There’s also an anti-cryptomining feature, in case you’re worried that the sites you’re visiting are harvesting your system’s resources to make meager profits.īy default, the browser does not block advertising, but Mozilla has no problem recommending Firefox extensions that can help you accomplish that. By default, the browser’s Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks third-party tracking cookies based on Disconnect’s lists, and the browser now comes with an anti-fingerprinting feature to make it harder for advertising companies to build a profile around your habit. History lesson aside, Firefox Quantum also comes with a number of privacy-enhancing features built directly into the browser. If you’ve been using the web for any reasonable length of time, you’ve surely heard of Mozilla’s big Chrome competitor-though, oddly enough, it’s Google itself that currently supplies a significant amount of the nonprofit’s funding.

What you do while you’re using it may give away that anonymity (sending emails, logging on to web services, etc), and while communications inside the Tor network are encrypted, as soon as you leave the network, your data is in the clear (if it’s not encrypted another way.) That said, Tor is designed for physical and digital anonymity, not security and encryption.

Tor is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and you can even get portable versions to use when you need to access the web securely and safely on an untrusted system. Otherwise, Tor blocks all third-party trackers, clears cookies and histories when you close the browser, and tries to make all browser users look identical to thwart any kind of advertising-related fingerprinting. The vast majority of built-in plugins and services have been disabled or stripped out, and it’s important that you leave them that way, or else data you mean to keep private can leak to the sites you’re visiting. The Tor Browser is based on Firefox Quantum, is open-source, and comes preconfigured to access the Tor network. While it might seem odd for a privacy-focused browser to also have an advertising setup of its own, the move seems like a reasonable compromise that balances privacy and convenience against the financial realities content creators face. You’re also welcome to opt in to advertising (that doesn’t track you or collect your information) if you’d like to reward your favorite websites’ creators for their work. By default, Brave blocks all advertising and third-party tracking, and its built-in HTTPS Everywhere feature ensures you’re always connecting to the most secure version of the website you’re browsing ( if applicable). More importantly, Brave’s default settings are great for people who want more data privacy but don’t want to actually learn how to get it-or figure out all the extensions they’d need to install to reduce tracking in their favorite browsers. Moving over to Brave pulls you mostly out of Google’s ecosystem, first and foremost, so you can breathe a little easier knowing that you aren’t sending copious amounts of data to Google via your logged-in account.

This standalone browser for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android is based on Chromium-which means it’ll feel pretty familiar already if you’re a Chrome fan.

Best chromium based browser for privacy