Stock user here, Android 14.
The topic started after Google Chrome showing too much adds and c…ap.
Been through a few Browsers now, and honestly the more I ready about the topic the more brain f.kt I am haha.
What I have tried;
Brave
MS Edge
Firefox (+ublock)
Soul Browser
Chrome
Kiwi
Vivaldi
Yandex
Mull
…
So thing is Mull kinda runs laggy on my Phone.
The Rest is somewhat ok, gets uninstalled because of missing AdBlock or not passing this (If it has meaning, but as a Noob i have to use some Kind of criteria)
So here is the thing:
Left over is MS Edge and Firefox with ublock and DivestOS setting. (Brave in “()”)
So MS Edge has a huge privacy issue according to:
and Firefox is Gecko
And to be honest I somewhat want to stay a Noob haha. Cause Im tired of feeling like a hamster in rod lol
Any sugguestions?
Like I said stock Android 14. Will stay like that aswell.
Is it a issue with Gecko for every day useres of the net?
J.
I’m (partially) joking. On mobile, I don’t see a single reason to use it, otherwise from bookmarks sync (and Bing chat?). So I think uninstalling is the best option.
On the desktop, things are not that simple because if you exclude the tracking, AI thing, the cluttered UI and Microsoft nagging you every time it can, it’s a good browser beneath the surface, especially on macOS, given that the sleeping tabs things helps a lot with battery usage (if you’re using a laptop).
I guess the best option for Edge if you still want to use it, it to go through every single option and disable a lot of the telemetry options (you have a lot to disable, since they are scattered through plenty of tabs), and use some add-ons like uBlock Origin, CleanURLs and Privacy Badger.
But unless you are using it in a corporate environment (where the Microsoft services really work well with Edge), maybe it’s now worth the effort…
MS Edge is (or feels) the most smooth. Really fast and well balanced aswell.
Somewhat close or on par with chrome
It lacks force https though… But I guess MS Defender Smart Screen makes up for that. It has AdBlock Plus as Extension.
But what telemetry do you mean ?
And I’m not sure if can Add more Extensions.
Brave feels good on some days, laggy and slow on otheres. Kinda like a womans mood
Before using Edge, do yourself a favor and read Edge’s privacy white paper. You will be surprised how much functionality is implemented in a privacy invasive way and not clear from the setting’s description in the browser’s menu. Smart Screen is one of them. And you will need to check each update for a new invasive on-by-default feature.
Reading into it.
Found that MS was saving my searches, not only WHAT I search but also HOW offen I search it…
Wow.
Changed search engine, and some more stuff.
But using FF with ublock more now.
Any thoughts on Dark Reader? Or to risky?
Some basic info:
Dark Reader is one of Mozilla’s recommended extensions, the recommended extensions category are vetted by Mozilla. Dark Reader is open source and their privacy policy looks pretty harmless and clear, last update was this month. In terms of permissions it does require the “Access your data for all websites permission” which is obviously a fairly sensitive (but commonly requested/required) permission.
As a general rule of thumb, yeah, less extensions means less attack surface, less 3rd parties to trust, and in some cases a less unique/fingerprintable browser configuration. But people get too extreme black/white about this. Instead of looking at this as a black and white rule, I suggest you focus on the kernel of truth in the rule: there is a cost/benefit to each additional extension you install, take the costs/risks seriously, but also consider the benefits, and decide if an extension is worth it to you on a case by case basis.
.
