When you use your phone, the last thing you think about when opening up your browser is how safe it is. We access dozens of different websites in a single day, each of them taking bits of information from us and tracking how we use the internet. These websites then use that data to serve us ads that are relevant to us, or our information might even be sold to advertising companies so they can appeal to us and encourage us to buy their products, the foundation of a lot of internet marketing strategies.
However, this access to our information, our interest, means that we now have very little privacy on the internet these days. Everyone’s out to get our information so that they can monetize it in some way. In fact, if you’ve been using your phone for internet access for even just a week, your information is likely already on the internet. Whether it’s your income, your gender, political views or interests, it’s all out there for people to see and take advantage of.
This is why it is extremely important to use a safer browser–one that focuses on privacy (as much as possible) in order to protect users from having their data stolen. If you’ve been using basic web browsers such as Google Chrome for a while then your data is likely already out there, but if you should ever switch phones or want to get a friend or family member a new phone, then it’s worth getting rid of the basic web browser your phone comes with and replacing it with one that focuses on privacy. It’s also never too late to get rid of that old browser and start using one that actually protects you!
Firefox
Firefox used to be incredibly popular as a desktop browser before Google Chrome dominated the scene. Today, it’s still a common browser but has recently been getting due attention for its safe mobile browsing experience. With advanced tracking protection and anti-fingerprinting features, it provides a much safer browsing experience than stock browsers that are pre-installed on most phones.
While Firefox is a little behind Google Chrome and Safari in terms of development, there’s no doubt that it’s still a snappy and responsive browser that won’t harm your mobile browsing experience. In addition, Firefox provides automatic ad-blocking, meaning you don’t have to deal with pesky ads, which means they won’t be able to take your data. However, you’ll need to download an ad-blocking extension in order to get this functionality.
If you’re looking for a reliable web browser with additional functionality through extensions, Firefox is arguably the go-to choice.
Brave
Brave is quickly becoming one of the most popular third-party browsers for mobile devices, and desktop internet users. Brave was designed from the ground up to make your browsing experience a private one. It’s built on the open-source Chromium browser which means it’s very similar to Google Chrome. This makes migrating to Brave a breeze and you’ll have no trouble getting used to its features.
Brave is highly recommended since it helps to protect the data on your device, keeping it private and away from prying eyes. It comes equipped with a blocking feature that keeps advertisements at bay and blocks malicious cookies. It also features fingerprinting protection and secures all your online connections. The company is on a mission to encourage developers to stop tracking its users, meaning they’re truly a company of their word and you can expect them to continuously develop Brave as one of the premiere choices for a private browsing experience.
Tor
Tor is the most solid option for anyone that needs absolute privacy when they browse on their phone. Tor encrypts your web traffic up to three times and bounces it between multiple servers before it even reaches your desired server. This means that you may experience some slowdown on websites depending on how much data is being sent, but it virtually guarantees that you cannot be tracked at all.
Tor is also set up so that it doesn’t save any records of your online activity. Whenever you close Tor, it deletes everything and anything that could be used to track who you are, what you do and personal information. However, due to this strong-arm approach to internet security, it also prevents many plugins and extensions that websites typically rely on for additional features. The lack of compatibility coupled with the slower browsing experience make Tor less practical than Brave and Firefox, but it’s still a great option for anyone that absolutely needs the best in internet security.
While exceptional at keeping you safe while browsing, it does hamper the experience and we can only recommend it for people that need heavy security features.
Using a VPN
While not a browser, a VPN is a fantastic alternate solution if you don’t want to switch browsers. Instead of the browser itself protecting your data, a VPN helps to anonymize your data so that you can’t be identified even if the data is sent. A VPN will essentially make you invisible on the internet, meaning you can’t be tracked or identified easily. Using a VPN also comes with the advantage that it works on other apps as well. If you’re using social media apps, you can anonymize the data you send with a VPN.
However, the downside is that a good-quality VPN costs money whereas downloading and using another browser does not. The quality of the connection might also be poor if you try to use free services.
Final Thoughts on Safe Browsers
Protecting our privacy is becoming more important than ever as large corporations try everything in their power to forcefully learn more about us. They’ll use that data to serve up ads and manipulate the things you do on the internet, stripping us of some of the freedom we get on the internet. If this idea doesn’t sit well with you, then consider using one of the safe browsers we’ve mentioned in this article.