookies to "Allow third-party cookies". I ran Opera like that for a week and no permissions were lost.

When I switched back to "Block third-party cookies", they were wiped again within about two hours.

So the DIPS / Bounce Tracking Mitigations cleanup is tied to blocking third-party cookies: it only runs when they are blocked. With third-party cookies allowed it does nothing and permissions are not deleted. Keep in mind that allowing third-party cookies makes cross-site tracking easier, so the flag is the more privacy-friendly workaround.

This looks like a wired bug in Opera: the cleanup should only clear data of the tracking sites it flags, but it removes notification, location, camera and microphone permissions for all sites. I have just reported it to Opera with the details.

What puzzles me is how few users report this. Do people simply not notice, or are there other, rarer conditions involved that I'm not aware of?

MichaIng

MichaIng @ss9227

@ss9227 I tested --disable-features=DIPS, and it increases the time until permissions are lost, or adds some one-time longer delay, until permissions are lost again, but it does not "solve" the issue. When I added this to my Opera startup link, permissions remained stable for maybe a week, before the issue reappeared. Afterwards, it happened again much sooner, though I did not test yet whether every 1-2 hour like before.

Allowing 3rd party cookies is even worse than disabling DIPS, as the latter is meant to make disabling 3rd party cookies more reliable. I won't test this, as I do not want to make it too easy for advertisement networks to track me across websites.

But that this has an effect as well for you, shows that the bug is somehow tied into the 3rd party cookie/privacy protection stuff. But while it has an effect, it does not seem to be the exact trigger for the lost permissions.

ss9227

ss9227 @MichaIng

It is very strange that this problem keeps coming back, just when things seem to be going well.

@MichaIng You said that

I installed Opera stable completely freshly, did not migrate my profile, setting or any such, and after some days/weeks of usage, the issue reappeared.

that's why I don't even feel like trying to set up a new profile

When I added this to my Opera startup link, permissions remained stable for maybe a week, before the issue reappeared.

I can check that, I'll try running the browser that way for as long as possible. It might not work, however, because the browser can be launched via other triggers without the -disable-features=DIPS flag.