Brave tor browser8/18/2023 For example, you can fine tune which cookies and trackers you block. That said, in recent tests performed by us, a clean installation of Firefox still had a unique browser fingerprint (new window).įirefox’s default settings emphasize privacy, but you can customize them to provide even greater privacy. It focuses on protecting your privacy with built-in enhanced tracking protection (new window) and canvas fingerprinting resistance (new window). The only real open-source competition to Google’s browser engineįirefox is a fully audited (new window) open-source browser from the nonprofit organization Mozilla.Secure cross-device and platform syncing.Lots of privacy-enhancing features, with more always in development.Best secure and privacy-first web browsers Mozilla Firefox These browsers may still be useful on iOS (for example, for syncing bookmarks, open tabs, and browsing history across all your devices), but they’re not included among the apps discussed below.Īlthough not directly relevant to this article, it should be noted that in-app browsers on iOS, such as those used by the Tiktok (new window), Instagram, and Facebook (new window) apps, can be very insecure and should be avoided at all costs. Therefore, all comments about the browsers discussed in this article explicitly exclude their iOS versions. (A browser engine (new window) transforms an HTML file into a visual web page you can interact with.) This means that all third-party browsers on iOS are basically just rebranded versions of Safari (except that Safari for iOS offers advanced features that Apple blocks from its competitors). Browsers on iOS and iPadOSĪpple forces all browsers (new window) that run on its iOS and iPadOS platforms to use its own WebKit browser engine (new window). That’s why we’re only considering fully open-source browsers in this article. However, the fact that anyone can examine the code (and in the case of popular browsers, many have) provides the best assurance possible that its code is error-free and contains no hidden surprises. The sheer amount of code involved in creating a browser means things can be missed even by professional software auditors. Open source is not a miracle cure when it comes to ensuring software is private and secure. ![]() Even if you do trust them, this is not how good security works. It comes down to how much you trust the developers with these browsers. The bottom line is that we simply don’t know how invasive these browsers are to our privacy because they are closed (although Chrome has been shown to use trackers to “ absurd proportions (new window)”). Its attitude to rival browsers on its iOS platform (discussed below) also makes it clear that the best interests of its users are not a top priority for the company. Microsoft also makes money from targeted advertising and has a long record of violating its users’ privacy (new window).Īpple markets itself as a champion of its users’ privacy, but it fully cooperated with the NSA’s PRISM spying program (new window) that Edward Snowden exposed in 2013. Google’s entire business model is to invade our privacy so it can better target us with highly personalized ads. But should we trust them to respect our privacy? These browsers are undoubtedly secure, as they have numerous highly effective protections against hackers. That’s because they, like most popular browsers, use proprietary closed code, so we cannot know how they handle your data. You might notice that many of the most popular browsers, namely Google Chrome but also Apple Safari and Opera, aren’t included in our list above. However, we were able to assemble a list of six open-source browsers that respect your privacy to varying degrees. There are hundreds of browsers out there, so we could not examine them all. In theory, your browser could send a record of everything you do online back to its developers - even what you type into fields on individual web pages.įor that reason, we at Proton feel it’s important to explain to people which browsers they can use if they want to keep their online activity private. Your browser has direct access to troves of your most personal and intimate data. And if you care about privacy, accessing a service using its website exposes much less of your data (new window) than using its app. Thanks to the popularity of apps, the browser is less important on mobile platforms, but it’s still the main way to access most content on the web. On desktop PCs and laptops, it’s your primary means of accessing the world wide web and other internet services. ![]() Your web browser is your window into the online world. This post has been completely refreshed on November 28, 2022 Last update on MaPublished on December 9, 2019
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