Way2: webapp ( on linux mint you can create webapps, i assume its a profile specifically created in your browser of choice and only used for the 1 purpose, i.e. discord). I know firefox you can create separate profiles for this without using the ‘webapps’ app.
Way3: flatpak ( linux only). Can use flatseal to restrict access to system.
Way1 is the worst for privacy.
Way2 or 3 i assume better upgrades of privacy.
I dont know which is better 2 or 3.
Way4 ? You tell me.
Using alternative is not an option. Must be discord.
I would assume that running Discord as a web app from a privacy-respecting browser is the most private. I assume that the flatpak is as close to running the install as it can get without watching for the invasive tracking that Discord may do. Brave or hardened Firefox would catch those trackers.
It’s an Electron app so it should work similarly across all of those options.
With apps like Discord I use Firefox with a container tab, but there is the possibility of of using a docker Discord image instead with Kasmweb – This implies that you selfhost it somewhere.
It’s worth noting that no matter what you do, Discord is fundamentally a privacy nightmare. They collect literally every message sent, all media you send. Absolutely everything they possibly can. I’m saying that as a regular Discord user too as all of my friends use it for communication.
I think the goal is to contain Discord’s tracking to only itself and not let it get more information on you than what you volunteer. Of course folks should know that anything you do on Discord is tracked by Discord.
I think the goal is to contain Discord’s tracking to only itself and not let it get more information on you than what you volunteer.
I agee, this is the best you can hope for when using a privacy invasive/exploitive service. The only thing I would add to this is that when it is a messenger or social network or any type of 2 way communications, you can’t just contain it to the “information that you volunteer”, the information that your friends and acquaintances volunteer is a factor as well and that is largely out of your control.
ok folks, to wrap up.
tldr
opensource apps > webapp > flatpak > install
no1 opensource install way ( if you have choice of foss apps i would look to how many contributers, which suggests more eyes on the code, as suppose to no contributors, and only 1 dude doing all the code)
no2 webapps, can isolate trackers in that container
no3 flatpak. can restrict through flatseal but still is a install.
no4 install app. worst case. can use nextdns to restrict some trackers.
I know, I’m 3 years late to the party, but critters like OpenSnitch (on Linux) and SimpleWall (on Windoze) I’ve found to be awesome help in catching and rejecting any telemetry or tracking stuff I don’t like. Both notify of any new outbound traffic from any app and allow you to allow or restrict based on the app, target site, port, whatever. Then they just do their thing without bothering you about it.
I was surprised by how many attempts Discord made to its telemetry sites from the app (all foiled, while it let through the good stuff), but so far my three tracking blocker extensions in LibreWolf haven’t caught any attempts from Discord yet in a browser. That almost seems too good to be true. o.o
Mullvad Browser is not a secure browser but a private browser. It’s best suited for pseudonymous use when paired with a VPN.
If one wants a browser for security, Vanadium and Trivalent are the best options, with Brave being a good backup option for those who aren’t using GrapheneOS and secureblue.
well, I still consider MB to be relatively secure. It has all the patches from Tor, and saying Mullvad browser insecure is the same thing as saying Tor browser is insecure. Yes, I’m aware that firefox (specifically, firefox ESR) has vulnerabilities that chromium based browsers do not, but I assume it’s the same vice versa.
It’s also worth noting that Mullvad browser is available on all PC platforms. As you’ve said, trivalent is limited to secureblue and vanadium is limited to graphene. Not really surprising since the trivalent was heavily inspired by vanadium(such as hardened malloc).
Recommending these browsers is exactly the same as enforcing those OSes, which is not feasible to everyone
Firefox is significantly behind Chromium when it comes to security. The situation with Firefox ESR is even worse than that. This is especially bad in the LLM age, where hundreds of vulnerabilities are being found everywhere and anyone can have access to powerful LLMs.
While Mozilla got in bed with Anthropic to minimize the impact, this still does not change the fact that Firefox’s protections are lacking compared to Chromium’s.
As for Tor Browser, anyone with a moderate or serious risk should run it in a Whonix VM, where even if the workstation is compromised, the host OS, gateway, and your IP should remain protected.
That’s exactly why I recommended Brave as a good backup option in my original comment.
