Privacy Browser - Pros and Cons

HarborFront

Level 71
Thread author
Verified
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Content Creator
Oct 9, 2016
6,033
Just installed today

PROS

1. Can achieve 70% anonymity when tested at whoer.net without extensions. Kiwi and FF browsers can achieve 70% anonymity when tested at whoer.net only if both are loaded with extensions. FI, Kiwi browser defaulted to 30% anonymity without extensions whilst Brave and Bromite browsers defaulted to 40% anonymity when tested at whoer.net. All testing done without the use of a VPN which degrades the anonymity results further if used. One point to note for Privacy Browser is that if different site uses different settings then the level of anonymity achieved may not be the same at 70%.
2. Can customize different sites with different requirements like setting different user-agent for different site
3. Can get it for free from F-Droid repository otherwise you’ll need to pay if download from Google Play Store
4. Integrated with blocklists like EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Fanboy’s annoyance list, Fanboy’s social blocking list, UltraPrivacy and supports proxy through Orbot
5. In the upcoming 4.x series, Privacy Browser will switch to a forked version of Android’s WebView called Privacy WebView that will allow for advanced privacy features.
6. Comes with tabs for browsing. However, if more than say 10 tabs then its bookmarks feature comes in handy
7. Once ‘Enable first-party cookies by default’ is set in the Settings cookie-accepting pop-up messages are gone. This cookie-accepting feature is the same as that built into Kiwi browser.
8. Speed, like Kiwi browser, is faster than my FF browser. FF for android will be replaced by the new FF Fenix (not Fennec) soon when the latter makes its debut this coming third-quarter of the year.

CONS

1. By default, Clear and Exit or if you off and restart the phone will cleared out everything including your cookies. This result in the need to sign in/log in to the website with the password again. Just make sure not to clear cookies on exit.
2. Privacy Browser failed the test at www.lucb1e.com/rp/cookielesscookies when testing for tracking by eTags
3. Night Mode color not very good so not using it
4. Forward and Backward arrows not working in Incognito mode
5. User-agent can change after closing and opening a tab even if you set it initially thus affecting the layout of the site. Re-adjustment is needed here
6. Its right swap opens up the Bookmarks. This interferes with some sites like South China Morning Post which has right swapping to change regions. Its left swap opens up the Navigation Menu which interferes with Outlook (Hotmail) when left swap to delete junk mails without the need to open the junk mails themselves
7. Still not good enough to block social widgets from websites as compared to Kiwi browser
8. Once phone restarts all tabs are gone. Making the tabs with their settings persistence would be nice
9. Cannot add extensions nor blocklists

The link to Google Play Store is below

 
Last edited:

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