Wondering which is the better privacy and security option on a corporate Windows 11 computer? Upfront I want to say that I understand privacy on a work computer does not exist. And I keep my professional and personal lives strictly separated on my tech (i.e., nothing not work related touches my work computer).
Our I.T. department gives us the option of using Firefox ESR, Chrome, and Edge. I primarily use Firefox, but increasingly I need a Chromium option for some websites that don’t work well with Firefox/the ESR branch.
I can’t request something like Brave or even Vivaldi, so my options are truly Chrome or Edge. While I know personal privacy doesn’t exist on a work device, I still would like to choose the more “private” option between Edge and Chrome if possible.
So my question is which you would choose? Edge still supports MV2 extensions like uBlock Origin (for now) and has a decent built in tracker blocker. But I also remember a study done a few years ago that placed it as the worst privacy option due to all the backend connections at startup.
Chrome would be used without a Google account and with uBlock Origin Lite installed. But Chrome is Chrome, so I’m not sure it does much to improve its terrible out of the box privacy.
Thoughts between the two? If you had to use 1 of them, which is the better privacy and security option?
Edge on Win11 will be more secure than chrome if you enable enhanced security mode. Depending on how locked down the registry is by your IT team you may be able to make chrome and edge more secure/private. I assume your work laptop is very locked down though.
Edit: What capabilities do you have on this device? Can you install extensions on chrome and edge? Are you able to use a non work VPN? Can you change DNS?
That’s really bad advice. Depending on what field this person works in and what they do that’s a great way to get a talking to from your boss, fired, or a fun conversation with lawyers.
Have not tried it and not really seeking to do so. It’s a Government (not Federal) issued laptop and the risks of I.T. flagging it are not worth it to me.
The last thing I want to do is have the laptop flagged and deal with I.T. and potential repercussions.
Can’t change DNS and we are strongly encouraged to always stay on the VPN at all times. Which I do. Applications are locked down so we can only install via a custom “App Store” so you cannot install from the web via an .exe like a personal PC.
We can install extensions so long as they are from the respective add-on portals (so no side loading uBO via dev mode).
Mostly I’m wondering if Edge with uBO or uBOL and tracking protection is a better privacy bet than a signed out Chrome profile with uBOL and reasonable setting (3rd Party Cookies blocked, etc.)
Nothing is going to match Brave or Firefox or even Vivaldi like I have on my personal devices. But if I can make the best of a “bad” situation relative to my options I would like to do so.
From your description it sounds like you aren’t going to be able to stop Google/microsoft telemetry being sent from the browser. Pick the company you’d prefer to get your data. Edge has additional security but chrome may be less creepy. After that add uBOL and look for some hardening or privacy guides online.
As you correctly pointed out, no activity will be private from your employer (the government).
Are you installing these browsers directly from Microsoft/Google, or is there an internal software center from which these browsers must be installed? If the latter, there’s a good chance that much of the telemetry found in the consumer versions has been disabled by your employer (the government tends to enforce semi-decent OPSEC)
So it sounds like privacy considerations aren’t gonna be a factor at all here - your threat model is only security. As others have already argued above, Edge is more secure than Chrome in 2026. Given this threat model, I also feel Edge is the clear choice