Advice Request Avoid These Browsers

[Templarware]

You mean innovations like those?

Firefox 87 trims HTTP Referrers by default to protect user privacy – Mozilla Security Blog

We are pleased to announce that Firefox 87 will introduce a stricter, more privacy-preserving default Referrer Policy. From now on, by default, Firefox will trim path and query string ...

blog.mozilla.org

Firefox 86 Introduces Total Cookie Protection – Mozilla Security Blog

Total Cookie Protection is a major anti-tracking advance in Firefox that confines cookies to the site where they were created.

blog.mozilla.org

Encrypted Client Hello: the future of ESNI in Firefox – Mozilla Security Blog

Background Two years ago, we announced experimental support for the privacy-protecting Encrypted Server Name Indication (ESNI) extension in Firefox Nightly. The Server Name Indication (SNI) TLS extension enables server and ...

blog.mozilla.org

They defenitely didn't stop improving Firefox just because they don't keep up with the Chrome updating shedule...

Please, read the post before commenting anymore.

Those are just privacy/security settings, Firefox doesn't have the same extensions and functionality that all the chromium browsers do, which is what people care about.

 

[Nagisa]

And you need to ditch smartphones, smart TVs...
You basically need to ditch the internet. Edge with uBlock and DuckDuckGo is private enough for me.
I guess no one really cares, other than those people who live in the woods.

True privacy is impossible, then we should purposefully let it all go worst. Very reasonable, isn't it?

This all-or-nothing argument is a cheap one I think.

 

[Templarware]

True privacy is impossible, then we should purposefully let it all go worst. Very reasonable, isn't it?

This all-or-nothing argument is a cheap one I think.

But I don't do "nothing". I use Edge with "do not rack" request and Strict setting, which blocks tracking. Then uBlock Origin and DuckDuckGo. I've disabled almost everything in Windows Privacy settings. It's way more than nothing. No need to use Firefox, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Nagisa]

But I don't do "nothing". I use Edge with "do not rack" request and Strict setting, which blocks tracking. Then uBlock Origin and DuckDuckGo. I've disabled almost everything in Windows Privacy settings. It's way more than nothing. No need to use Firefox, but that's just my opinion.

The main point of this thread is not about the thing you personally do. It's about the Google's browser engine being the monopoly, which is a big problem in both privacy and security aspects. Did you just don't get it or completely dismiss this idea?

I think if somebody does really care about privacy, it's indeed makes sense to use Gecko, or even at least changing the user-agent to Firefox on a Chromium-based browser.

 

[Templarware]

I've already responded to the google browser monopoly part, it was what I responded to in the first place. You didn't answer my question:

So, are you saying that Google is present in Microsofts browser like if it was their own product? Then why does Google not want you to use Edge?

If Google actually starts doing the things mentioned, like breaking extensions, then other browsers will move out of chromium.

 

[wat0114]

As suggested earlier in this thread by CS, browser extensions may be the bigger privacy and security concern. The well known and reputable Privacy Badger extension, for example, imposes a rather large footprint in my Ungoogled-Chromium Apparmor profile, with a lot of "write" permissions too:

owner "/home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Local Extension Settings/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*" rwk,
  owner "/home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Managed Extension Settings/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*" rwk,
  owner "/home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Sync App Settings/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/" rw,
  owner "/home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Sync Extension Settings/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/" rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*.fingerprint rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*.js rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*/*.css r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*/*.js rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*/*.png r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*/*/*.css r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/*/*/*/*/* r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/_locales/*/*.json rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/data/*.* rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/icons/*.* rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/js/*.js r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/js/contentscripts/*.js r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/js/firstparties/*.js r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/js/firstparties/lib/*.js rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/*.js r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/vendor/*.custom/*.css rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/vendor/*.js r,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/vendor/jquery-*/*.js rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/vendor/jquery-*/images/*.png rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/lib/vendor/tooltipster-*/*.* rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/skin/*.* rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/skin/fonts/*.ttf rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/skin/images/*.svg rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/*/skin/socialwidgets/*.svg rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20*/lib/vendor/select?*/select?*.* rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/*.json rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/LICENSE rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/_locales/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/_locales/*/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/data/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/data/*.txt rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/icons/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/js/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/js/contentscripts/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/js/firstparties/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/js/firstparties/lib/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/vendor/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/vendor/jquery-*.custom/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/vendor/jquery-*.custom/images/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/vendor/select?-*/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/lib/vendor/tooltipster-*/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/css/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/css/*.css rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/fonts/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/images/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/images/*.png rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/js/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/socialwidgets/ rw,
  owner /home/*/.config/chromium/Default/Extensions/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp/20??.*/skin/socialwidgets/*.png rw,

It's not the only popular and reputable extension with a large footprint either. FWIW, NoScript is by far the leanest I've seen yet.

 

[Nagisa]

I've already responded to the google browser monopoly part, it was what I responded to in the first place. You didn't answer my question:

Moving out of Chromium won't be possible as there will be no other browser base. I didn't know I had to answer a question arose from a misunderstandment.

 

[Arequire]

I use Edge with "do not rack" request

Just so you're aware, enabling Do Not Track makes your browser fingerprint more unique and is used by ad networks as a bit of identifying information to help fingerprint your browsers. Practically no one respects the request anyway, so it's ultimately detrimental to have it enabled.

As suggested earlier in this thread by CS, browser extensions may be the bigger privacy concern. The well known and reputable Privacy Badger extension, for example, imposes a rather large footprint in my Ungoogled-Chromium Apparmor profile, with a lot of "write" permissions too:

I mean, if you don't trust an extension by the EFF then you probably shouldn't use extensions period. I can't think of a more trustworthy online entity.

 

[Templarware]

The main point of this thread is not about the thing you personally do. It's about the Google's browser engine being the monopoly, which is a big problem in both privacy and security aspects. Did you just don't get it or completely dismiss this idea?

I think if somebody does really care about privacy, it's indeed makes sense to use Gecko, or even at least changing the user-agent to Firefox on a Chromium-based browser.

Not that unique if many people use Do Not Track. I know practically no one respects the request, that's why I use uBlock Orign and DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials. But Edge itself also hast a Strict setting where some tracking is blocked.

 

[Kongo]

I mean, if you don't trust an extension by the EFF then you probably shouldn't install anyone's extension. I can't think of a more trustworthy online entity.

It's not about trustworthiness in this case. Privacy Badger is meant to prevent tracking which it does quite well, but at the same time it's making your fingerprint more unique which could be a privacy concern at the same time.

 

[Arequire]

It's not about trustworthiness in this case. Privacy Badger is meant to prevent tracking which it does quite well, but at the same time it's making your fingerprint more unique which could be a privacy concern at the same time.

All extensions make your fingerprint more unique. But if you don't use extensions you can't block the network requests to the tracking scripts in the first place, so they're able to gather your browser's characteristics regardless.

 

[wat0114]

It's not about trustworthiness in this case. Privacy Badger is meant to prevent tracking which it does quite well, but at the same time it's making your fingerprint more unique which could be a privacy concern at the same time.

Right, not to mention most extensions have rather far-reaching capabilities:

Permissions

• Read your browsing history
• Change your privacy-related settings

I have only a few extensions, and they are all reputable and ones I trust, but security experts do recommend to limit extensions/add-ons as much as possible, for good reason. Anyway, I don't want to stear this threat OT.

 

[Kongo]

All extensions make your fingerprint more unique. But if you don't use extensions you can't block the network requests to the tracking scripts in the first place, so they're able to gather your browser's characteristics regardless.

Every changed browser setting affects your fingerprint, nonetheless it matters how much an extension affects it.



Source: Privacy Badger turns ‘local learning’ off by default following Google security warnings

 

[Cortex]

If any form of privacy means using Tor or even Firefox I'll stay as I am - You can't evade snooping, be aware of what you share, avoid social media & behave yourself, you are unlikely to come to any harm - There are billions of others being snooped on too.

 

[HarborFront]

If you do not wish Google, Mozilla and MS to track you in their browsers and for strong privacy then use Ungoogled Chromium (UC) for de-googling of Google and Librewolf (LW) for de-Mozilla.

One thing to note though is that they are not mainstream browsers so may not work properly or not even work for some sites. GMX email is a good example which requires the use of a mainstream stream browser. Too bad UC and LW just don't work.

 

[misterman2100]

In terms of browser privacy/security one must also consider what a user can do to themselves by the addition of extensions (God knows Who or What actually codes them)

Which extensions would you personally recommend based on your experiences as well as your colleagues? I am not in the cyber security field, but I try to stay informed as best as possible and hold your opinions in high regard.

 

[Arequire]

nonetheless it matters how much an extension affects it.

You're right. Obviously built-in protections would be preferable, but options are so severely limited and browser vendors show only a passing interest in including them.

 

[blackice]

Honestly I’d rather get targeted ads than the stress that come along with pretending I have privacy on the internet. I wouldn’t even block ads if it weren’t for malvertising. I would like the sites I visit to get paid for their content.

 

[HarborFront]

Which extensions would you personally recommend based on your experiences as well as your colleagues? I am not in the cyber security field, but I try to stay informed as best as possible and hold your opinions in high regard.

To start off use uBlock Origin

 

[Kongo]

You're right. Obviously built-in protections would be preferable, but options are so severely limited and browser vendors show only a passing interest in including them.

I actually think that pretty much every browser except Chrome has all the things you might need to improve your privacy nowadays. The built in tracking/ fingerprinting protection combined with blocking on DNS-level is absolutely enough and doesn't require any extension except an adblocker to block ads within video players that DNS-blocking can't handle. And even an adblocker isn't needed in some browsers (Brave for example) as they have a built in one.