Private Browser
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Private Browser
The most private mainstream browser available in 2021
Includes protection against third party trackers
Completely open-source
Receives frequent security updates
Needs some configuration for optimal privacy
Stripped-down mobile browser
Fast without demanding much from your processor
Includes advanced security options
Clears cookies and history after each session
Based on Firefox source-code
Close to the core Firefox feel
Telemetry stripped out and honed for privacy
Compatible with Firefox extensions
Receives less frequent security updates than Firefox
Based on Firefox source-code
Built from free software
Optimized for privacy
Sacrifices performance
Only available for Linux
Grants access to the anonymous Tor Network
Requires some technical knowledge to use properly
Built on Firefox
Much slower than alternatives
Not effective for torrenting or streaming
Reimagines online advertising
Built on Chromium
Completely free and open-source
Includes anti-tracking technology
Not the most private browser available
Built on Chromium, which is open-source
All connections to Google removed
Very similar feel to Chrome
Compatible with Chrome add-ons
Semi-frequent security updates
January 27, 2021 · 10 min s read
January 3, 2021 · 10 min s read
December 30, 2020 · 15 min s read
/ Guides / The 7 Best Private Browsers To Stay Anonymous Online
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Callum oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his advice about VPNs has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society. Read full bio
Even with a VPN, using the wrong browser puts your privacy and security at risk. Learn about the dangers of browser fingerprinting and find out how to stay safe with these seven privacy-first browsers.
Using a good VPN is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your online privacy. Even so, it’s only one part of the puzzle.
Even with a VPN, your browser can build a digital fingerprint that advertisers and authorities use to track you online. Without the appropriate protection, your identity, browsing history, and sensitive personal data will be exposed.
This guide highlights an important concept for anyone seeking privacy and anonymity online: your browser is usually the weakest link
We’ve tested dozens of the most popular browsers to find the best private browsers on the market . In the next few chapters, we’ll cover which browsers to avoid , which extensions to download , and which browsers are best for your online privacy.
The seven best private browsers in 2021 are:
In the rest of this guide, you’ll learn how to configure your private browser and exactly what you can do to limit your online footprint.
Your choice of browser will have a huge impact on your online privacy and anonymity. Using the wrong browser will put you at risk of:
Data collection. Despite the claims from some VPN companies, your IP address is not the only way you are tracked online. Even when your VPN is active, your browser could be sending your activity data straight into the hands of Google , Apple , Microsoft , and hundreds of third-party advertisers .
IP address leaks via WebRTC. WebRTC — a browser-based technology used for real-time communication like audio, video, and live streaming — can also leak your IP address if not configured properly. WebRTC is enabled in most browsers by default. You can learn more about WebRTC leaks in our guide to VPN leaks .
Cookies & tracking scripts. Cookies and tracking scripts are another risk which most standard browsers won’t protect you from. These cookies can be used to follow you and record your behavior as you travel from site to site.
Browser fingerprinting. Even if you’ve blocked third-party trackers and hidden your IP address with a VPN , most browsers can still reveal information about your unique settings to every page you visit. This information is used to build a digital fingerprint which advertisers and authorities can use to track your movements. You can learn more about browser fingerprinting later on in this guide .
All of this information is sold to advertising companies and used to build a personalized profile of you, your interests, and your behavior. It is incredibly easy for authorities to get their hands on this data if they so wish. If you apply for a job at Apple, it might even impact your employability .
Advertisers, governments, tech companies, and even criminals can collect a range of sensitive data from an unprotected browser over time. This can include:
While it’s well-known that your data is bought and sold by hundreds of secretive companies, it’s less clear to the average user exactly who these organisations are, what information they store, and who they share it with.
There’s nothing wrong with allowing a company to access your data to perform a service. However, most of this data is collected by tracking scripts and cookies without people’s knowledge or consent . Often, companies justify this practice with services that users may not even want or use.
There is a significant risk that your data will be misused , abused , or shared without your consent
Third-party data brokers use this information to create billions of user profiles with thousands of data points per person. These profiles are then sold and used for advertising, changing the terms of loans, informing insurance premiums, restricting services to certain demographics , and much more.
Many brokers maintain a comprehensive shadow profile of unwitting consumers. Reams of personal data are also flowing to political parties attempting to influence voter behavior , as well as intelligence agencies tracking potential suspects.
Browser cookies and trackers are a major part of this infrastructure . Most websites rely on them to serve custom content and ads, and much of the resulting data is up for sale.
Of course, there are inherent risks involved in the collection, storage, and sale of consumer data on such a large scale. More than anything, it infringes on an individual’s right to know and control the information stored about them.
Fortunately, a properly-configured private browser combined with a VPN is the first step towards taking back control of your online privacy. To find out which private browser to choose, you can skip straight to our best private browser recommendations .
A secure browser will protect you from targeted attacks and malware . It might stop a dedicated attacker from stealing your account details or cookies, but it will not stop you from leaving a trail of data behind your online activity.
Google Chrome , for example, is a browser that is secure but not private .
A private browser is designed to limit the information you leave behind. A private browser will not send your information back to a large tech company or government, and will include several measures that make it harder for you to be singled out or tracked online.
Transparency and versatility are central to a good private browser. Open-source software — which allows the public to inspect the browser’s behavior — is a must-have.
However, open-source software and smaller development teams means the software behind some private browsers can be updated less frequently, leaving more room for security vulnerabilities.
Iridium is an example of a browser that is private but less secure .
There are a few browsers that brand themselves as “VPN browsers” — the most popular being Opera .
So-called “VPN browsers” are normally proxies, not full VPNs — which means they don’t offer the best levels of protection. You can learn more about the difference between these two tools in our VPN vs. Proxy guide .
There are no regulations for what can or cannot be called a VPN browser, so you shouldn’t assume a VPN browser offers you privacy .
The Opera browser is a good example. It is a “VPN browser” that undermines your privacy by giving up your data to a large array of third parties including Facebook and Google. You can learn more about the safety of Opera VPN here.
Generally speaking, any product marketing itself as a “VPN Browser” will not be the most effective solution. If you’re seeking privacy, combine a trusted VPN with a truly private browser.
Using the best private browser can go a long way in protecting you from online tracking, WebRTC leaks, and browser fingerprinting.
There isn’t a single best privacy browser, though, because privacy needs and preferences will differ between users.
All of the private browsers we recommend here are open-source . They offer minimal-reliance on big tech companies, custom settings , and active protection against online tracking.
Once configured properly, the Firefox browser is the best private browser available in terms of performance, ease-of-use, and privacy. You can see the Firefox privacy policy here .
There are two great things about Firefox. The first is that it is completely open-source . The second is that it is highly customizable .
Because it is open-source, Firefox forms the basis for lots of other privacy-focused browsers. You can also inspect the code to make sure that Mozilla is honest about the way the browser behaves.
Unlike Chrome, Opera, or Microsoft Edge, Firefox lets you customize its privacy settings to exclude all telemetry (sending data back to Mozilla) and third-party add-ons. This means even the standard version of Firefox is a potentially great private browser.
Recently we’ve seen some VPN extensions suffer WebRTC leaks in Firefox. See our advice for solving this further down the page .
The most important thing to remember when using the basic version of Firefox is that you optimize your settings for privacy.
The first and most important change you need to make when optimizing Firefox for privacy is to disable telemetry — the setting which allows your browser to send technical data back to Mozilla.
Firefox has an interactive development process which uses feedback from users and includes experimental builds like Firefox Nightly and Firefox Developer Edition . These are great if you want to help contribute to Firefox’s development, but they aren’t private.
How to disable Telemetry in Firefox.
Firefox also has a feature which can block trackers, cookies, fingerprinters and cryptominers, called Enhanced Tracking Protection.
In our experience the ‘strict’ mode will break some webpages, but is generally quite stable.
How to enable tracking protection in Firefox.
If you encounter a problem, you can always disable content blocking for specific sites by pressing the “shield” symbol to the left of the URL bar.
You can also change your default search engine from Google to a more private alternative.
Finally, there are some important advanced settings that can be accessed in Firefox’s advanced preferences menu.
To change these settings, just type about:config into your address bar. Press enter and then click “I accept the risk!”
This will take you to Firefox’s advanced configuration menu.
Search for the name of the preference you’d like to change and simply double-click on it to change from True to False or vice versa.
Firefox’s advanced configuration menu.
Here is a list of the most important advanced Firefox privacy settings:
Mozilla has been working on its mobile Firefox apps for a while now, and Firefox Focus is the result. Firefox Focus is tailored towards ad-blocking and tracking prevention by default. It’s also really easy to use.
You’ll find a comprehensive set of privacy options including the ability to block trackers of different kinds, block fonts, disable JavaScript, and even customize what kind of cookies are blocked.
The app can be set to block screenshots and obscure your browser’s contents when you switch between tabs. You can even set it to unlock with your fingerprint.
If you want to delete the history and cookies from your current session you simply press a trash-can symbol at the bottom of the page.
Firefox Focus only lets you have one tab open at a time , which means the browsing experience is quite different from what you might be used to. Because it is so stripped down, Focus also allows for a very fast browsing experience.
Overall, Firefox Focus offers a focused experience with great privacy — but you might not want to use it all of the time .
Firefox Focus has telemetry turned on by default . You should navigate straight to the settings to turn it off.
While you’re there, customize the level of privacy to your preferences. As you’ll find with any super-private browser, turning all of the protections on has a habit of breaking some websites or making them display strangely.
An alternative to optimizing your Firefox browser’s settings is to use a ‘ Firefox fork ’ — a browser separated from Firefox’s open-source code at some point in its development history. There are multiple Firefox forks which exist to maximize user privacy.
Other popular Firefox forks include Pale Moon , IceCat , and Basilisk .
Pale Moon and Basilisk both come with their own drawbacks , so we’ve focused on Waterfox for this list.
Waterfox doesn’t receive updates at quite the same rate as core Firefox, which means it isn’t always quite as secure as its fiery cousin.
However, Waterfox is optimized for privacy by default , which makes it an excellent choice if you don’t want to change Firefox’s settings yourself. Waterfox is fully customizable, supports legacy plug-ins, and has telemetry, data collection, startup profiling and sponsored tiles removed automatically.
Waterfox does send back details about your OS and browser version in order to check for updates, but this shouldn’t be a concern for most users.
Built on the principle of ‘ free software ’, IceCat is a part of a full rework of the Mozilla suite which prioritizes privacy and transparency .
Because of its commitment to free software, IceCat is only available for Linux . This means it isn’t an option for Windows or MacOS users.
IceCat has been developed based on an ethical commitment to making and using software which is free for anyone to inspect, edit, and reproduce, even at the expense of utility.
It comes with several add-ons designed to maximize your privacy, including HTTPS Everywhere, SpyBlock and Fingerprinting Countermeasures. These ensure your connection to websites is secure whenever possible, and prevents third-party tracking and even fingerprinting.
IceCat also comes with LibreJS , an add-on designed to prevent proprietary javascript from running in your browser and extracting data without permission.
Because IceCat is not just Open Source but also free, you can inspect all elements of its code and even modify it to suit your preferences. You can also be sure that all future versions or variants of the browser keep the same commitment to transparency.
The Tor browser is a modified version of Firefox which grants you access to the Tor Network and comes optimized for your privacy and anonymity .
The Tor network has some similarities to a VPN. Unlike a VPN, however, it is decentralized — so you never have to trust a private company with your data.
If you aren’t careful with Tor you can risk undermining your anonymity and leaving yourself vulnerable to direct criminal or government surveillance .
In addition, the Tor network can be quite a bit slower than using a simpler privacy-focused browser.
When used correctly, Tor is the best option for complete online anonymity. That said, we recommend doing some research before using Tor to make sure it is the right choice for your privacy. You can find full details about the Tor Browser in our Tor vs. VPN guide .
Using Tor correctly isn’t difficult, but it isn’t always intuitive. It has two big weaknesses:
To maintain your anonymity, follow these basic steps:
If you’re extremely privacy conscious it is also recommended that you avoid full-screen . When your browser window is fullscreen it can reveal information like your screen resolution and size, which distinguishes your session from other Tor users and can help with browser fingerprinting .
Built by the developer of JavaScript after he left Mozilla, Brave is a privacy-focused browser that aims to rework traditional online advertising.
Normal adverts and trackers are blocked by default. Instead, Brave shows its own advertisements and rewards users with its own native cryptocurrency called BAT . If you want to claim these rewards you will need to supply an email address.
These adverts are customized based on your browsing history, which is stored locally in the browser, not sent back to Brave. For true privacy enthusiasts, even this local storage might overstep the mark.
The Brave browser also has its own customizable “shields” system, which allows the user to quickly toggle security and privacy measures such as script blocking , device recognition blocking and cross-site cookie blocking .
Brave is free and open-source, which is encouraging from a transparency perspective. You can see the source code on Github .
Brave isn’t without controversy though. The browser’s foundation is in Google Chromium — the open-source project behind the Google Chrome browser and Google Chrome OS. This is a point of anxiety for many users.
Being based on Chromium comes with some privacy downsides. It isn’t possible to disable WebRTC, for instance. While Chromium is open-source now, there is no guarantee it will continue to be in the future.
Unlike most of the other browsers on this list it is also produced by a company looking to make money from advertising , not a group of volunteer privacy enthusiasts. Brave automatically pockets 15% of the revenue from its ads. We’ll let you decide whether this undermines the project or not.
Brave collects some anonymized information about its users, and this cannot be turned off. It claims this information isn’t telemetry , but the lack of user control is concerning from a privacy perspective.
If you buy into its vision for advertising and trust the company to deliver on it, Brave could be a good choice. However, there are better options if privacy is your main point of concern.
Brave can be a secure, privacy-focused browser if you avoid its advertising arm. Even if configured properly, it is still not as effective as browsers based on Firefox.
Stay away from the BAT reward feature if you’re concerned about privacy. It’s turned off by default and we recommend you keep it that way.
If you’ve already turned on the rewards system, it’s easy to turn off by clicking the triangular ‘rewards’ button in the top right hand corner of the browser.
How to disable Brave’s rewards feature.
Ungoogled Chromium is exactly what it sounds like: Google Chrome with every possible bit of Google taken out or turned off.
The Chromium Projects are the open-source projects behind the Google Chrome browser and Google Chrome OS. While they are open-source, they are still made by Google .
Chromium browsers send information back to Google by default. Even with ‘Ungoogled’ Chromium, it is hard to confirm that this feature has been turned off completely.
Ungoogled Chromium gives you access to add-ons designed for Chrome . While this is useful, it’s worth remembering that more add-ons make your browser easier to identify. In addition, every add-on you install is a potential way for Google and other third parties to collect your data.
In short, only use add-ons you completely trust. You can learn more about browser add-ons and extensions later in this guide .
There are also other Chromium based browsers to consider including Iridium . Iridium has a similar set of goals to Ungoogled Chromium, but is generally updated less frequently.
There are a few browsers that claim to have full VPN capabilities .
As we’ve mentioned previously, these so-called ‘VPN browsers’ are normally glorified proxies , not full VPNs — which means they don’t offer the best levels of protection.
There is no strict definition for what constitutes a VPN browser, so you shouldn’t assume they offer you privacy . We’ll cover the most popular options below.
The most popular ‘VPN Browser’ is probably the Opera browser. Despite its popularity, Opera is neither a proper VPN nor is it particularly private . We recommend avoiding the Opera browser where possible. For more details on exactly why, you can skip to our chapter on popular browsers to avoid .
Tenta Browser is another “VPN browser” that’s only available on Android. Tenta isn’t fully open-source, which is worrying for a browser that sells itself on privacy. The free version of Tenta isn’t a full VPN , although Tenta do sell a “ pro version ”, which is. It has a firm no-logs policy and is kept up to date from a security perspective, which are both positives.
Epic is the third well-known ‘VPN browser’. Epic is closed-source, so it’s hard to know exactly what it does with your data. Like Opera and Tenta it only runs as a proxy, not as a full VPN . Epic is also based in India, with servers in the US – neither of which are good jurisdictions for privacy . It is based on Chromium, and there is some evidence that it still sends your information back to Google.
We can’t fully recommend using any of these browsers. At the very least, you should use them with caution.
We look forward to the arrival of a well-made , transparent , and effective VPN browser. Until then, the term “VPN Browser” is a marketing statement more than anything else.
If you want a lightweight VPN within your browser then the best option is to use a trustworthy VPN add-on, although these are also often proxies. We’ve written guides to the best VPN add-ons for Chrome and Firefox .
If you’re looking for a private browsing experience that includes a VPN, our advice is to avoid “VPN Browsers”. You should be running a full, trustworthy VPN alongside a properly configured privacy-first browser.
Some of the most popular browsers on the market are also the most invasive. If you’re looking to browse privately, avoid the following browsers at all costs:
Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world . It might be easy to use, but if you care about your privacy at all then you should not use Google Chrome .
Google makes money through personalised advertising. This requires huge amounts of data in order to target the right people with the right adverts. Chrome is a key source of this data, and it keeps a record of pretty much everything you do, even in Incognito Mode .
The biggest problem with Chrome is that it forms part of the wider Google ecosystem in which a huge amount of your data is subject to observation and logging . You can find the worrying details for yourself in the Google Chrome privacy policy .
“Sync” is the setting responsible for integrating most of your data. If you’re logging into a Google Account it will be on by default and will save all of this information to Google’s servers:
You can choose whether or not to use sync. However, even when it has been turned off, Google’s surveillance remains extensive. Google’s eyes are everywhere: in Google searches , in your email , on YouTube , in third-party services and in analytics on almost every website you visit.
With Google Chrome, it’s harder than any other browser to maintain your privacy.
Google’s company-wide privacy policy states that they collect data to improve their services:
“We collect information to provide better services to all our users — from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you’ll find most useful, the people who matter most to you online, or which YouTube videos you might like”
Most of this is worded like data collection is an act of benevolence, but the truth is that it’s an advertising company that can make more money by leveraging the data of its user base. In short, Google is absolutely relentless about collecting data from you in any way it possibly can .
Even when you aren’t signed into a Google Account, Google uses unique identifiers tied to your browser and device. This is supposedly to maintain features like language preferences, but in reality, it simply allows Google to track you even when you aren’t signed in .
Whether you’re signed into your Google account or not, Google can collect the following data across all of its platforms:
*Includes any website using Google apps or files hosted in Google Hosted Libraries .
All of this data is collected across platforms and analysed to detect “spam, malware and illegal content”. It is then used to serve highly detailed and personalized adverts. You can see just how long Google keeps all of this information here .
Google also uses this information to develop its translation program and voice recognition software , among other projects.
How to download your Google profile data.
If it wasn’t already clear, we recommend you avoid Google services as much as possible . This is especially true of the Google Chrome browser.
Since the advent of Edge, Microsoft has done a good job of modernizing its browser’s performance and user interface. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for its privacy features and customization options .
Microsoft’s data gathering practices don’t compare to Google’s, but it still isn’t a safe haven for your data .
Edge stores information about your browsing habits in the cloud, as well as other information like passwords and form entries. That said, it also offers simple instructions on how to view and purge this data .
Microsoft Edge also has some integrated DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology, which automatically detects media licences on your device and stops you accessing content if these licenses are absent. This is unnecessary and intrusive from a privacy perspective.
There is also some minimal and ineffective anti-tracking technology in place.
As a company, Microsoft has done very little to earn the trust of its users when it comes to privacy.
Safari offers some protection compared to Chrome and Edge, but it is still not a good choice for privacy .
Safari blocks third party cookies by default and also has some protection against cross-site tracking. While these are both useful tools, they do not make Safari a safe private browser.
There are several reasons why you should not trust Apple with your data . Firstly, Apple is a partner of the NSA’s PRISM program , which means it freely hands information over to government surveillance.
It has also been caught hoarding supposedly “deleted” Safari browsing data and collecting browsing history while users were in private mode .
Apple’s privacy policy states that it gathers the following personal information from its users:
This information is then used when the company has “assessed it is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by Apple”.
The full list of circumstances in which Apple uses your data includes:
There are also some genuinely shocking uses:
“If you apply for a position at Apple or we receive your information in connection with a potential role at Apple, we may use your information to evaluate your candidacy and to contact you.”
This suggests that if you work at Apple or plan to work at Apple, it may use your data to surveil your activities.
This is a notable example of how important it is to insist on your privacy — at some point even basic things like your employment might depend on it.
Safari has a reputation for being more private than other browsers, and this isn’t entirely unfounded. Apple guarantees not to share your information with third parties for marketing purposes, which is more than Google does. You can also opt out of Apple’s tracking ads on all of your devices.
This doesn’t mean that third-party trackers can’t collect your data, though. Apple’s dubious internal use of your data and cooperation with the US government alone should be enough to keep you off of their devices and platforms.
If you’re using Safari we strongly recommend you download a more private browser.
Opera is built from a mixture of closed and open-source components. Thanks to some clever marketing as a “VPN Browser”, many people think that Opera is a private browser. This isn’t the case . You can find out exactly why in our detailed guide to Opera VPN’s safety .
Despite claims to the contrary, the Opera browser is actually just a proxy , not a VPN. It was also hacked in 2016 — exposing users’ personal information and passwords. Opera has also had some historical issues with WebRTC leaking IP addresses .
Most importantly, Opera’s privacy policy reveals a complete disregard for genuine privacy and anonymity. The privacy policy states that third parties may process user data , but gives very little information about what data is handed to third parties or how it is processed.
However, it does list the third parties involved:
This list includes several large data companies — namely Google and Facebook — as well as some no-name companies whose websites aren’t even running on HTTPS.
You cannot trust these companies with your data privacy or security. Opera’s reliance on these third-party data processors completely undermines any claims it might have to privacy.
Developed by the Alibaba Group , UC Browser is a hugely popular mobile browser in countries like China and Indonesia. It even outperforms Google Chrome in some of these markets — yet it is practically unknown to users in Europe and America.
There is plenty of evidence that UC Browser is not at all secure . While most of the browsers on this list do dubious things with your data or share it with other organizations, UC Browser makes it easy for criminals to get their hands on it.
In June 2020, the Indian government decided to ban UC Browser, claiming that it posed a risk to India’s sovereignty and security . However, reports suggest that the browser is still available to download in the App Store and Google Play Store.
If you have the option, don’t use UC Browser .
If your browser doesn’t include native privacy protections like script blocking or third-party tracker protection , there are lots of free, trusted extensions that can help you achieve a similar goal.
There are some browser extensions you can’t trust. This includes Adblock Plus, which takes money from websites to put them on a whitelist.
All of the add-ons that we recommend are transparent, community-maintained, or developed by organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation , which aren’t run for profit.
If you want to use a VPN browser extension, take a look at our top picks for Chrome or Firefox .
There is no perfect model for online privacy, so you need to work out the best approach for you. That said, it’s a good start to consider downloading the following browser extensions for safety:
These browser extensions can help protect your privacy if chosen and configured correctly. However, it’s important to be aware of the following general safety tips:
The best compromise is to choose one trusted extension for each element of privacy that is most important to you. This could mean one extension to block adverts, and another to block tracking scripts or CDNs.
Try not to pick extensions with overlapping utilities, and stick to two or three in total.
If you have lots of different privacy priorities, a useful approach might be browser compartmentalization, which we will cover in detail later in this guide .
Following the most recent update of Firefox, 73.0, we’ve noticed many VPN providers having difficulty preventing WebRTC leaks in their Firefox VPN browser extensions.
At the very least, this issue has effected:
At the time of writing, the only VPNs we’ve seen without this issue are ExpressVPN and NordVPN .
Thankfully, disabling WebRTC in Firefox is quick and easy:
Your device provides the websites you visit with detailed information about your operating system , browser , and hardware . Together, this information can be used to create a unique “fingerprint”. The use of this data to identify and track users is known as browser fingerprinting.
Authorities, advertisers, and trackers can use browser fingerprinting or “device fingerprinting” techniques to to trace your activity across the web .
Most of the information included in your browser fingerprint is innocuous. However, when this information is put together it can be used to identify you with worrying precision. Once assembled, your digital fingerprint is consistently accurate.
With recent developments in cross-browser fingerprinting, the technique is now capable of successfully identifying users 99% of the time . That means even if you were to employ multiple privacy precautions — including using a VPN and blocking cookies — trackers can still use your fingerprint to re-identify and re-cookie your device whenever you visit a website.
Audio fingerprinting is another emerging fingerprinting method, which tests the properties of your machine’s audio-stack to provide yet more identifiable information.
If you don’t take any measures to obscure it, your browser fingerprint will include:
*Includes Amazon, Craigslist, Dropbox, Expedia, Facebook, Github, Google, YouTube, Instagram, PayPal, Pinterest, Spotify, Tumblr, Twitch, Twitter, VKontakte.
Once cross-referenced, all this information can be brought together to form a unique profile of every web user.
You can visit deviceinfo.me for a full rundown of all of the information that websites and the cookies they load can see about you.
If you want to be truly anonymous online, you want to look like as many other users as possible .
Websites like AmIUnique or Panopticlick can give you an idea of how unique your fingerprint is.
These services are great for getting an idea of how powerful browser fingerprinting is, but you shouldn’t use them as a definitive answer to whether or not you can be fingerprinted. They will compare your browser to a different, more outdated data sample, and will not always be 100% accurate.
Fortunately, most of the recommended private browsers mentioned in this guide include some degree of protection against browser fingerprinting. These browsers try to make you stand out as little as possible by simply denying trackers the information they desire.
It’s worth remembering that giving trackers no information at all can be even more identifiable than revealing something relatively common. In addition, every extension you install makes you stand out from the crowd a little more, and makes it easier for trackers to identify you.
For this reason, using Safari on an Apple iPhone is actually one of the best ways to beat fingerprinting , as iPhone configurations tend to be very similar. There is a clear trade-off to using an iPhone, though: you’ll be handing Apple your personal data instead.
Using a privacy-focused browser with just a few well chosen add-ons is the best method for minimising the risk of browser fingerprinting without giving up other forms of privacy.
Users undermine their online privacy by repeatedly logging into multiple accounts in the same browser. This allows sites to build up a much more detailed profile of you, and even lets them relate your online browsing habits to your real life identity .
Browser compartmentalization is when you use different web browsers for different kinds of activity online. This allows you to keep different activities separate and customize each browser to different threat models.
An example setup for browser compartmentalization is:
If you want the best possible privacy, consider using different browsers for different activities.
Private Browsing or ‘Incognito’ mode will change the way your browser behaves, whether you’re using Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other browser – but it will not change the way other computers behave.
When you browse in a normal window, your web browser will store data about your browsing history locally. This data includes:
Anyone with access to your computer and browser could stumble across this information later.
When you enable Private Browsing mode – also known as Incognito Mode – your web browser does not store this information . Some data, like cookies, may be kept for the duration of the private browsing session and then immediately discarded when the browser window is closed.
Private browsing mode stops you leaving any obvious tracks on your computer. It also prevents websites from using cookies to track your visits. However, your browsing is not completely private or anonymous when using private browsing mode.
Private browsing or ‘Incognito mode’ only affects your computer . It will not tell other computers, servers, or routers to forget your browsing history. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will still be able to see all of the websites you visit . If your traffic passes through a corporate or school network, your employer or school can still see your activity.
The main benefit of private browsing mode is that it will let you browse the internet without leaving obvious traces of your activity in the browser itself . It also lets you access websites like Google or YouTube without being logged in to your Google account.
Private mode won’t make you anonymous , and some data can still be stored on your computer.
If you want to be truly private, you should use a privacy-focused browser alongside a trustworthy VPN.
Callum oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his advice about VPNs has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society. Read full bio
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Disables WebRTC — a real-time communication protocol that can leak your true IP address.
Enables Firefox’s native fingerprint protection.
privacy.trackingprotection.fingerprinting.enabled
Enables additional fingerprint protection.
privacy.trackingprotection.cryptomining.enabled
Provides extra protection against cryptominers.
Enables first-party isolation. This means cookies, cache, and much more are prevented from tracking you across multiple domains.
Enables a filter list to block known third-party trackers.
Firefox uses Google Location Services to find your location. In the process, it sends it your IP address, client identifier, and information about nearby WiFi networks. You can turn this off entirely by selecting false.
Prevents websites from tracking information about your camera and microphone, which is used in fingerprinting.
This setting runs from 0 to 4 and controls the browser’s cookie policy. Setting it to 0 would allow all cookies. The highest level of protection, 4, enables New Cookie Jar.
This setting controls how long cookies are stored. Set this to 2 to delete cookies at the end of each session.
Prevents Firefox from prefetching DNS. Prefetching DNS can speed up load times but has some small privacy risks.
Prevents Firefox from prefetching pages it thinks you might visit. This has similar privacy risks to prefetching DNS.
Disables WebGL. WebGL can be used in advanced browser fingerprinting techniques, and also represents a potential security risk.
Prevents websites from knowing when you copy, cut, or paste content.
Disables DRM-controlled HTML5 content.
uBlock Origin doesn’t just block ads, it blocks trackers and malware sites as well. It is easily accessible for non-tech savvy users, and makes your browsing experience safer and more private.
Maintained as a collaboration between the Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), this extension pushes sites to use HTTPS wherever possible.
Another extension developed by EFF, Privacy Badger identifies invisible trackers and blocks them automatically. It’s designed to be as easy as possible for the user, and will block non-consensual trackers without the need for any manual configuration.
It’s not unusual for websites to include files hosted by third-party CDNs ( Content Delivery Networks ). Because websites rely so heavily on these resources, many pages won’t display correctly if they are blocked. Decentraleyes helps you avoid these third-parties while preventing these pages from breaking.
This extension will automatically deletes cookies whenever you close a tab.
uMatrix is a firewall that allows you to switch every kind of connection your browser makes on a webpage on or off. This includes Javascript, cookies, and plug-ins.
This is a Firefox extension that prevents Javascript, Java, Flash, and other plug-ins from running unless you are on a trusted website. This add-on makes Firefox more private and secure, and is endorsed by the likes of Edward Snowden .
Developed for Firefox, Chameleon is an open-source user-agent spoofer that gives websites and trackers random information to make it harder for them to track you between different websites.
This extension blocks Javascript APIs , one of the many ways websites can identify you through your browser. It’s worth noting that blocking some APIs may make you stand out from the crowd even more than allowing them .
Trace is designed to fight against a variety of advanced fingerprinting techniques based on audio, WebGL, WebRTC, user-agent tracking, hardware fingerprinting, and much more.
Epic Privacy Browser , a secure chromium-based web browser with Encrypted...
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Here is a list of 5 free browsers for private browsing . These browsers let you surf internet keeping your online activities hidden . You can browse seamlessly without worrying about being tracked. Your browsing history, cache, temporary files, download history, search history etc will be cleared from your browser automatically and as well as from your PC when you close your browsing session.
Protecting your privacy is an important thing nowadays while surfing internet, and these private browsers a step in the right direction to achieve that. As Some high profit earning companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft track your every move on the internet even if you are browsing via incognito mode. They still can figure out your public interests, IP details, how much time you are spending on a particular site, etc . They use this information to improve their products for better. But in between the scene there lie some people knows as data miners, intruders or data collectors that may trace your traffic and the capture your information to sell it to government agencies or certain e-commerce sites.
To keep your privacy safe I have compiled the following list of 5 free browsers for private browsing for you to surf internet without compromising privacy of your kids or your own.
Epic Privacy browser protects you from different types of tracking attempts made by different parties everyday. When you are using Epic, your online activities are hidden from Google, your ISP, your government, your employer and many other data collectors. It has built-in capability to disable tracking files and other fingerprinting scripts that are downloaded by various websites to your PC. These tracking files send data anonymously all behind the scene to track your IP address, your browsing session details, etc.
Epic can also show you who is tracking you when you are using some other browsers also like Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. And one of the best feature that it offers is EpicProxy. Turn on this feature and Epic will encrypt every bit of data that is going out of your browser . It even hides your IP address using this feature.
Epic by default provides a long list of features that help you maintain your privacy over the internet. It offers some very noteworthy features such as no history record, no caching, disabled DNS pre-fetching, no concept of DNS cache, protects from third-party cookies and it doesn’t save passwords.
Epic Browser is made on code of Chromium, the same code which powers Google Chrome as well. However, Epic Browser has modified this code to remove tracking features and add privacy related features. Epic Browser has almost similar features that Chrome does, but it does not supports most of the extensions of Chrome.
See the screenshot of the interface of Epic privacy browser.
And one last thing I want to add about Epic is that when you exit after browsing, it clears history, all visited links, temporary storage, your preferences, current session, media cache, favicons , indexed DB, login data and application & DNS cache.
Tor is acronym for Total Onion Router . It is basically a group of volunteered servers that work together to provide you privacy and security . It uses a set of virtual tunnels to connect to the web rather than direct routes. It’s a very nice tool for anonymous browsing as your browsing session details or IP address are not captured by other parties . You can browse with confidence that your activities will not be tracked and its a good browser for people who are engaged in journalism or some other field where they often send sensitive data over the internet.
Tor is a cross-platform browser and comes in portable version too . You can launch it from a USB pen drive or carry it with you anywhere. With Tor you can protect yourself from traffic analysis that is done by several third parties and intruders to track what data you are sending from source to destination.
Of course, no browser is fully secure, but Tor does quite a good job at maintaining your anonymity.
Iridium is another Chromium based private browser with added modifications specially for privacy of the user. Iridium provides all features that you see in Google Chrome like, support for apps and extensions, shortcut keys, etc. For privacy it offers you some extra features such as it block websites setting cookies automatically, it uses Qwant as default search engine that doesn’t record traces of the searches you make, and blocks websites that are fetching data from your PC. You can see difference between Iridium and Chromium here .
It has enhanced its security by disabling plugins for Java, flash , etc and it increased its privacy by disabling auto saving password, DNS prediction, link auditing, auto fill and many others. Iridium is pretty fast in its operations and being more like Google Chrome, it will not be very difficult to handle it.
Browzar is another private browser that you can use. There are a couple of unique things in this browser. First of all, its size is very small; less than 250KB! It achieves this by being based on IE, so it uses components of IE already installed on your PC, instead of a need to install a full fledged browser. Secondly, it provides private browsing, but not anonymity or protection for tracking. It basically does not keeps any history of browsing activity or cache files, and your complete browsing history is wiped out as soon as you close the browser, but it does not provide many features to stop websites from tracking you. So, if you are looking for anonymity, then this is not the browser for you.
Apart from this, it has some useful features, like, Boss button, secure deletion of all browsing data on exit (browsing history, cookies, temporary files, etc.), and blocking of download of ActiveX components.
Ideal use of this browser would be when you are doing some browsing on your PC, which you don’t want other users of that PC to know.
Overall speed of the browsing is quite good with it but, it block JavaScript of websites for security reasons. So, surfing Facebook or Gmail like websites through Browzar will be quite boring for you.
Dooble is another private browser that can be used for private browsing. It is based on WebKit engine that Chrome and Safari use and it looks similar to Firefox browser. It has capability to remove all browsing data including history, cache, download list and bookmarks as soon you close it. And it doesn’t support cookies and JavaScript by default and support for addons or extensions is also missing . A very nice feature that it offers is that you can manage privacy of different tabs separately. For example you can disable JavaScript in one tab and enable it for another tab by just right clicking on each tab’s title.
The above mentioned features are embedded by default in Dooble . But if you want to retain your browsing data and other browsing stuff then, you will have to activate it’s Safe mode from Settings menu. In Safe section it asks you to add a key-phrase that will be used as a password. And when someone tries to open Dooble it will ask for the key-phrase for it to open.
Dooble also includes many other useful features, like, built-in FTP browser, file download manager, Cookie Manager, etc.
These were 5 free browsers for private browsing . And out of all these I really like Iridium and Epic privacy browsers to be the best ones for private browsing . If you are looking for ways for private browsing then you can give them a try by downloading them via link given in the article.
And if you know some other browsers for private browsing then do let me know in comments.
A tech freak who is crazy about Windows. Knows from Registry to MS Paint, and can write about them all.
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