I am asking if there is a point in using a privacy browser like brave if u dont use vpn. Currently I use tor browser but after threat modelling, I know I don’t need tor browser. I don’t want websites be able to track me (and e.g. show personalized ads) but if I protect against common fingerprinting technique with brave, they still know my ip. Do websites use my ip to track me and use it for advertising or sell my data? Do I need a vpn or am I fine without one? (I trust my ISP)
They will certainly track you using your IP address if they can, it just becomes part of your browser fingerprint.
And what about dynamic IP addresses from mobile hotspots?
Assuming you mean cellular, that can sometimes be behind CGNAT meaning you might have a shared address with some other users. Some cellular providers though use IPv6 and may be even more identifiable. Your country will still be disclosed.
Thanks
So I am fine if I use a recommended VPN and hardened firefox?
Then you’ll appear to be a VPN user with hardened firefox, generic enough and that should be fine.
Just note though you can always be fingerprinted, so it will fingerprint as a hardened browser if say you were using mullvad or arkenfox for example.
The only way to really defeat that is Tor Browser, but again not often necessary.
I know I am late but can I also use firefox integrated vpn? Or are there (potential) issues? They don’t log the sites u visit and even if my threat model doesn’t include login visited sites, as long as they don’t see what I am doing in the site. Does the vpn work with arkenfox?
Yes
It should