Learn how to browse privately and securely in any browser with these tips. You can use the web browser’s built-in privacy settings or extensions to enhance privacy.
With the ever-increasing danger of online privacy being compromised, a secure browsing experience has truly become the need of the hour. It is not only during a data breach or when unauthorized users access our accounts that one should be concerned about these aspects.
Rather, these security measures should become an integral part of your daily browsing sessions. Recently, I searched for a product online, and right after that, my social media feed was flooded with ads related to that product itself.
While these selected ads are displayed based on my browsing history and sites I’ve interacted with, this is the aspect I’m really against. And I would not be the only one belonging to this segment.
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So what could be done to counteract this and in turn get a private and secure browsing experience? Well, there are some privacy tips that should be incorporated into your daily browsing habit right away. And this guide will make you aware of that.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
First things first, if a private and secure browsing experience is at the top of your priority list, then you should choose a browser that truly respects these factors. And one should look no further than.
By providing three levels of encryption, it passes all data through random nodes before taking it to its intended destination. However, all of this could come at the cost of a slightly outdated UI/UX experience.
So if you are looking for a more balanced option, you can also go for the Firefox browser. Other than that, there are a few other noteworthy options that you can check out through our guide to the best privacy-focused web browsers.
Mode , either , although the name may vary, but its objectives are the same. These modes offer you a more secure browsing experience as they will not record your browsing history, cookies and session data, as well as the information you share on other sites.
However, this mode only ensures your local privacy by storing this data locally on your PC. When it comes to online security, they are not a good alternative as your browsing activities would still be visible to your ISP and network administrator.
So for a much more secure approach, you should also consider using a proxy or VPN, as mentioned in the sections below.
Use a VPN
A virtual private network creates an encrypted tunnel for data transfer. Also, as soon as you connect to a VPN server, your original IP address will be hidden from that server and therefore your location will be safe.
So if you are looking for a secure and anonymous browsing experience, VPN becomes an absolute must.
In this sense, there are quite independent VPN applications that you can try. Or even better, some browsers like Opera come with a built-in VPN that is activated with a single click, without the need to download additional dependencies.
If you are looking for a premium service that can protect you and your loved one’s privacy, you can consider CyberGhost VPN. Fast, reliable and secure services when it comes to data privacy.
Use proxy servers
Now that we’re talking about VPNs, let’s take a moment and talk about their other half, also known as Proxies. These act as intermediaries between the client and the server and can carry out the data transfer on your (client) behalf.
While they don’t encrypt the data exchange process like VPN services, they could still be useful if you want to browse anonymously at the application level instead of the entire operating system level.
Web browsers come with different levels of privacy, which, by default, is set to a balanced/standard level. While it may be sufficient for general daily use, it doesn’t translate to the safest.
Fortunately, you could easily change the security level and opt for extreme privacy, in Firefox:
β about :ferences # privacy
and in Edge Chromium:
β edge://settings/privacy likes to call the strict mode .
Once enabled, it will block almost all trackers, scripts, and even prevent cookies from collecting data. However, it could also cause some site components to break and those that rely on Java scripts are known to suffer the most. So decide this compensation accordingly.
disable extensions
Extensions are small software programs that tend to add more functionality to your browser. However, they could well be the biggest red flags whenever the question of browser privacy comes up.
This is because for most trackers or malware with malicious intent, the route to enter your browser is usually through the extensions gateway. So the safest bet in this regard is .
So this was all from this guide so you can browse sites privately and securely in the web browser of your choice.
As you may have noticed, there is no universal method as such, rather you would have to use a combination of two or even more to get a safe browsing experience.
For example, I have opted for the , kept all extensions disabled, and occasionally use a VPN service to access geo-restricted content.
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