Web browsers are used daily. If they protect your privacy to some level, there is a lot that can be done to strengthen that protection. Explanation
Privacy has become a priority for many publishers of web browsers but these might not go as far in the fight as you would like. Here is how to strengthen the protection of your privacy to limit online tracking as much as possible.
Issues like the Facebook scandal and Cambridge Analytica have raised privacy on the priority list of Silicon Valley companies by showing how some companies can retrieve your personal data and shape a detailed profile to make you a target. easier for advertising.
Apple and Google are waging a war on the web, with Google promoting an interactive web to compete with native apps and Apple working more slowly, not least because the giant is worried that new features weaken security or are boring to use. Privacy adds another dimension to this competition and to the choice of your browser.
Apple has made privacy a priority in all of its products, including Safari. For the startup Brave, privacy a central element, Mozilla and Microsoft, they tout privacy as a way to differentiate themselves from Google Chrome. Engineers at the Mountain View firm are working on a “sandbox for privacy” despite Google’s dependence on advertising revenue.
On all the web browsers mentioned above, you can already strengthen the protection of your personal data by changing the default search engine. Try DuckDuckGo for example. While its results aren’t as useful or deep as Google’s, DuckDuckGo is the privacy champion.
Other universal options exist: deactivate geolocation and autocompletion features in the search engine, deactivate the automatic filling of passwords, regularly delete the browsing history. If you want to take it to another level, consider using a VPN.
There are also a number of browser settings you can change to help you stay away from ad trackers.
Chrome settings to change
The world’s most popular browser is also one of the least private when used with its default settings. That being said, because it’s open-source, independent developers may have come up with extensions to protect you.
On the Chrome Web Store, click Extensions on the left and type the name of the extension you’re looking for in the search bar. Once the extension is found, click Add to Chrome. A dialog box will then appear, explaining the permissions required for the extension. Click Add Extension to install it in your browser.
If you change your mind, you can manage your extensions by opening Chrome and clicking the button with the three little dots at the top right of the screen. Then select “More tools” then “Extensions”. From there, you will be able to see all your extensions and learn more by clicking on Details.
Here are four very useful extensions to get started: Cookie Autodelete, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere.
If you’re on Android, sorry, extensions don’t work. You will need to change your browser for the DuckDuckGo application for example.
In the same three little dots menu in Chrome, you can also block third-party cookies by selecting Settings, then going to the “Confidentiality and security” section and then clicking on “Cookies and other site data”. There, select “Block third-party cookies”.
Safari settings to change
By default, Safari activates its proprietary Intelligent Tracking Prevention tool to protect your privacy. The tool has not worked perfectly since its launch in 2017. For example, Google researchers have shown how the tool itself can be used to track users.
Safari 14, which arrived at the end of 2020 with macOS Big Sur, can tell you which ad trackers are present on the site you are visiting and gives you a 30-day report. It informs you of the origin of these different trackers.
To check that the blocking is effective, open Safari and click on Preferences then Confidentiality. The box next to “Prevent multi-domain tracking” should be checked. While you are at it, you can also manually delete your cookies. Click on “Manage website data” to see which sites have left trackers and cookies on your browser. Click Delete to make individual deletions or “Delete all” to delete all.
Cookies can be useful, but to protect your privacy, you can block them all – site cookies as well as third-party advertiser cookies -. To do this, check the box next to “Block all cookies”.
If you want to go further, you can also install useful extensions from the App Store, like AdBlock Plus or Ghostery Lite for Safari.
Edge settings to change
Microsoft Edge browser has streamlined options for blocking trackers and protecting privacy on its tracker prevention screen. In Edge, click on the icon with the three little dots in the upper right corner and select Settings. From the menu that appears on the left, select Privacy, Search & Services.
There, three options: Basic, Normal use and Strict. By default, Edge uses the Normal Usage value, which blocks trackers for sites you haven’t visited while letting your regular sites or sites known to be problematic pass through. Strict mode can affect the operation of some sites but will block as many trackers as possible. Even the Basic will block tackers used for cryptocurrency mining or user fingerprint generation.
Firefox settings to change
Firefox’s default privacy settings are more protective than Chrome and Edge’s, and the browser has more up its sleeve.
From the Firefox main menu – or via the icon of the three small horizontal lines at the top right of the screen -, select Preferences. Click on “Privacy and Security”. You will then be able to choose from three options: Standard, Strict and Custom. Standard, the default, blocks trackers in incognito windows, third-party tracking cookies, and crypto miners. In Strict, some sites may no longer function normally but it will also block the generations of fingerprints and trackers in all windows. The Custom option is for those who want to fine-tune the blocking of trackers.
To apply the new setting, click “Refresh all tabs”.
Brave settings to change
When it comes to anti-tracking tools, the latest Safari updates are far from what can be found in the Brave browser. By default, Brave blocks all ads, trackers, third-party cookies, and fingerprints while providing very high speeds. Bravo also has its own Tor private browsing mode, an option to block heavier trackers, and even a built-in VPN for iOS users.
From the Brave main menu, select Preferences to bring up the Settings panel on the left. Select Protections to see a list of options on the right of the screen. By selecting the Advanced view, you will be able to choose the types of trackers to block. By scrolling down, you can also block login buttons and embedded content from Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn. For even more protection, also explore “Confidentiality and security”.