Not all browsers are built equal, especially when it comes to privacy. While many consider Google to be the optimal browser for both accessibility and safety, for instance, there are still concerns over its shaky privacy policies.
Google, along with many other browsers, operate through collecting your personal data and tracking your behaviour. While this does not mean Google sells your information, the way it works means your information is often at the mercy of third parties.
This isn’t good, especially considering the amount of high profile data breaches that have occurred over the last decade. Whether it’s Facebook leaking the data of more than 533 million users in 2021, or Google+ exposing the information of around 500,000 users in 2018, it’s clear that the world we live in is neither private nor secure.
But it can be. Across the web, there are several browsers that can be entrusted with personal information, championing privacy and security as their main attributes.
While they do not offer complete protection – at least, not the same robust and complete protection that can be achieved through data removal on Incogni – they can stop third-party tools being used to collect and sell on your data. So with this in mind, we’re going to list a few of these browsers and explain a few of the main benefits for your privacy in 2024.
Opera
Opera – or Opera 1.0 – was released in 1995 and has since become a multi-platform web browser that prioritises data privacy more than anything else. With features including tracking protection, cryptomining protection, and fraud protection, it has become the next best option for plenty of internet users looking to stray away from Chrome. Benefits include:
- Built-in Ad Blocking
- Free VPN
- Private Browsing (deleting browsing history and data when the browser is closed)
- Data Syncing
Duck, Duck, Go
Launched in 2018, Duck, Duck, Go is an American company that was made specifically for protecting user data while they’re online. With a 2.45% share of the search engine market, it is currently the 4th most used browser in the world. Benefits include:
- No Stored Search History
- No Search Leakage
- Built-In Ad Blocking
- Bangs (a feature that ensures you get results from a specific platform, rather than the whole web).
- One-Page Scrolling
Firefox
Having edged out Google for the first time around eight years ago, Firefox has been building momentum to become one of the top, open-source browsers on the web. Launched in 2004, the benefits of Firefox include:
- Enhanced Tracking Protection
- Auto Deletion of Cookies
- Phishing and Malware Protection
- Footprint Warnings (Firefox warns against websites that collect data to profile you).
- HTTPS-Only Mode (forcing all connections to be secure and encrypted).
Tor
Lastly, the Tor browser is becoming an increasingly common option for people who want to surf the web anonymously. As mentioned before, even a browser like Tor is not entirely secure when it comes to keeping your data safe – traffic can still pass through nodes – but for people looking for an anonymous browsing experience, it’s a very good bet. Benefits include:
- Easy Connection to an Anonymising Network
- Military-Grade Encryption
- Automatic Hiding of Your IP Address
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a safer browsing experience, these browsers should be your first port of call. It should be reiterated, of course, that internet browsers alone cannot completely protect your personal information. But with data breaches becoming more popular, switching to something a little more concrete security-wise is certainly worthwhile.
