A secure browser that protects your privacy is a critical tool for staying safe online and keeping your data secure from third parties. We have been reviewing, testing, and ranking browsers for the past six years and this guide contains the latest recommendations for 2022.
Do you want a secure browser that truly keeps your data private? Well, you may be surprised by how much of your data is actually getting exposed.
WARNING: Many browsers today are actually data collection tools for advertising companies. This is the case for Google Chrome, the largest and most popular browser. By collecting data through your browser, these companies can make money through their advertising partners with targeted ads. We see this same privacy-abusing business model with search engines, email services, and even free mobile apps.
Unless properly configured, most browsers contain lots of private information that can be exploited – or simply collected – by various third parties:
- Browsing history: all the websites you visit
- Login credentials: usernames and passwords
- Cookies and trackers: these are placed on your browser by the sites you visit
- Autofill information: names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.
And as we will explain further below, using “private” or “incognito” browsing will not protect you. Your IP address will remain exposed and various third parties can still track all of your activities. But you don’t even need to take my word for it. Here is a headline that illustrates the lengths companies will go to collect your browsing activities.
And even with a locked-down and hardened browser, there may still be exploits that reveal your data and potential identity. For example, Google Chrome announced a severe zero-day flaw that could allow hackers to remotely execute code on affected systems. We discuss some other privacy issues (and solutions) in our guides on browser fingerprinting and also WebRTC leaks.
But don’t let this stress you out. There are effective solutions and tools that we will cover in detail below. In this browser security and privacy guide, we’re going to explain the following topics:
- Best secure browsers that respect your privacy
- Problems with other browsers
- Browser privacy compartmentalization
- Secure browser add-ons
- “Private browsing” mode is NOT very private (and why you need a VPN)
Incognito / Private browsing mode leaves you exposed
When using “private” or “incognito” browsing mode in your browser, your real IP address and location are still being revealed to every website, ad, and tracker that loads in your browser. Additionally, all your activities remain visible to your internet service provider (ISP). And as we have recently learned, ISPs log everything you do online and share the data with many other parties. This is why it’s critical to use a good VPN for basic digital privacy.
The best way to achieve true privacy while hiding your real IP address and online activities is to use a secure browser together with a good VPN. This will hide your real IP address and location, while also encrypting and anonymizing your traffic so your ISP cannot see your activities online. Here are our top three recommendations from the best VPN list that we have tested and reviewed:
- NordVPN: A fast, secure, audited VPN with advanced privacy features and a strict no-logs policy, based in Panama (with a 68% off coupon).
- Surfshark VPN: A no-logs VPN service with a large lineup of privacy and security features, based in The Netherlands.
- ExpressVPN – This is a secure and reliable VPN that boasts some great privacy features and also works well for streaming. It is based in the British Virgin Islands.
Now let’s examine the most secure browsers that you can combine with a VPN for maximum privacy.
Secure browsers that protect your privacy
In this section we will examine the best browsers based on two main factors:
- Security: How well does the browser protect you from hackers, vulnerabilities, and online exploits?
- Privacy: How much data is the browser itself collecting about you and who is this data being shared with? How does the browser protect your privacy?
Conflicting opinions! Just like with Tor, opinions about browser privacy and security can be wildly divergent and contentious.
This guide is not meant to sell everyone on one browser that beats all others. Rather, it is a summary of information about different web browsers that do well with both privacy and security. Choose the best browser for you based on your own unique needs and threat model.
Here are the most secure and private browsers for 2021:
1. Brave: The most secure and private browser (by default)
Brave is arguably the most secure browser with simple, out-of-the-box privacy. It is a Chromium-based browser that is fast, secure, and privacy-focused by default. It has a built-in ad blocker and browser fingerprinting protection, while also giving you access to numerous add-ons and extensions. The main developer behind Brave is Brandon Eich, who formerly worked for Mozilla.
To summarize this browser, Brave is based on open-source Chromium, but configured for more privacy. It does well with its default privacy settings and extra features. Here is a brief overview:
- Blocks ads and trackers by default
- Protects against browser fingerprinting and even offers fingerprint randomization
- Built-in script blocker
- Blocks all third-party storage
- Automatically upgrades to HTTPS (HTTPS Everywhere)
- Easy access to the Tor network
One of the reasons we like Brave is because it offers simple, out-of-the-box privacy by default. This makes it ideal for those who do not have the time, patience, or know-how for browser customizations and tinkering. Brave can also be used with Chrome extensions, making it an ideal alternative for Chrome. Just download it and you’re good to go.
Tor network – Brave also has a feature that allows you to access the Dark web by simply opening a new window with Tor. We discuss this feature in our guide on how to access the Dark web safely.
Ads – Brave has received some criticism for its ads program, which allows users to “view non-invasive ads without compromising your privacy.” While some people find it hypocritical that a privacy-focused browser has its own ad program, we also see it as a secure source of funding. And with many browsers financially struggling, it appears that Brave’s business model is securing this browser’s future and ability to continue to innovate its products.
As one example of these innovations, Brave is currently developing a private search engine called Brave Search. Additionally, Brave continues to improve and innovate with its browser, which is growing in popularity.
You can read more about Brave’s privacy features here.
https://brave.com
2. Firefox (modified and tweaked for privacy)
Firefox is a great all-around browser for privacy and security. It offers strong privacy protection features, many customization options, excellent security, and regular updates with an active development team. The newest version of Firefox is fast and lightweight with many privacy customization options.
Out of the box, Firefox is not the best for privacy, but it can be customized and hardened, and we show you exactly how in our Firefox privacy modifications guide. Be sure to disable telemetry in Firefox, which is a feature that will collect “technical and interaction data” and also “install and run studies” within your browser.
Within the Privacy & Security settings area, there are many useful customization options for different levels of privacy: Standard, Strict, or Custom.
Another great benefit with Firefox is the ability to use numerous browser extensions that can enhance your privacy and security. We’ll go over some of these extensions further below.
Firefox highlights:
- Open source code that has been independently audited
- Active development with frequent updates
- Excellent privacy features and customization options
- Many browser extensions supported
- Telemetry and tracking needs to be manually disabled
- Other modifications necessary for extra privacy and security
If you want to keep using older add-ons that are no longer supported by the latest Firefox release, you can go with the Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR). If you want a privacy-focused version of Firefox for Android, you could try Firefox focus.
For additional customization and privacy settings, check out our Firefox privacy guide.
https://www.mozilla.org/firefox
3. Tor browser
Next up we have the Tor browser. The Tor browser is a hardened version of Firefox that is configured to run on the Tor network. By default, the Tor Browser is a secure browser that protects you against browser fingerprinting, but it also has some disadvantages.
Because it uses the Tor network, which routes traffic over three different hops, download speeds with the Tor browser can be quite slow. The default version may also break some sites due to script blocking. Finally, there are also drawbacks with the Tor network itself, including malicious/dangerous exit nodes, high latency, dependence on US government financing, and some consider it to be fundamentally compromised. There are also many websites that block IP addresses originating from the Tor network. (See the pros and cons of Tor here.)
Another option is to use the Tor browser with the Tor network disabled. In this sense, the Tor browser will work like the other browsers we’ve covered above. Additionally, you can simply run a VPN in the background. Like the Tor network, a VPN will also encrypt your traffic and hide your IP, but it will be much faster.
Be careful when adjusting the settings for the Tor browser, however, as this may compromise the browser’s built-in privacy and security features.
https://www.torproject.org/
4. Ungoogled Chromium browser
Ungoogled Chromium is an open source project to provide a Chromium browser, without the Google privacy issues:
ungoogled-chromium is Google Chromium, sans dependency on Google web services. It also features some tweaks to enhance privacy, control, and transparency (almost all of which require manual activation or enabling).
ungoogled-chromium retains the default Chromium experience as closely as possible. Unlike other Chromium forks that have their own visions of a web browser, ungoogled-chromium is essentially a drop-in replacement for Chromium.
Ungoogled Chromium receives regular Chromium security updates.
https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium
5. Bromite (Android)
Bromite is a Chromium-based browser for Android only (no desktop support). It comes with some great features by default, including ad blocking and various privacy enhancements. Here are some highlights of this browser from the official Bromite website:
- The main goal is to provide a no-clutter browsing experience without privacy-invasive features and with the addition of a fast ad-blocking engine.
- Minimal UI changes are applied to help curbing the idea of “browser as an advertisement platform”.
- All patches are published under GNU/GPL v3 to enable other open source projects’ usage.
- Bromite is only available for Android Lollipop (v5.0, API level 21) and above.
Another cool feature I like with Bromite is that you can use custom ad block filters — learn more here. Bromite is under active development and remains a great browser for Android users.
https://www.bromite.org/
6. LibreWolf – A private and secure fork of Firefox
LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox that continues to grow in popularity. The project’s stated goals are to delivery a browser that is focused on privacy, security, and freedom. From the LibreWolf website:
LibreWolf is designed to increase protection against tracking and fingerprinting techniques, while also including a few security improvements. This is achieved through our privacy and security oriented settings and patches. LibreWolf also aims to remove all the telemetry, data collection and annoyances, as well as disabling anti-freedom features like DRM.
Right now, LibreWolf is available for desktop operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Open BSD. You can find installation instructions here.
On the topic of updates, the LibreWolf team seems to really stay on top of things. They One issue to keep in mind, however, is that there are no automatic updates. This means that you will need to manually update the browser, which is a certainly a drawback to consider. Fortunately, LibreWolf frequently pushes these browser updates.
LibreWolf is always based on the latest version of Firefox. Updates usually come within three days from each upstream stable release, at times even the same day. Unless problems arise, we always try to release often and in a timely manner.
– LibreWolf FAQ section
This is definitely a browser to consider for those wanting more privacy and security on desktop operating systems.
https://librewolf.net/
Private browsers worth mentioning
Below are a few private and secure browsers that are worth mentioning. However, these browsers did not quite make the cut to be recommended, for various reasons listed below.
7. DuckDuckGo privacy browser (iOS and Android)
The DuckDuckGo privacy browser is a new addition to our lineup. This browser is available for mobile devices on iOS and Android and comes with lots of privacy-focused features by default. According to DuckDuckGo, their browser offers:
- Built-in tracking protection
- Encryption upgrades via Smarter Encryption technology
- Easy data management and clearing options
- Fast speeds
Issues with Microsoft trackers in 2022
One important update for this guide is that security researchers have discovered that DuckDuckGo’s browser allows Microsoft trackers. According to DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg, this decision was based on a “confidential” agreement between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft.
Many people in the privacy community were outraged when the situation first came to light on Twitter here. There is clearly an element of hypocrisy going on here as we see DuckDuckGo castigate Google over the same practices.
Should you use DuckDuckGo’s privacy browser? I’d recommend considering other alternatives in this guide. However, it’s worth mentioning that the DDG browser remains more private than other options we have discussed here. The choice is yours.
This browser is now available on both the Google Play and Apple stores.
8. Waterfox
Waterfox is a fork of Firefox that was maintained by just one person for many years. In February 2020, news blew up on reddit that it had sold out to a pay-per-click ad company called System1. The news was also picked up by others, which resulted in Waterfox and System1 formally announcing the acquisition (but only after the news broke).
The problem here is the apparent contradiction of an ad company (that relies on data collection) owning a privacy-focused browser. As I previously reported, System1 also acquired a stake in Startpage, the private search engine based in The Netherlands. In researching the company’s background, it appears that System1 is fundamentally in the business of data collection:
“In our business,” Blend adds, “if we can gather as much data as possible, give it off to our engineers and data scientists, and then manage the two effectively, the business can quickly scale.”
So can Waterfox still be trusted now that it’s owned by an ad-tech company? You can be the judge.
9. Pale Moon
Pale Moon is another open-source fork of Firefox, which aims for efficiency and customization. In testing out Pale Moon, it does offer different customization options, as well as support for older Firefox add-ons and its own lineup of add-ons. The design feels a bit dated, but it’s also not overly-cluttered and is lightweight and fast.
Pale Moon is currently available on Windows and Linux, with other operating systems in development. Unlike other Firefox forks, Pale Moon runs on its own browser engine, Goanna, which is a fork of Gecko (used by Firefox). This is an older engine that was previously used by Firefox, but has long since been replaced. Many argue that this older codebase is a security vulnerability. And it’s also worth noting that the development team is very small compared to more popular browsers.
10. GNU IceCat
GNU IceCat is a fork of Firefox from the GNU free software project. IceCat is entirely “free software” as defined here and also includes various privacy add-ons and tweaks by default. Here are the privacy-protection features listed from the IceCat page:
- LibreJS
- HTTPS-Everywhere
- SpyBlock
- AboutIceCat
- Fingerprinting countermeasures
Slow updates – The big issue with GNU IceCat is that updates are very slow, and in some cases, years behind. This can expose IceCat users to security vulnerabilities, which is why we are no longer recommending it.
11. Iridium
Like Brave, Iridium is a secure browser that is based on Chromium and configured for more privacy by default. The following excerpt from Iridium’s website provides a good overview of this secure browser:
Iridium Browser is based on the Chromium code base. All modifications enhance the privacy of the user and make sure that the latest and best secure technologies are used. Automatic transmission of partial queries, keywords and metrics to central services is prevented and only occurs with the approval of the user. In addition, all our builds are reproducible and modifications are auditable, setting the project ahead of other secure browser providers.
Unfortunately, like IceCat above, updates to Iridium are few and far between.
Issues with other popular browsers
While some browsers claim to be secure against vulnerabilities, they might not be the best choice from a privacy perspective.
1. Google Chrome
Google Chrome is by far the most popular browser. Unfortunately, it’s a data collection tool as well and not a good choice for anyone looking for privacy.
You can safely assume that everything you do through Google Chrome is collected, saved to your data profile, and used for targeted advertising.
2. Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge
Edge is a Microsoft product.
Just like with Windows, it’s a good idea to avoid Microsoft products, including Internet Explorer, and their newer browser called Edge. Internet Explorer and Edge are also closed-source, so there’s no telling what’s going on behind the scenes, and they’re also not the best for privacy reasons.
3. Opera browser
Opera started off as a decent browser, developed in Norway. However, in 2016 it was sold to a Chinese consortium for $600 million – and a lot has changed. Opera’s privacy policy explains how your data is being collected and shared when you use Opera products. Here’s what I found:
Opera also claims to offer a free VPN through the browser. However, as we covered in the Opera VPN review, it’s not really a VPN and does not offer full system-wide encryption. Additionally, your data is being collected when you use Opera browser and its “free VPN” feature.
4. Epic browser
Epic is a browser based on Chromium, created by “Hidden Reflex” which is based in India. Since 2014, Epic has been claiming they would open source the code, but it remains closed source today. What’s going on behind the scenes? How do they manage Chromium and remove invasive code? Who knows.
Just like with Opera VPN, Epic falsely claims to offer a “free VPN” through the browser, but this is not really true. The browser is merely routing traffic through a US proxy server. As we learned with Opera (and with many other “free proxy” services), proxies are often used for data collection (and they are often not secure). When reading the Epic privacy policy, we find that data from “video download and proxy services” is being collected.
One person who analyzed Epic found it to be connecting to Google on startup. This suggests that Epic is not, in fact, de-googled as it claims.
There are many better Chromium-based browsers to consider.
5. Safari browser
Safari is the default browser for Mac OS and iOS devices. Overall, Safari is not a horrible choice in terms of privacy and tracking protection – but it also cannot be recommended for a few reasons:
- Apple is a partner in the PRISM surveillance program
- Apple was caught “hoarding” Safari browsing history – even after it was deleted
- Apple was found to be collecting Safari history even when used in private mode
On a positive note, however, Apple does somewhat better with privacy than other large companies. The Safari browser blocks third-party cookies by default and also implements cross-site tracking protection.
6. Vivaldi browser
Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser with source-code modifications that can be seen here. It is less popular than other browsers, with less active development than Firefox, for example.
Reading through their Privacy Policy, I did find some concerning information about data collection and the use of unique IDs:
When you install Vivaldi browser (“Vivaldi”), each installation profile is assigned a unique user ID that is stored on your computer. Vivaldi will send a message using HTTPS directly to our servers located in Iceland every 24 hours containing this ID, version, cpu architecture, screen resolution and time since last message. We anonymize the IP address of Vivaldi users by removing the last octet of the IP address from your Vivaldi client then we store the resolved approximate location after using a local geoip lookup. The purpose of this collection is to determine the total number of active users and their geographical distribution.
You can read more about Vivaldi here.
Secure and private browsers on mobile devices
Many of the recommended browsers above also offer versions for mobile users on iOS and Android.
With that being said, here some good options for mobile users:
- Brave
- Bromite
- Firefox Focus
- DuckDuckGo
I also like using standard Firefox on mobile devices with customization and configurations for more privacy.
Browser privacy and compartmentalization
One problem that often comes with browser privacy and security is that people want to remain logged in to various accounts, while also browsing the web. But this is problematic. When you stay logged in to Gmail or Facebook, for example, their trackers can record your activity as you browse the web.
One potential solution to this problem is browser compartmentalization. This is when you use different web browsers for different online activities. For example:
- Browser #1 will only be used for accessing your online accounts that require a password. You can stay logged in with only this browser, and it won’t be used for general browsing.
- Browser #2 will only be used for web browsing, with various privacy configurations and no cookies or history being stored on the browser.
- Browser #3 could be completely locked down for maximum privacy and security.
You can also utilize different browsers, configured exactly the way you want, for various purposes, depending on your needs and threat model. The key is to keep the compartmentalization strict and not break the rules/uses for each browser.
Virtual machines – On the topic of compartmentalization, using virtual machines is also a good idea for both privacy and security. You can easily run Linux VMs through VirtualBox (FOSS) on your host computer.
Password managers – It should also be noted that storing your passwords in the browser may be risky depending on the browser you are using, especially since browsers may store passwords in cleartext. A better alternative would be to utilize a secure password manager. We have reviewed many popular options, including Bitwarden, Dashlane, LastPass, and more.
Browser add-ons for security and privacy
In addition to adjusting the settings within your browser, there are also a number of different add-ons or extensions you can install to improve your browser’s privacy and security.
Here are a few different options, but they may not all be supported by the browser you are using:
- uBlock Origin – This is one of the best browser-based ad blockers available that will also protect you against tracking.
- HTTPS Everywhere – An add-on from the folks at Electronic Frontier Foundation, this will force websites to use a secure HTTPS encrypted connection (when available).
- Cookie Autodelete – This will automatically delete cookies that are no longer needed from your browser.
- NoScript – NoScript allows you to customize exactly which scripts run on the websites you visit. Like uMatrix, this is for advanced users and requires lots of customization.
Warning: Be cautious about using third-party add-ons and browser extensions. Do your research first, since add-ons could function as spyware and data collection tools for third parties. This is especially true with free VPN services or browser proxy add-ons, even if they are highly rated in the Google Play or Apple stores.
“Private” or “Incognito” browsing mode is NOT private (and why you need a VPN)
Many people falsely assume that using “private” or “incognito” mode in a browser actually provides some privacy. This is a false assumption.
Using “private” browsing mode only stops your browser from storing cookies, history, and passwords. But it doesn’t actually make you any more “private” to the outside world. Even when browsing in “private” or “incognito” mode, you are still exposed:
- Your internet provider can still see every site you visit. And note that internet providers are now forced to log web browsing activity of their customers and provide this data to authorities on request in many countries. In the United States, ISPs log everything and share the data with a huge network of third parties.
- Your real IP address and location remain exposed to all sites, ads, and trackers. This makes tracking and identification easy since your device has a unique IP address linked back to your identity through your internet service provider.
To easily solve these problems, we strongly recommend using a good VPN service. Using a VPN is simple. You just need to sign up for a VPN subscription, download the VPN app for your device, then connect to a VPN server and browse the web as normal. This offers many benefits:
- A VPN will securely encrypt your internet traffic, which prevents your ISP from seeing what you do online. (Your ISP will only see encrypted data, but not what you’re actually up to.)
- When you connect to a VPN server, the VPN server’s IP address and location will replace your real IP address and location. This allows you to appear to be anywhere in the world.
- A VPN will also allow you to access geo-restricted content, such as streaming Netflix with a VPN from anywhere in the world.
Below is a brief overview of our recommended VPNs that have come out on top in testing for the respective VPN reviews.
- NordVPN: A fast, secure, audited VPN with advanced privacy features and a strict no-logs policy, based in Panama (with a 68% discount coupon). See our NordVPN review here.
- Surfshark VPN: A no-logs VPN service with a large lineup of privacy and security features, based in The Netherlands. See the Surfshark VPN review.
- ExpressVPN – A fast, reliable, and secure VPN that also works well for streaming, but with above-average prices. See the ExpressVPN review for the pros and cons.
Short on money? There are also some good cheap VPNs that offer excellent features and performance, without breaking the bank.
Conclusion on secure browsers and privacy in 2022
A well-configured secure browser is crucial for protecting your data as you browse the web with privacy.
Finding the best secure browser all comes down to identifying the best fit for your unique needs. Since this is a personal decision with subjective criteria, I tend to avoid recommending only one option for all use cases.
In addition to using a secure browser that is configured to protect your privacy, you should also consider using a good ad blocker. Ads function as tracking to collect your browsing data and serve you targeted ads. If you aren’t blocking ads, your activities can be tracked by third-party advertising networks, with any site hosting ads.
Note: There are some VPNs that have built-in features to block ads and trackers. See our guide on VPN ad blocking for more info.
In terms of privacy, you may also want to protect yourself against browser or device fingerprinting and WebRTC browser leaks, which can expose your identity even when using a good VPN service.
Other roundup guides on RestorePrivacy:
- Secure Email Services
- Private Search Engines
- Password Managers
- Ad Blockers
- Best VPN Services
- Best Cloud Storage
- Best Secure Messaging Services
This secure browser guide was last updated on June 21, 2022.
I have been trying to use the Brave mobile browser on my phone, but every time I do, it keeps crasheing. It takes place after I answer the question posed if I consent to allow the browser to transmit analytics shortly after opening Brave when downloading it is complete.
It seems to have occurred after the last Android update over a week ago. Has anyone else experienced this?
Bromite is doing a better job at blocking ads than they were before now that they issues I raised have been addressed. However, after removing Bromite from my Android device, I happened upon this gem appropriately named “Privacy Browser” that was made by an IT consultant named Soren Stoutner.
Privacy Browser can be downloaded off of Google Play, Amazon’s app store or F-Droid and the browser lives up to its mission very well.
https://www.stoutner.com/privacy-browser/
I know this Stoutner’s browser for a few years. It is good and very strict in doing privacy friendly tasks. However, Bromite and SmartCookieVeb offer better user experience on Android. Even Samsung browser is not a bad option for general browsing.
@Bronco Okay thanks that is great and I am glad you like that, but (like I’ve pointed out before) there is one major problem: Bromite and SmartCookieWeb are the creation of one or a few people who have to take on the tasks of keeping their browsers updated.
I have had problems in the past with Bromite in the past with it not blocking ads and it is still an issue as the maker (CSagan5) still hasn’t adequately made the necessary changes to properly block ads or scripts on certain sites.
It goes back to what I’ve said before about well meaning idealists who either mess up or eventually neglect their creation, in this case a browser, due to time constraints or their interests change. That is essentially what happened with the Iridium browser.
On the other hand, companies like Mozilla or Brave Tech have the ability to avoid this problem due to having paid staff and money to make adequate changes to their browser and other products. This resulting from their large budgets and ability to attract quality people to work for them.
Mike, I understand your points and I admire your stands. But Bromite IS actively developed so far. I don’t use their blocker (turned off), I use blockers like DNSRethink on Android and it works really well for me. By the way, Firefox for my older android is also working much better without add-ons….
I am using Brave but am looking for the best Firefox alternative…so what would be the best choice?
I have been using Palemoon for sometime and it sucks.
I suggest Ghostery’s browser Ghostery Dawn.. It is a Firefox fork with the Mozilla telemetry removed, is open source, and you can use Mozilla Add-Ons/extensions. Here are links for different operating systems in order to download it:
1) Windows: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/win
2) Mac: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/mac
3) Linux: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/linux
Happy surfing!
“it sucks”
How so? I use it every day; doesn’t suck for me.
This is a very good video that does a side-by-side comparison of Brave and Firefox. In the end, it comes down to which browser is the best based on a user’s preferences.
https://youtu.be/qkJGF3syQy4
Unless they have cancelled it Firefox made an agreement with Google.
I deleted Firefox off of my system immediately.
It was a great browser for many years,
but love of money eventually undermines
many good intentions.
@David I respect your conclusion/opinion but the reality is there is no Firefox, Brave, Bromite or internet unless the companies that make computer-related products (like browsers or websites) can make money. As far as Firefox is concerned, I think it is the value Mozilla brings with their browser and other products more than it is about their main revenue source or political views.
Besides, Mozilla gains nothing for people using Firefox since it is provided free of charge. Also, Mozilla’s recent testing Bing as Firefox’s default search engine rather than Google shows (in my view) that they aren’t entirely Google’s slave. Mozilla, like any organization, is dedicated to creating products has to make money somehow.
https://www.ghacks.net/2021/09/17/firefox-experiment-is-testing-bing-as-the-default-search-engine/
What about UR and Maiar browsers (Chrome variants), mentioned here some time ago?
@vanp this was your statement on March of this year about the UR browser:
“I stated on Mar. 4 that I had contacted the UR browser people and showed their response. I also had contacted the Maiar browser people with similar questions. After about 2 weeks they haven’t responded. So, I’m assuming they have something to hide, and I won’t even try their product.
I’ve downloaded UR and made appropriate Settings changes. At this point at least I’m accepting 3rd party cookies in all browsers because I want full functionality on all websites.
I’ve taken all my browsers to Cover Your Tracks. Even though they all have about the same privacy/security settings, some give better results in the tracking category than do others. They all have a ‘bits’ score of either 18.13 or 17.13. Until today they all showed 18.13; not sure why that has changed.
Maybe I should be asking EFF this question, but does anybody know why every browser should have essentially the same ‘bits’ score?”
To which I responded suggesting you test UR using these websites:
https://nothingprivate.ml
https://fingerprintjs.com
Prior to this I also responded to your comments about UR and Maiar browsers with this:
“U.R. and Maiar are relatively new so there really is not a lot known about them and they could go the way of Iridium. The best browsers are made by companies/organizations (like Mozilla and Brave Tech) that have the staff and know-how to construct and maintain them.”
During late February I used UR browser and, overall, it wasn’t bad. However, I do not think it will have much of an impact since the browser market is saturated. Do you have any additional information about the two?
Mike, thanks for responding. Nobody has mentioned either browser in months, which is why I took this opportunity to raise the issue again.
Concerning the 2 websites you mention, I vaguely remember going to them at the time. I just went again. One wants me to enter my name and the other my email address. Not sure what that’s all about, but I stopped right there.
“Do you have any additional information about the two?”
Not a lot. I went back to Maiar’s site recently. Don’t really remember what it looked like before, so can’t say if anything as majorly changed. Again, they didn’t respond to my email, so hell with ’em. UR does update fairly often, and they’ve responded to my emails quickly, so I think it’s legitimate. Don’t actually use it much; it’s a backup for when nothing else works. If it doesn’t last forever, so be it.
Seems people are constantly looking for the perfect browser. I’m not obsessed with privacy. The only way to achieve perfect privacy is to stay off the internet. Also, I’m not looking for something for nothing; companies do need to make money. I keep my expectations reasonable.
As far as “the staff and know-how to construct and maintain them,” I don’t expect a browser to do anything special. As long as Google is doing to the major work and a variant can simply piggyback off that and just keep going without Google’s spying, I’m satisfied.
Name, fake name or any name is required for the test. Email is required to sign up with the service.
SRWare Iron is good browser for privacy or not?
I do not think so. Like Epic, SRWare Iron browser is not open source. I would not trust a browser who’s makers do not release their source code. Plus also there have been accusations that the browser is not updated regularly which is bad for a user’s privacy and security.
Firefox Focus WebRTC leaking. You can try from ipleak.net
Ugh! Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully, Mozilla is working on this. Until they do, it would be advisable to use DuckDuckGo’s privacy browser.
https://duckduckgo.com/app
HA! I have been proven right.
On Sep. 8th on this post (just below) I said, in defense of Brave that they will make their search engine default (as my opinion).
Here is what I said, “Brave now has their own search and my guess, and strictly my own, they will make that the default when it is out of Beta.”
Therefore, Brave is taking Google’s money and using it to build a great tool.
Validation: https://brave.com/search-and-web-discovery/
Nice!!!
Agree. Brave really is going strong!
I don’t think Google paid Brave for default search engine, Brave just put it there for convenience. Brave paid Tailcat by acquiring it. Tailcat was Cliqz search. Right now, Brave still only has 1-page result, similar to Cliqz.
@Restorer,
I stand corrected. They don’t take money and Brandon Eich said.
But I was still right that they made their search default which continues to set them apart and against Google.
Well Google didn’t pay but they did gift something to Brave…
https://twitter.com/brave/status/1199073852875104256
By making it default, hopefully Brave Search will improve faster. People should really opt into Web Discovery. It seems to be based on Cliqz’s Human Web. If Brave Search and other products can be successful, perhaps one day we’ll get Brave OS.
Interesting.
I agree. I use their search engine a lot and the more I do, the more I love it.
I know they will not come out with an email service, but hoping they do with something to compete against the online docs. That would be awesome!
And again!
https://brave.com/privacy-updates-11/
Here is another reason, more than anything, Brave should be used and supported.
https://brave.com/web-standards-at-brave/5-encrypting-dns-zone-transfers/
There are some technical stuff here but from the gist, Brave is now helping to write Web Standards.
Under the FireFox article, twice, I laid out those local bodies. Now the growth of Brave and what they bring to the table, is now bearing fruit.
This article covers DNS privacy and security. If Brave was not as big as it is, we would not have these standards being pushed now.
Use other browsers if you all wish, but help get their numbers up and also use Brave. I know one size does not fit all, but multi browser use is not bad.
Firefox Focus has gone through some interesting changes, with a neat new look and added privacy functions too. My only pet peeve with it is that it asks if you want to open a page in another app, whereas DuckDuckGo’s privacy browser allows you to opt-out of the browser asking users that.
As an aside, Firefox Klar is the European/German version of Focus and telemetry collection on Klar is shut off by default. On Focus telemetry is collected until the user turns it off in the settings.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/05/firefox-focus-gets-new-logo-shortcuts-dark-theme-and-more/
Vivaldi has some good new privacy features and apparently more are to come.
https://www.ghacks.net/2021/10/07/vivaldi-4-3-translate-usability-and-privacy-improvements/#comments
Despite Google’s talk about wanting to protect user privacy, this nasty, new surprise the company added to their Chrome browser demonstrates quite the opposite.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/10/02/stop-using-google-chrome-on-windows-10-android-and-apple-iphones-ipads-and-macs/
For mobile users, I think Apple made their best software so far with iOS 15. Safari, for example, is looking and working fantastic. Starting from iOS 14 , you can see for every single app what resource and data it uses or asks; now it’s mandatory for every single developer to present what they do with your data, whether it’s used for tracking you or not. That, of course, helps you to choose which app is right for you. Sure, we know whichever of mainstream OS we use, it’s impossible to keep privacy as much as we’d want. But I do believe iOS is more privacy friendly than Google’s Android. For a whisker. 😉
While I was initially interested in Brave as a possible secure and private browser alternative, upon digging a bit deeper, I honestly don’t think anyone should use that browser.
Just check out the proven “missteps” the company has had, again and again, which all go clearly against user privacy, integrity and honesty:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_(web_browser)#Controversies
https://www.pcmag.com/news/brave-browser-caught-redirecting-users-through-affiliate-links
Replacing content ads on content creators’ websites and replacing it with their own, and then paying them pennies on the dollars in their pseudo-money?
Secretly replacing links the user clicks on to insert their own affiliate tags?
And then saying “oh, sorry, it was a mistake, we fixed it”?!
I’m sorry, but this sort of thing does not happen by accident but was clearly a dedicated effort and intentional dishonesty and double dipping.
They’ve shown their true colors more than once and have proven time and again that they don’t care about user privacy, but effectively steal income from content creators and divert it into their own pockets while gaming their users.
I have to agree with you, John. All those blockchain-based browsers are not transparent in their working – nobody knows what is happening behind the scenes. They are doing its blocking ads and tracking, but something just is not right. I’ve noticed while testing Brave that my Dell processor on Windows is becoming loud, like every 15 minutes or so. When I completely uninstall it, everything is OK again. Did the whole test a few times, all the same. So it must be due to the browser and its background working. I really wanted to use Brave as my everyday surfing browser, but something is not right with it.
@ Bronco,
I believe their code is open source so you can know what is going on behind the scenes and it is published on GitHub.
Unless you are talking about something else I am not picking up on. But for all I run through my browser, it seems to do very, very well.
And you recommend?
The redirection of users is a nothing burger since it is or was part of their advertising efforts. The company has to make money some how. Plus also if you don’t like the advertisements or redirects you can shut them off. Brave, Inc is a relatively young company when compared to more established ones like Google or Apple so that means at times they will make mistakes. Every company does since they are made up of human beings.
Anyone can dig up dirt on any product so if you don’t want to use Brave, that is up to you and there are plenty of other browsers to choose from. However, in terms of privacy and security, Brave is solid. I would be interested in your views as to why Brave truly isn’t private or secure since Brave, Inc.’s relations with advertisers have little to do with why their browser exists in the first place.
@Mike,
That is why I asked John what browser he would recommend. I am wondering if he has one that is stronger or better. I hope he responds so we can see his suggestion.
SnowHaze, Safari & modified Firefox. For various purposes. For Chromium and Google Android fans I haven’t tried anything better than Bromite or Ungoogled Chromium.
@Bronco,
I don’t know much about SnowHaze but Safari and Modified FF?
I believe it was with Mike we had a discussion about that and I laid out, with links, the major issues with FF.
Their entire operation is questionable, even more so than affiliate link questionable.
Safari? I know they open sourced it but there is something fishy with that but I cannot put my finger on it yet.
Bromite seems ok but for some it is not and then some of their updates as reported on here have actually stepped back on their ad blocking.
Plus development of the browser, I wish them well and hope they can do it and grow but, I am going to watch so no negative or positive from me.
Ungoogled Chromium for me was an unknown factor as there was setup issues.
So out of this list I would really say Bromite is the best one but for my purposes it didn’t rise to the needed level of work.
I go back to Brave is the best one right now for the ease, adoption and usability from start to finish. I have gotten 8 people in my very small circle to switch and they are not very aware of all the privacy issues.
They know there are bad things and I can say use Brave that helps but more can be done.
They switch and love it.
@Bronco save for Firefox, SnowHaze and Safari do not apply for Windows and Android users. However, I still would like to know why you think Brave truly isn’t private or secure since Brave, Inc.’s relations with advertisers have little to do with why their browser exists in the first place.
@ Mike,
What I think Bronco is saying is:
Desktop: SnowHaze, Safari, FireFox
Phone: Bromite Safari, and Ungoogled Chromium
That would cover every OS I think.
@Bronco,
The exchange I referenced was on this post and it was with you, not Mike.
Scroll dow throung the comments and it is there.
Sorry, just wanted to correct my mistake.
>The redirection of users is a nothing burger since it is or was part of their advertising efforts. The company has to make money some how.
This is a fallacy and clears every software of every unethical decision ever.
>Plus also if you don’t like the advertisements or redirects you can shut them off.
This puts it in the same ballpark as every other browser that supports the turning off of unfriendly features, making Brave literally the same as the rest of the list *with an additional unfriendly feature you’d need to turn off*.
>Brave, Inc is a relatively young company when compared to more established ones like Google or Apple so that means at times they will make mistakes.
A mistake is forgetting to sanitize input on a textbox, a memory leak or an unhandled exception. Implementing a user-unfriendly feature that requires designing and building is not a mistake, it’s testing the waters.
>Anyone can dig up dirt on any product
Again, this is a fallacy. Throwing false equivalence does not clear any browser of anything.
Honestly, this entire post comes off as a blatant shill. You’re either using fallacies, or playing down legitimate problems as things of the past. Those aren’t valid arguments.
How Brave makes it on top of a list with Firefox, Ungoogled Chromium and TOR completely eludes me. Palemoon should also not be on the list, as they subtly sabotage the use of what is arguably a fundamentally important extension: AdNauseam (as demonstrated by MIT and supported by the EFF).
@Chavez Brave made no effort to sanitize anything. If they did, they would not allow users to opt-out of such suggestions in the first place. It just so happens that a lot of other browsers have similar features which (like Brave) can be shut off too.
Vivaldi, for example, generates money from companies they feature on the browser’s speed dial. Back in 2016, Tumbler announced they were going to put affiliate links on all of their user’s blogs, yet not a peep of outrage over it. Yet when Brave does it, it is wrong.
Opinion is everywhere…. the best way to evaluate a web browser for security is with objective tools. This article doesn’t seem to indicate the tools used if any were used and in my opinion that is a flaw.
There are tools that can be used though…. EFF’s Cover Your Tracks is a good one. When using that tool Brave come sup #1 and Firefox #2 and frankly the others are all lacking when tested with that tool. Another tool is CloudFlares Tool for checking SecureDNS, DNSSEC, TLS1.3 and ESNI (https://www.cloudflare.com/ssl/encrypted-sni/) and again Brave matches or bests all other browsers. Another tool from CloudFlare checks DOH (https://1.1.1.1/help) and yet again Brave matches or bests the others. These are the primary Privacy and Security testing tools I use (I would welcome others).
There is also a compatibility tool I use (www.HTML5Test.com) and Brave does well there as well scoring 528 out of 555 possible besting Firefox, Tor, Safari, et al and matching Google Chrome, MS Edge, et al.
In my personal objective testing Brave is number one and Firefox is number 2.
I am very interested to know the tests used by the writer of the article and others.
@Bob
And with EFF’s tool SnowHaze is absolutely the best solution for privacy. Whoever uses iOS this is my top recommendation. I really rate this browser. They also have a Firefox extension. Read about them on their website, a very decent company.
Thankfully, it looks like the issues with Bromite have been worked out and the browser’s ad-blocking has been fixed. While this was going on, I came across a real gem of an open source web browser appropriately named “Privacy Browser” that was done by a computer programmer named Soren Stoutner.
Its only available for Android but is not only fast but very easy to use. If you want to check it out, below is a link to the browser’s website. The browser can also be down loaded from Google Play, F-Droid, and Amazon’s app store.
Have fun!
https://www.stoutner.com/about/
@John
Brave is arguably the best, privacy-leaning Chromium browser right now so don’t cross it out yet. It’s true the company had its missteps but it’s hard if we look for perfection because we won’t find it. Let’s look for the least harmful instead. You can turn off the annoying Brave ad and crypto should you download it, like Mike suggests.
@Bronco
Is your computer old? The modern internet and browsers use a lot of resources. Chromium/Chrome has always been known to ‘eat more RAM’ than others browsers. Try other browser and see how the computer handles.
Agreed, SnowHaze is an excellent choice for iOS, it can mask fingerprinting from fingerprintjs.com . It just needs some UI and UX polish. Safari itself is not bad, by the way.
@J.M.
WebKit has always been open source. That’s what Chrome used in 2008-2013 before forking to Blink.
@ Restorer,
I did not know that. I never got serious about privacy and security till around 2017 or ’18.
Thanks for the heads up.
I underlined my favorite browsers for VARIOUS reasons (that’s easier phrase than the word compartmentalization, I guess:) ). So I use these browsers for different purposes on different devices, of course. I already explained why I wouldn’t use Brave. Simply, the processor of my laptop is making so much noise with that browser in the system (Windows), from time to time. And I’m using a very strong machine for video editing. Without the browser (hard uninstall), the problem is gone. Now I won’t and wouldn’t make theory that Brave uses computers for crypto mining, but I have my doubts with this browser, so far. Sure, there are many positives with Brave and otherwise it’s very good piece of software, very efficient in ad and malware blocking.
This is just my experience with Brave (and other browsers), it’s up to anybody to use whatever they like.
@Bronco,
I get it, and if it came across that you were being jumped on, that is not the case. You and I have had some very good discussions on this site and I look forward to more.
What I want to be careful of is that some will read one sentence or two and their opinions and minds are made up rather than actually reading what is being said.
I agree, if your computer is running really hard with Brave, then find a new one. I don’t know anything about SnowHaze but if it is a good company, gives privacy and Security, and works for you, then run with it. I never heard of them so that is why I said I do not hold a positive or negative view of them.
But for the common layman who is thinking that they want something that does more for their privacy than what is out there, for me, Brave is the easiest one to get them to go to. They download it, fire it up, make it default and BAM, out of the box they go and they are one step ahead.
The others I found are way to clunky and questionable. But what John said and the two links he used are very suspect and questionable. Wikipedia is not known for accuracy or objectivity. The other one, as Mike said, is not anything to be worried about because every company will have one step or another that we will cringe at that will not affect the workings of the company itself. If it does, then we drop them and move on like we do with VPN’s that are bought or change, and emails that do something we don’t trust, etc.
I appreciate what Bob said as he really brought the tools out and I am thankful for that since I did not know how to test, but I read and research. Now I have a tool! But that is the objectivity.
All that to say, if you find what works for you, brings you privacy and security, and is a stand up company, run with it. No one size fits all in this arena.
@John, the current advertising system is broken, if you don’t recommend BAT, then advertising only can be done through tracking, as most of the people aren’t willing to pay for content these days, so if you even use a tracker blocker, you’re not supporting the system, we clearly don’t need tracking, isn’t it? BAT even respects user privacy, even if they did the affiliate thing, it didn’t impacted user privacy at all! Did it? It’s not necessary you enable it, in fact, it’s turned OFF by default. Even sites like Wikipedia, EFF, wikiHow, DuckDuckGo, Qwant, Bitwarden, The Washington Post etc. are supporting BAT, I really think it’s the future, because we really need to get out of the “Track The User” business. Brave has found it’s own way, between “Spyware Browser” and “Non-Profit Browser”. A “Spyware Browser” would make money, but will compromise user privacy, whereas a “Non-Profit Browser” struggles financially and isn’t substantial. Brave is just unique, not suspicious.
EFF will deprecate HTTPS Everywhere extension, and the extension will be in maintenance mode for 2022. With so many browsers, like Firefox and Brave, having in-built features to push websites to use https, this is not surprising.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/09/https-actually-everywhere
After its last update about a week ago, Bromite is not blocking ads on some websites and, unfortunately, this isn’t the first time this has happened. The browser is the project of one man who wanted to make an unGoogled Chromium browser for Android. For a while it worked well, but in the last year or so, there have been slip ups with Bromite’s adblocker that occurred a few times after updates.
Consequently, I am no longer going to use Bromite and will use Firefox as my main mobile browser instead. As it turns out, since extensions can be added on Firefox mobile, that gives the browser a huge advantage over others. Browsers with built-ion adblockers (like Brave, Bromite, or Vivaldi) limit users only to what is provided. With Firefox you can add extensions to enhance the browser’s privacy and security protections.
Before Firefox was updated to what it is now, I had the ability to help test the browser when it was in its testing phase as Firefox Preview. In my view, I think Firefox should have been set up the way it is now from the start. The version before the revisions was very slow and clunky.
Have you tried SmartCookieWeb? A nice little browser from F-droid. 😊
It looks like the project of one or a few people. I am going to avoid such projects and you as well as others might want to as well. Like with Bromite and Iridium, all too often the well-intentioned idealists behind such efforts either neglect, abandon, or do mess up their product which can compromise a person’s privacy and security.
Bromite had another update 4 days ago and the issue isn’t resolved. I realize it’s ad blocker can’t remove all ads and advertisements are vital to keeping a lot of the internet free, but Bromite did far better before the update.
Mozilla is working on incorporating their password manager, Lockwise, into their Firefox mobile browser that can even be used with other apps.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/09/08/mozilla-wants-to-make-its-password-manager-obsolete-with-firefox-93-beta-apk-download/
Brave has released a neat new feature called Brave Talk that is is just out of Beta. It will enable users to conduct privacy-oriented video chats.
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/22/braves-non-tracking-browser-based-video-conferencing-tool-is-out-of-beta/
That’s right i saw it too. It’s a built-in video chat. In free version you can talk with only one person and BTW only Brave users can use it.
I think this project should probably be mentioned:
https://chromium.woolyss.com/
The folks at the privacy-friendly Cloudwards updated their review of Vivaldi and noticed the browser’s mobile version has improved after initially giving it a poor review. Cloudwards still ranks Vivaldi as their favorite, respectfully, I have used Vivaldi desktop and mobile and am impressed with what Vivaldi Tech has done with their browser so far.
https://www.cloudwards.net/vivaldi-review/
This might be a game changer. Apple has released the source code for Safari’s rendering engine: Webkit.
https://webkit.org/
@Mike
Yes, and guys from PrivacyTools are recommending Safari now with that argument. According to them (and some others) Brave is not good option. I understand they are pretty opinionated, but I can agree Ungoogled Chromium is better and has cleaner experience for chromium fans. For Mozilla fans, LIbreWolf is maybe the alternative for now.
@Bronco I like Privacy Tools and read some of the subreddit on why they de-listed Brave. It looks like it was due to a disagreement or a conflict of personalities and not necessarily because the browser is not secure. I use Brave and Firefox on my computer and am very pleased with them.
As far as Ungoogled Chromium is concerned, Brave already has most (if not all) of the terrible stuff GOogle put in Chromium taken out. Not a lot of people want to manually or rely on an application or computer program to update their browser too.
What about mull browser?
I just tried it (link below) and see little about the browser to impress me or that demonstrates a user should use it over Firefox proper. If you like it or know something about it that I do not or may have missed, please fill me in. Otherwise, in my opinion, it is another attempt to “remake the wheel”.
https://fossdroid.com/a/mull.html
The following article is worth reading. I didn’t know much about blockchain based browsers or Web 3.0 technology.
https://cointelegraph.com/press-releases/osiris-browser-true-web-30-experience-or-another-surveillance-trap
Hi Sven,
Do you have an opinion on the BlockSite extension for firefox?
How about same or similar extensions for other browsers?
I would like to enforce browser compartmentalization on a shared family computer by blocking various sites on the various browsers. It would also be great if there were a way to allow only certain sites and block all else.
Thanks for any suggestions!
This looks like something that blocks simply blocks websites:
“Easily block any distracting or harmful website. Stop procrastination once and for all!”
No, this isn’t something we have looked at as it is not really related to privacy from what I see. We do, however, discuss ad blockers within browsers in our general ad blockers guide.
Thank you. Makes sense. Maybe I should rephrase my question: Would you have concerns about this extension violating your privacy? I see it has good reviews and it is recommended in the add-ons store. The developer offers other privacy oriented apps. Is that good enough to give it a whirl? Thx!
Not sure, many free apps are data collection tools in disguise. You’d have to really analyze things carefully to see what’s going on in the background, which is not an easy task.
LibreWolf looks like a good browser, also available for Windows.
LibreWolf is a good choice and good for you if it is your browser of choice. My only hesitation in using it is that I believe people have to manually update it and any extensions placed on it similar to UnGoogled Chromium. Please clarify if my conclusion is incorrect.
However, if manually updating LibreWolf becomes or might be too cumbersome for others reading this response. I suggest switching to Ghostery Dawn.. It is also a Firefox fork with the Mozilla telemetry removed, Ghostery, is open source (like LibreWolf) you can use Mozilla Add-Ons/extensions, and Ghostery will send updates for you to download.. Here are links if you want to use to Ghostery Dawn:
1) Windows: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/win
2) Mac: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/mac
3) Linux: https://get.ghosterybrowser.com/download/linux
Happy surfing!
Mike, you can automatically update LibreWolf, using the Chocolatey app. More details about this browser here: https://avoidthehack.com/install-librewolf
I’m using it for a few days and so far it’s really good.
I am glad you like it, @Bronco, and happy surfing. I pointed out the manual update and advised about Ghostery’s browser not to disparage LibreWolf or but to to reveal an alternative for people who would rather not manually updating the browser.
If you and others can do that, I think that’s terrific.
In case anyone is interested, I compartmentalize browsing on my Android mobile device in addition to my computer. I use Bromite for my primary account browser and Firefox Focus/Klar as a “burner browser” for random web searches.
You can use a different variety of browsers to compartmentalize, but Bromite and Firefox Focus are the two best ones I have used so far. I would suggest you use a Chrome-based browser for one of the two since my experience shows some websites work better with Chromium than they do with Gecko.
Firefox Klar is interesting since it not only is the European version of Firefox Focus. but I think it interferes transmitting your user agent string like Bromite does. I have come across sites where it ID’s FF Klar as a Chrome browser when it is really based on Gecko. This may also apply to Firefox Focus proper.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/what-firefox-klar-android
Hi Sven,
Previously on this list you rated Modified Firefox at number 1 and Brave at number 2. Could you summarise what changed to make you swap them around?
Is it improvements on Brave’s side, or bad behaviour from Mozilla?
Hi Chris, mainly improvements from Brave, combined with the fact that it doesn’t require any customizations or tweaks and is very privacy-focused by default, while Firefox requires quite a bit of customization.
When are Chrome browsers going to introduce the ” Close tabs and exit” feature? None of the Chrome browsers has this feature, and I am wondering why such a simple feature is not introduced in Brave, Ungoogled Chromium or any other one?
Is there any feature to activate them?
@RAJ as far as I know, Brave, Bromite, and DuckDuckGo have the “close tabs and exit” feature for mobile, if that is what you’re referring to.
I made a comment in a different section on search engines, but I forgot to mention the recent (fairly recent) thing with Google and FLoC? Crazy stuff.
Michael C. (aka MichaelTheGamer)
Agreed. Especially since Google has put off implementing it obviously thinking the public will forget about it in due time.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/google-delays-floc-rollout-until-2023/
Well, from the title of the page ‘Secure Browsers’, Firefox shouldn’t enter this list! No doubt, it’s privacy friendly, though it’s missing some important security features like ‘Site Isolation’, which means websites in Firefox can access each others’ data. From this vulnerability, users’ privacy is greatly compromised. Apart from this, it has a really immature Sandboxing process, lacking win32k lockdown on Windows, and numerous sandbox escapes on Linux & Android. With other numerous exploit mitigations. Privacy can’t be achieved at all, if security is compromised. You can take a look at https://nihal247.github.io to know about all these vulnerabilities. I think Firefox should be removed from this list, though not Tor Browser, as it provides real anonymity and privacy for users.
And with modifying Firefox, we are consistently increasing our fingerprint, which makes us unique and stand out in the crowd, and makes us easy to be identify over the web.
My opinion is that Firefox is worthless on iOS. You can’t use add-ons with Firefox on iPhone, so that is quiet big handicap (you would see much more ads, for example). Focus is similar for that matter, tested. DuckDuckGo as well. As I said before, best privacy browser for iOS is Snowhaze, by far.
New Firefox for Android is very slow (tested with older Android), Bromite works much better.
But for desktop I still prefer Firefox, because with tweaks and add-ons it can overcome many of mentioned problems. I also use Brave as my second desktop browser.
No, by modifying it with tweaks and add-ons, you’re only making yourself unique by increasing your fingerprint. Because most of Firefox users use it on default settings. So, you’re only reducing your privacy, and the security of your browser has been already compromised (sine Firefox is unsecure!). Add-ons are themselves a security and privacy concern btw.
Goal is to hide in the masses. Brave provides real privacy by randomizing fingerprint.
If you use iOS for mobile, desktop or both.. I suggest you use Safari. Any other browser is going to be Safari but with a different UI. For example, Apple requires all browsers on its app store to use Safari’s rendering engine, WebKit, and the same may apply to laptop or desktop.
On mobile, FIrefox Focus can be used in conjunction with Safari to enhance it’s ad and tracker blocking,. Otherwise, Safari is the best one will get with Apple computer products. Don’t get me wrong. Safari isn’t bad I just don’t like that it is proprietary software (i.e. not open source).
@Nihal one other thing I missed. In the end, fingerprinting can be randomized, but there are other ways to monitor and track you. Just the fact that you are using a browser with strong privacy protections can make you a target because you stand out from a lot of other users.
With changes one can make with extensions or making changes internally like one can with Firefox, you stand a better change of not standing out. Mozilla has released or is developing a fingerprint protection add-on.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting
I have trialed the Brave browser and have now been using it as my primary browser for some time now. I consider it the best browser for privacy, security, interoperability, and speed; all of which i want in a browser. It is the best at privacy. The only way to improve on it is to go to Tor (speed problems) or combine it with a VPN. Firefox is next. Tor is just too slow. Brave, by the way can open a Tor session, but it is slower than Brave. Thus for now, the best browsers are Brave and Firefox. I do not trust Google Chrome, MS Edge or Apple Safari and IMO no one should.
This is not to say that Brave might be surpassed by Firefox, but I will never trust Google or MS or Apple and therefore their browsers.
Rob,
I agree with your assessment except Firefox. Majority of Firefox’s income comes from Google.
This is just one of many issues with them. IMO, Firefox is a shill for Google.
J. M.
The only income Firefox has from Google is the fact that Google is their default search engine (as it is for Brave and all the others). I don’t know about other “many issues”. It’s open-source software and I’m sure many privacy experts would prove this long time ago. It is the only browser you can customize, unlike any other where you can simply trust the brand. That’s why the openness is important.
Bronco,
I do agree, open source is great and I prefer it.
But here is my arguments against Firefox:
1. I was going to make a long comment about the conflict of interest but this author does a great job. It is older but the foundation is still true: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/a-dangerous-conflict-of-interest-between-firefox-and-google/
2: Firefox, no matter how it gets its money, is beholding to the one who pays the bills. This is Google. Without them, Mozilla would shrivel up and die.
3: Somewhere on this site I posted info about the Internet directive body and included a link.
What I essentially said was that there is a steering body that gives guidance to the direction tech goes with the net: https://www.w3.org/groups/. That advice is passed to a much smaller group: https://www.w3.org/groups/other/ab/participants
To get on the group, your tech business needs an x amount of monthly users, and yes, Google and Firefox have reps. However, point 1 and 2 above give perfect reason to realize that Mozilla will not bite the hand that feeds them, giving Google two votes.
I then posted an article that explains this in greater detail: https://brave.com/webbundles-harmful-to-content-blocking-security-tools-and-the-open-web/
I went into a little greater detail below on February 3-4th on this topic.
(One of the reasons I promote Brave is that they are close, if not are able to be on this oversight board as they have reached 36 Million Monthly Users). If they can get on this board, they could offset that balance: (When they hit 25 Million Monthly users – https://brave.com/25m-mau/
Now they hit 36 Million on Sep 2nd – https://brave.com/36m-mau/
4. For being for open internet, it has been very well documented with links that Mozilla takes its web social ques from Google rather than open and free net. Take Gab.com as an example of this.
5. Mozilla pays its CEO and other officers extremely well. Yet they post year over year losses which was the catalyst for FIRING some 2 or 300 of their backbone programmers. So they no longer have the team to BUILD the browser but instead a group to just maintain. Who then handles the issues? Well, if not done in house, my guess is Google who pushes fixes for some back end stuff. I am spit balling on this one but no company can or should fire the very team needed to make your product but then post a major increase of income.
Lots of questions of who, why, what, and when did that money come. We know it is from search engines but too much is going on that is untold.
6. Lastly, while Mozilla is indeed a non Chromium browser (competition is best) the issue I have is are they truly a competition or a controlled opposition. That is what I think they have become.
7. There are several other aspects I have brought out and the conversations have been very lively under the Firefox Privacy page on this website: https://restoreprivacy.com/firefox-privacy/comment-page-5/#comments. To give you a brief but very link heavy information that is all below:
* Mozilla follows Google and blacklists dissenter extension: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/04/11/google-mozilla-blacklist-gabs-dissenter-browser-extension/
* Mozilla is funded by not only Google but also George Soros who is not a friend to privacy and security (unless it is his own): https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=Mozilla&grant_id=OR2016-30709
https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/10/mozillas-revenue-jumped-to-828-million-u-s-dollar-in-2019/
* Mozilla is quick to defend Google: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2020/10/20/mozilla-reaction-to-u-s-v-google/
Now, if anyone wants to use them, and they make the net happy, fine. Use the guides on this website and make the adjustments, but my contention is do not go blindly into this company.
For me, there are too many red flags that have not been answered for me to recommend them, and even Sven agreed with my questions: https://restoreprivacy.com/firefox-privacy/comment-page-5/#comments
To see the exchange, look at January 13, 2021-January 18, 2021.
Bronco,
I forgot to add, and apologize, Brave is also Open Source without the red flags.
The only red flag some have put out is the BAT program. That is an opt in service and personally, I don’t use it but they have and are doing something that no other browser has.
The BAT makes money for the browser, the companies that put out the ads (you pay them in BAT token) and you can also bank BAT in your own wallet for Crypto.
Minus the privacy loss with the wallet (if privacy is not your purpose for using Brave), this is an awesome deal. You may not get rich, but it is a little of something that also funds the browser for the rest of us who do not want to use BAT (me for example).
Between the two, Firefox and Brave, Brave, to me, is the superior browser in every conceivable category. This is not an attack against you, nor was my other post.
Just explaining my position.
J. M.
Yes, there is much food for thought here, not just about Firefox but about internet privacy in general. I think the only trick here is: use a few browsers, for different purposes. I do prefer Brave in recent times for general browsing. Firefox is my option for logins and checking accounts, mostly. But as we read everywhere, it is good idea to use a few privacy browsers, to somewhat mask your tracks online.
In mobile world I strongly prefer SnowHaze for iOS (I’d go that to say this is the best privacy browser you can find!) and Bromite for Android.
Bronco,
I think this may be my last bit of info (I think) and I just found this out.
Brave is now part of the committees and is now leading a chair. Please notice who is under their committee (very interesting): https://www.w3.org/groups/ig/privacy/participants
I was hoping to see Sessions on here but they may not have the ability yet. I just wanted to amend some of what I had originally posted.
Sorry for the long links and reply.
Bronco,
Agree. There is a lot and I am sorry if I threw too much at once. I was just typing and didn’t realize how big it was, LOL! It does open up a lot of questions and curiosities about internet solutions for privacy and I believe you have it right. Use different browsers for different reasons.
One aspect of Brave that could work as a multiple browser in one is their Ephemeral Storage. I have been using it and it isolates each of my searches and allows me to block those so they do not interact with the other “blocks”. So in one block I can search for, let’s say, car parts. but in the other block I can search for Mechanics in my area. The two blocks do not connect. You can enable this under the brave://flags (there are a lot of other things on here and I do not recommend changing anything unless you know what you are looking at. I don’t so the only thing I changed was this one because I read about it.)
If you are interested, here is their explanation of it: https://brave.com/privacy-updates-7/
In regards to Mobile, thank you for the heads up on SnowHaze. I don’t use iOS so I was not aware of that. I use Brave for my Android as well so I can use their Sync (which does not require an account and is encrypted on your device). But I have used Bromite and it is really good for sure.
@J.M. please keep in mind it is not only Mozilla that may be getting payouts from Google to promote Google’s search engine.
It could very well be that just about every major browser (including Brave) may be getting payouts from Google too. When signing up for Brave, Vivaldi, and even Bromite, Google is the search engine that is set by default.
Mike,
I agree and I am all for companies making money.
My issue though is unlike Mozilla, Brave actually does and takes steps to minimize Google.
Brave refuses to allow FLOC, Braves’ behind the scene stuff limits Google’s ability to track. Brave now has their own search and my guess, and strictly my own, they will make that the default when it is out of Beta.
So one goes along with Google and one takes their money and then counters it.
Just my .02