In this day and age, you can never be too careful about your privacy. While Google Chrome claims to protect user privacy, over these past few years it has gotten under fire for user privacy issues. If you are using chrome at this time and want to keep your internet history more secluded, here are a few alternatives to Google that still give you more privacy while still not making you compromise on functionality.
DuckDuckGo
- Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo uses the age old method of sponsored ads and affiliated commissions for monetization. As the platform doesn’t gain anything through user data, it doesn’t need to worry about keeping user data. Thus, the search engine has adopted a lot of privacy methods to make sure that your data isn’t used for alternative purposes.
- The user experience offered by DuckDuckGo is almost as good as google’s. Its algorithm for search results is on point, offering you similar websites as google (without knowing who you are!).
- The search engine allows you to select a country to get the most relevant results, but it doesn’t help much for local searches (based on your region/country).
- You might miss out on some features from Google (such as filtering images).
Brave
- The browser has an emphasis on ad-blocking and privacy, but it can also allow you to earn cryptocurrency while you browse. While earning cryptocurrency is nice with Brave, it can sometimes be confusing, and it might be extremely difficult at times to liquidify whatever crypto you have earned.
- The browser is based on a version of Chromium, the code that powers Google Chrome. This means that Brave is compatible with most websites.
- Besides focusing on privacy, the browser has a built-in add blocker. This allows you to not see annoying ads while you browser websites, while also make Brave a lot more faster and responsive.
- The browser can sometimes seem complicated to use, with its high-tech features like cryptocurrency and Brave News, so it might take some time to get used to.
Ecosia
- Care about saving the environment? Then Ecosia might be for you! Using Bing’s search results at its core, Ecosia makes money from sponsored ads on search result pages. With this money, however, they donate it to notable activists and organizations to help plant more trees.
- While this Business idea might seem like a scam, they share monthly financial reports about their spending, so you can see where your efforts are going towards.
- In addition to this notable goal, Ecosia claims that its servers run on 100% renewable energy.
- Ecosia has a similar user interface to Google.
- As stated before Ecosia is more focused on the environment than your data.
Firefox
- Just like the other browsers on the list, Firefox focuses on the privacy and safety of a user. It continuously adds new security and privacy features to prevent tracking across websites.
- The browser has a fast performance in a simple and clean user interface.
- Some downsides to the browser however are that it lacks advanced settings and it might be too basic for some users.
Tor Browser
- Tor Browser is a modded version of Mozilla Firefox which allows you to hide your location, IP address, and other identifying data from regular websites. Tor also doesn’t encrypt your data. It instead routes your internet traffic through a series of nodes, making it very difficult for advertisers and other people to track you online.
- Compared to other browsers on this list, Tor is likely the most secure and will give you the most possible privacy you can attain. However, with this, there is a cost as you lose performance. Your browsing gets slowed down and finding localized websites can become a nuisance.
Opera
- For the past two decades, Opera has provided lots of features while retaining a relatively simple interface. It has built-in support for messaging apps, and you can send encrypted links and content (articles, videos, images, and personal notes) between devices using a tool known as “my flow.”
- Opera has a built-in VPN, which gives you online privacy and anonymity (by creating a private network from a public internet connection). However, it is limited as it doesn’t let you choose a specific country. It also lacks a tunneling protocol or encryption beyond HTTPS, which means that it isn’t the best at protecting your privacy.
- Opera also has High RAM usage, which might slow down your computer.
- Ultimately, if you want a browser full of features that comes with modest privacy features (that are better than chrome), then Opera might be your best choice.
Wrapping Up
All of these browsers listed above provide some form of privacy and security. Whatever one you choose boils down to your preference and who you would choose to trust the most while surfing the Internet.
