![]() ![]() It’s rare for researchers to bother looking closely at extensions to make sure they’re above board. Like apps and desktop software, extensions are useful, but they can be a privacy nightmare. Dozens of other lower-profile browsers exist, but few get the security updates and support that most of us need in the software we use all day. ![]() The Tor Browser is the go-to for anonymity, especially in censored countries, but it’s unusable for most people as a daily browser. Brave is one of the more popular privacy-first browsers, but even it isn’t free of privacy-related controversies. Edge is based on Chromium and will work with the bulk of the Chrome extensions in this article, we haven’t tested it thoroughly. ![]() I’ve included links for both Chrome and Firefox, along with alternatives to our favorites, if they exist.Īs for other browsers, Apple’s Safari isn’t bad when it comes to privacy, but it lacks wide support for popular browser extensions. Regardless of which browser you use, a pack of extensions can increase your privacy by decreasing your exposure to trackers, as well as have the welcome side effect of boosting your security. (Most Chrome extensions will also work with Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi, though we haven’t fully tested them.) Of the two, I recommend Firefox if you prioritize privacy, as it’s much more focused on privacy out of the box compared with Chrome. Not all browsers offer the exact same extensions, but Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the two most popular browsers, and the ones I focus on here. They are sometimes created by developers as a hobby project to solve a problem for themselves, but are also developed by larger companies as part of their own suite of software. But browser extensions are simple, generally free add-ons that you can use to slow down or break this type of data collection, without completely ruining your experience of using the internet.īrowser extensions, also called add-ons, are tiny bits of software you can download to add new features to your web browser. While you’re here, if an ad blocker sounds right for you, consider these other web browser extensions and features that make browsing the web safer and more private.Everything you do online-from browsing to shopping to using social networks-is tracked, typically as behavioral or advertising data. Ads are still an important part of what keeps the internet largely free and accessible, including TechCrunch, even as subscriptions and paywalls are increasingly becoming the norm. Of course, you can switch your ad blocker off any time you want, and even allow or deny ads for entire websites. You can also get content blockers for Android and iOS, which block ads from loading on your device. If you’re looking for a widely recommended ad blocker, uBlock Origin is a simple, low-memory ad blocker that works for most browsers, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera, plus the extension is open source so anyone can look at the code and make sure it’s safe to run. The good news is that some of the best ad blockers out there are free, and can be installed and largely forgotten. That means the ad companies, like Google and Facebook, cannot track you as you browse the web, or learn which websites you visit, or infer what things you might be interested in based on your web history. Ad blockers are also good for privacy, because they prevent the tracking code within ads from loading. By blocking ads, would-be victims are not shown any ads at all, making it easier to find and access the websites of legitimate brands.Īd blockers don’t just remove the enormous bloat from websites, like auto-playing video and splashy ads that take up half the page, which make your computer fans run like jet engines. One of the FBI’s recommendations for consumers is to install an ad blocker.Īs the name suggests, ad blockers are web browser extensions that broadly block online ads from loading in your browser, including in search results. Malicious ads are also used to trick victims into installing malware disguised as genuine apps, which can steal passwords and deploy file-encrypting ransomware. Ads are often placed at the top of search results but with “minimum distinction” between the ads and the search results, the feds say, which can look identical to the brands that the cybercriminals are impersonating. In a pre-holiday public service announcement, the FBI said that cybercriminals are buying ads to impersonate legitimate brands, like cryptocurrency exchanges. That’s the takeaway message from an unlikely source - the FBI - which this week issued an alert warning that cybercriminals are using online ads in search results with the ultimate goal of stealing or extorting money from victims. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of security with an ad blocker. ![]()
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