Data is one of today’s key ingredients for generating revenue. Online advertising companies can use web browsing histories to fingerprint individual browsers over time, creating shadow user profiles to reveal information including a user’s interests, product searches, and more – which can lead to targeted advertising. Researchers from Firefox-maker Mozilla conducted a study in 2020 with 52,000 Firefox users which revealed it is more difficult than ever to ensure total privacy online. They warned Google and Facebook’s tight grip on online advertising makes re-identification through browsing histories an even more pressing privacy problem today. When you look for a privacy-focused browser, you will want to investigate how advertising trackers and cookies are managed; whether or not search histories are stored or shared, and whether or not the browser developer has a transparent privacy policy in place. Below, I’ve shared my top recommendations for secure browsers for privacy in 2023. Also: The best travel VPNs (and whether it’s enough to protect you)
Brave is a Chromium-based browser that blocks ads, fingerprinting, and ad trackers by default. Brave supports millions of users worldwide. The organization’s business model relies on privacy-protecting ads that pay publishers and users when users pay attention to ads. The company is transparent about this revenue stream, and it is optional – with users rewarded in crypto tokens if they opt-in to ad viewing. Review: Brave browser: The bad and the ugly Brave has several privacy-enhancing settings, including options to block third-party ad trackers, upgrade unsecured connections to HTTPS, as well as block cookies and fingerprinting. Invasive ads and trackers are disabled, which the company says then improves loading times on desktop and mobile. Brave removed Google code from its Chromium to improve user privacy, including some account integration, background sync, and inline extensions. There is also a ‘Tor mode’ available for use, which provides anonymized onion network routing. Firefox is a must-have for individual browser privacy across multiple devices. One of Firefox’s most important privacy features is enhanced tracking protection. Mozilla has also borrowed Tor techniques to block browser fingerprinting, and Firefox developers are on a constant quest to improve tracking-prevention features. Firefox is rich with choices to customize the browser for privacy The standard enhanced tracking prevention blocks social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, and blocks tracking in private windows, crypto miners, and fingerprinting scripts. There is a “strict” mode, too, that might break some sites when trackers are hidden in content, but there are ways to whitelist enhanced tracking protection for trusted sites. Also: What is Firefox Nightly and should you be using it? The other option for Firefox fans is Firefox Focus, a privacy-focused browser for iOS and Android that blocks trackers and has a built-in ad blocker. Mozilla also offers a VPN, with the option to connect up to 5 devices to over 500 servers in more than 30 countries. When it comes to DuckDuckGo, user privacy comes first. The privacy-focused search engine is a vocal supporter of consumer privacy rights and now handles millions of user search queries daily. DuckDuckGo and the rise of encrypted messaging app Signal show there is a growing appetite for privacy-focused alternatives to tech giants like Facebook and Google. DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Essentials extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft’s Edge has proven popular. Its reputation is built on the idea that it does not collect user data but can provide the same search results as those that do. Also: DuckDuckGo brings its privacy-focused browser to Macs DuckDuckGo is a search engine rather than a full browser, but the software is still recommended as an extension or as a mobile solution. The organization’s mobile app provides a private search, website protection and blockers, web encryption, and more. Another great choice for improving your privacy on the web is the Tor browser, a non-profit project focused on anonymizing users online. Their proprietary web browser disguises a user’s IP address and activity by relaying it through a network of servers (nodes) run by volunteers. By bouncing your information around so much, it makes things exceptionally difficult to track, which is great if you don’t want your ISP or anyone else spying on your online activity. Tor can be a crucial tool for people avoiding censorship, whistleblowers, journalists, and activists. The Tor browser is also a popular choice for accessing the deep web: a collection of websites and pages that are inaccessible through traditional means, like search engines, in what is known as the ‘clear’ web. Also: How to use Tor browser (and why you should) The Tor browser’s default search engine is DuckDuckGo, which will not log or store your search queries. While it isn’t a mainstream browser choice, the Tor browser is a well-regarded browser for people who don’t want to be tracked across the web, and it gets updated frequently by the Tor Project. Page loads in the Tor browser can be slower and some sites might not work well due to the architecture of the Tor network. Nonetheless, the Tor browser is a privacy-preserving browser worthy of consideration. Mullvad is a new entry to the secure browser market. Not to be confused with the Tor browser, the Mullvad Browser is marketed as the “Tor Browser without the Tor network.” The browser is built by the Tor Project team and distributed by Mullvad, a well-respected Swedish virtual private network provider. The idea behind the browser is to emulate the Tor network by creating a similar fingerprint for all users, improving anonymity. Furthermore, the browser comes with a private mode out of the box, tracking and cookies are blocked, and online functions used to extract information from visitors – such as device identifiers – are prevented. You can use the browser as a standalone product, or you can combine it with Mullvad VPN. Also: How to delete yourself from internet search results and hide your identity online I can recommend a few basic steps to take: download a privacy-first browser that doesn’t log your queries and activities, install a VPN, and use messaging apps with end-to-end encryption. Furthermore, if you want to keep your email communications private, you should consider an encrypted email service like Proton Mail. Also: The best VPN services (and whether it’s worth trying free VPNs) If you want to block your IP address from being viewed or tracked, you can download a VPN, which masks your IP address so your service provider (or anyone else, for that matter) can’t see what you’re doing. To prevent this, avoid using your real name online where possible, turn off location tracking, and don’t post about your place of work if you can help it. All it takes is a single piece of personal information for someone with very bad intentions to get ahold of your entire online presence – and so if you’re posting photos of you away from home and on holiday, for example, you’re letting people know your home is vulnerable. Also: The best security keys Those innocent-looking name generator memes are another big issue; the ones that have you type out your first pet’s name and your childhood street name (or something similar) to make up a gnome (or whatever) name. These are answers to common password recovery questions, so by letting the world know that your Christmas elf name is Fluffy Elm Street, you could be handing over all of your personal accounts to internet criminals. The browsers I’ve recommended above can help tighten up your defenses against tracking and online monitoring, but as no browser is a perfect solution, you may also want to consider the alternatives below:
