Advice Request Opera browser's security

[anirbandutta01]

A VPS is a virtual private server you can buy from many hosting companies such as DigitalOcean or Racknerd, you need to have some Linux knowledge in order to secure it (fail2ban, ufw, etc) and setup the Wireguard service.

How To Set Up WireGuard on Ubuntu 20.04 | DigitalOcean

In this tutorial, you will set up WireGuard on an Ubuntu 20.04 server, and then configure another machine to connect to it as a peer using both IPv4 and IPv6…

www.digitalocean.com

PD: right now I have a VPS from Racknerd ($23 /yr) with Ubuntu Server 22.04 running not just the VPN but many other stuff I have developed

Okay ...

 

[Stenographers]

Okay I'm going to uninstall Opera...

This is the right answer Opera hasn't been reputable in years.

 

[anirbandutta01]

This is the right answer Opera hasn't been reputable in years.

Hmm uninstalled already....

 

[upnorth]

Hmm uninstalled already....

And I that was just about to help with some more of your questions. Well well, good luck.

 

[anirbandutta01]

So pretty much every browser out there

I'm planning to install Brave browser X64...

And I that was just about to help with some more of your questions. Well well, good luck.

Thanks for your help

 

[Ink]

I didn't want to scare you off, but I don't think that using Opera is worth it. I'd just use Edge, Firefox or Brave and use the Windscribe Proxy.

Are you sure about that?

Edge users will soon be subjected to personalised advertising based on their Edge browsing history.

"The company suggests that website recommendations are one type of "valuable content" that it is working on right now to improve the Start Menu of the operating system. The feature derives the sites from the user's browsing history and a list of common regional websites. While Microsoft makes no mention of it, it is likely that only Edge's browsing history is one of the sources of the feature."

Source: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25247

Brave Browser also includes these for data collection and anonymised usage statistics. Most are on by default.

If you can scare monger people away from Opera, don't forget that 99% of apps and services collect data too. A registered account isn't even required for Google and Meta to target ads and know a lot about you.

 

[Kongo]

Are you sure about that?

Edge users will soon be subjected to personalised advertising based on their Edge browsing history.


Brave Browser also includes these for data collection and anonymised usage statistics. Most are on by default.
View attachment 270837

If you can scare monger people away from Opera, don't forget that 99% of apps and services collect data too. A registered account isn't even required for Google and Meta to target ads and know a lot about you.

There is a difference between the way Opera and Brave collect and use the data of their users. And if 99% of apps and services collect data, then there shouldn't be any difference between using Facebook Messanger and Signal privacy-wise. Right? And using Edge is still a better option as it's from Microsoft - the same company that created Windows which he is probably using. So who cares wether Edge or any other Windows "feature" collects your data? I rather have one company that collects my data, instead of two.

 

[Arequire]

Edge users will soon be subjected to personalised advertising based on their Edge browsing history.

Admittedly, users may ... disable the feature entirely, according to Microsoft.

 

[oldschool]

@Arequire you beat me to the post!

 

[Ink]

@Arequire If by Microsoft standards, this will on by default and the average user won't disable this settings.

Just because a small minority will know how to disable this option, it doesn't mean Microsoft cannot benefit from the tens of millions of users who are oblivious. It remains to be seen what Microsoft does next, but ultimately they win by enforcing the ad-supporting business model.

@Arequire you beat me to the post!

Keep up.

 

[Captain Holly]

So how does Firefox play into this? Is MS tracking my browsing history in FF too because I use FF on a Windows laptop?

I am not a paranoid privacy nut by any means but I am getting tired of all the tracking....

C.H.

 

[oldschool]

Just because a small minority will know how to disable this option, it doesn't mean Microsoft cannot benefit from the tens of millions of users who are oblivious.

Indeed.

It remains to be seen what Microsoft does next, but ultimately they win by enforcing the ad-supporting business model.

The direction they are headed in is obvious but unfortunate. They provide all these 'privacy' options, placed throughout the various settings pages, but they are getting more difficult to navigate, like traveling by foot in a swamp!

 

[Arequire]

If by Microsoft standards, this will on by default and the average user won't disable this settings.

Just because a small minority will know how to disable this option, it doesn't mean Microsoft cannot benefit from the tens of millions of users who are oblivious.

No doubt, but it is what it is. In an ideal world all vendors would provide default settings that respect their users privacy, but this isn't an ideal world and vendors kowtow to shareholders and profit margins, thus it's up to the users to check whether the default settings align with their interests instead of the vendor's.

ultimately they win by enforcing the ad-supporting business model.

They make billions of dollars in revenue per year from advertising. What motivation do they have to give that up?