We weren’t even worried about privacy before. We happily used browsers and search engines, but when we realized that Google was the big brother (or rather, one of them), some began to react and try to make the job of these companies a little more difficult (we also started).

To wear privacy extensions There’s an interesting situation going on with Chrome, the most popular browser on the market, but things got touchy after it became clear, for example, that Google’s “Incognito mode” doesn’t protect our browsing sessions as much as we thought.

In fact, the class action lawsuit that started in the United States in 2020 resulted in a unique decision. Google will have to delete millions of data collected in incognito mode.

The news is that both this company and other companies They’re trying to collect all the data they can They do this because they normally make their living from advertising and this information is gold to advertisers.

Fortunately, users have had access to various developments that protect our privacy and minimize risks for years. Of course, there are more detailed ones, but a good way to achieve this goal is to use a privacy-focused browser.

There are a few interesting alternatives here, so We will briefly examine seven of them. so you can get to know them and try them if these suggestions convince you.

It is important to emphasize that we have taken into account the evaluation of the privacy and security features available in these developments, which are frequently analyzed on the excellent website PrivacyTests.org.

Tor

It’s probably the best-known of the privacy-focused browsers, and rightly so. Onion Router (abbreviated as TOR, although it is often seen as Tor) is a project that stands out for having a browser that allows access to the Dark Web.

In Tor, we pass through several intermediate nodes of the “Tor Circuit,” which makes it difficult for the destination of the connection to track us. We even have the option to switch nodes whenever we want (see details in the drop-down menu).

But Tor is also a network that has been strengthened over the years and, in version 3, is focused on delivering private websites with .onion addresses that are more secure and private than ever before.

This browser is responsible for making our browsing sessions particularly private. for him Routes the connection through random nodesit encrypts data multiple times, making it very difficult to identify the user using it.

This means that we have excellent protection in another sense, but we must keep in mind that these processes slow down the user experience and the multiple security options can slightly confuse less experienced users. It may not be for everything, but Tor is a great browser if we want to make it difficult for anyone trying to follow our trail on the internet.

DuckDuckGo

This company is much better known for its search engine, which has become a great alternative to the Google search engine over the years if we care about privacy, but its developers have also developed a browser of the same name. official website.

The browser, of course, uses the DuckDuckGo search engine by default, which protects us from tech giants tracking our searches. It also forces us to always use secure connections on any website.

Have your own incognito mode, although they call it “fire windows,” and as with other browsers – though not Chrome – no data is collected and both browsing history and cookies are deleted. Try it if you can: It’s worth it just to see the effect when you close that “fire window”.

In addition, it integrates a code blocker that is activated when third-party software tries to collect our data or even install malware. We can customize its behavior and choose which trackers to block and which not.

Its simple interface and commitment to minimalism – it doesn’t make life too difficult, and it doesn’t make it difficult for us either – are definitely warrants to consider it as a valid alternative when it comes to protection (at least a little more). our privacy. Remember, it’s not completely perfect.

brave

If Tor is the guarantee offer that guarantees our privacy as much as possible at certain times, Brave is a daily private browser. This development’s commitment to privacy consists of an integrated ad blocker with extra benefits: saves bandwidth and loading time.

The browser was recently powered by an AI assistant called Leo, but some criticize Brave’s recent focus on the world of cryptocurrencies: many of its new features, such as its wallet or its own cryptocurrency BAT, support technologies related to that segment.

Regardless, we are faced with a browser that is absolutely outstanding when it comes to protecting our privacy, and does so by (a lot!) improving users’ web experience. There are also a few options we can squeeze in to make the most of this, and we’re definitely looking at a clear example of private browsers.

firefox

The people responsible for Mozilla and the developers of Firefox have long boasted that “no matter what you do online, the Firefox browser doesn’t track you.” The translation used on the website is not ideal, but it highlights the relevance of a project that is the best-known and most popular alternative to Chrome.

Firefox also has an ad blocker that allows you to avoid (at least partially) content that advertisers place on all kinds of websites. It sometimes blocks third-party cookies, fingerprint detectors, and even crypto mining scripts used on certain websites.

But also this Firefox has extensive experience when it comes to guaranteeing the least possible data collection and a personalization capacity that is almost unparalleled in this field. The ability to customize and add all kinds of extensions (although sometimes there are problems) has made it a great option for many users.

The best argument for believing that Firefox is the guardian of our privacy is that it is an Open Source project supported by an NGO called the Mozilla Foundation, which is also fighting almost single-handedly against the avalanche of Chromium-based browsers.

Liberation

It’s surprising that on macOS, Librewolf (the version I analyzed) is initially installed via Homebrew, although there is also an option to download a disk image (.dmg file).

The official website of the project states that this project is a “customized and independent” version of Firefox that aims to guarantee “the freedom, privacy and security of the user.” Both documentation and source code are available so anyone can contribute to or work on the project.

Their options include: absence of telemetryThe use of specialized search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Searx or Qwant and the default integration of uBlock Origin, an extension that we can install on our own in other browsers but is already pre-configured and active here.

We also have a development that performs particularly well in the analysis of PrivacyTests, which evaluates various browsers, both desktop and mobile, and analyzes whether they support certain security mechanisms. According to these analyses, Librewolf is a browser equivalent to Brave in terms of mechanisms to protect user privacy and security.

Safari

Although Macs’ market share is much more private than Windows-based machines, the Apple-developed browser has always had a reputation for protecting our privacy. As with your other products and services, it helps to have a business model that doesn’t rely on advertising.

So we are faced with a very valid option for Apple computer users, especially since the company pays great attention to a development that it knows that iPhone users in particular use.

Doubts certainly arise In this case, Google pays Apple a fortune to be the default search engine in Safari, but we can replace this search engine with another without any problems. There are also a number of other options that we can configure to guarantee our privacy a little more, and all this contributes to making it a good alternative if you are looking for a search engine with which you can browse with (a little more) peace of mind. your mind

ghost

We are faced with an offering based on Firefox that focuses on providing these extra privacy options through a development called Ghostery.

This is exactly the star feature of the browser native Ghostery extension integrationIt offers the ability to block trackers, ads, and other types of pop-ups that attempt to automatically load on various websites.

We also have a special search as long as we are a “contributor” to the project and make a “donation” – or rather subscription – on a monthly or annual basis. If we are already Firefox users, the advantages seem to be diminished, but as with the DuckDuckGo browser, we are faced with a browser that benefits from the popularity of the project it started with.

Bonus Track: Animated Navigators

The truth is that although we have selected seven particularly noteworthy developments in the field of privacy, there are other proposals that remain interesting and can certainly provide guarantees through complements or their own design.

However, it may be surprising that some market pioneers are not included in the list of highlights. Chrome is definitely not the most recommended In this area – extensions can help anyway – and the same goes for Edge or Opera: all these browsers have advantages in other areas, but not so much if what we want is to protect ourselves from data collection.

There are some lesser-known alternatives in this area. Aloha, for example, is a browser that has a certain importance (perhaps too much) among its options as a cryptocurrency, but it has an integrated free VPN and an integrated ad blocker.

There’s also Midori, a minimalist browser that provides VPN (with a waiting list for now) and promises to block most ads that appear on websites.

Finally, on desktop browsers, it would be interesting to mention the Open Source project Mullvad, a new branch of the Tor Project that is highly rated on PrivacyTests.org. Its creators propose to combine it with a VPN and, in fact, offer this service as a payment option to anyone who wants to take advantage of this alternative.

We’re focused on desktop browsers, but most of our heroes There are mobile versions on both iOS and Android It works by fully syncing with the desktop versions, so the whole experience wins. However, there are also browsers that focus specifically on privacy in the mobile field. Two of these are Bromite, a Chrome fork somewhat reminiscent of Tor, and Mull, which, despite its name, does not appear to be related to Mullvad.

Image | Defligra with Midjourney

on Genbeta | I turned my back on Chrome a long time ago. These three alternatives are worth it and I like them better