Without the protection of private browsers, sensitive information can potentially end up in the wrong hands. While browsing, it is easy to let yourself go and enjoy memes, videos, and social interactions, do some shopping, or subscribe to your favorite content creators. These seemingly harmless activities will leave a virtual fingerprint. Personal data, from your IP address or phone number to crucial private information like credit card info, can potentially be stored in a site’s cookies, leaving you exposed to malicious tracking from third-party sources.
Some websites, mostly official ones, like those of big-name brands, governments, or institutions, are usually safe to browse, but other ones, like gambling, gossip, or not safe for work content providers, could potentially contain malicious software, also known as malware. If you come in contact with malware without a private browser, the odds of having your private habits compromised are pretty high.
Using a private browser won’t protect you from everything. You still need to be cautious about your private habits and what sites you share certain information with. It is possible that your internet service provider or your company’s IT professional can view your activity while using Incognito Mode. Always keep it in mind.
What Are Private Browsers?
A private browser is a feature included in most web browsers that allows you to surf the web without leaving behind a trail of private data like passwords, browser history, and most cookies. Also known as Incognito Mode, private browsing prevents algorithms from using your browsing habits to show you targeted ads that may contain malware. It is the safer, freely available way to use a web browser.
If you share the device with others who may not have your best interests in mind, consider learning more about private browsers and how they can help. Remember that private information found in the wrong place at the wrong time can harm your reputation and even be used to blackmail you.
Some browsers offer more privacy than others, covering different types of needs. Keep in mind that internet technology and trends change drastically in no time. It’s a good idea to keep yourself updated about the topic to avoid being caught off guard.
Brave
Chrome’s lackluster privacy settings for those who need stone-cold cybersecurity protection are causing users to slowly leave behind Google products as a whole in search of better options to protect themselves and try to remain anonymous while browsing the web.
Brave is a free-to-use web browser developed by Brave Software Inc. Its code is built on the Chromium web browser, a Google open-source project that allows developers to expand on Chrome’s code and create new and exciting browsing technologies.
Brave’s purpose as a web browser is to offer an ultra-secure alternative to mainstream browsers that may not protect your intimate habits as effectively as they claim. The browser achieves a pretty competent level of security while staying a user-friendly browser that everyone and their cats can set up and use in their daily browsing activities. But it doesn’t end there, most advanced users or individuals whose private activities fall under a grey area can still trust Brave due to its TOR extension functionality. Brave has a feature that can open a TOR window with its protocol ready to be used, and you don’t need to have the TOR browser installed. Brave offers you the best of both worlds: an easy-to-use interface with privacy levels that can be calibrated to your privacy needs.
If you’re using Brave browser and think the site you are about to visit or the type of communication you are engaging in may compromise your reputation even while on Incognito Mode, all you have to do is go to the right upper corner, display the menu and select “Open new TOR private window”. However, you should be aware that the default setting of this TOR window will be pretty lax compared to a hyper-optimized TOR session in its trademark browser. Keep in mind that while using TOR websites will take longer to load and you may fail to resolve some captchas because they have a hard time verifying you are human while under the protection of TOR.
Brave has an AdBlocker integrated into its code and also blocks website trackers. Instead of showing you ads based on your private habits or from malicious sources, Brave has a program where you can get paid to see and interact with ads meticulously approved to ensure your safety. The goal of this program is to change how brands advertise themselves on the web, benefiting both the brands and the user. Of course, you may be more inclined not to want to see any ads, and it is completely possible with Brave. All you need to do is disable their “rewards” program and the support to creators, and then you can go ahead and also disable the Leo AI assistant, which is great on its own but can become intrusive pretty quickly, and you will be ready to have a cleaner browsing experience.
With the help of the Brave Shield technology, you will never see third-party, algorithm-based ads that may hint at your private habits even if you are browsing an unrelated website. You never know when someone may be looking at your screen, so it’s better to cover your back in as many ways as possible to avoid damaging your reputation or social life. You can personalize Brave Shield according to your security needs and stop scripts, cookies, and even a large part of your virtual fingerprint from a specific website.
An innovative Brave feature is its alternative to Incognito Mode: Forgetful Browsing. With Forgetful Browsing, you will be able to visit any site, as long as it is not involved in illegal activities, and the functionality will prevent cookies from being stored, and your visits will not be tracked. In this mode, Brave will “forget” every data or input you give to a website, knowingly or not. Unfortunately, Forgetful Browsing still allows your internet service provider or your boss to know what kind of sites you visit, remember to be careful, if you think your private habits may fall under a grey area in front of the law, it’s best that you don’t browse these sites while at work or you will be at high risk of being fired. Some sites will keep you “logged in” without you knowing, even after closing their tab. Think about a newspaper site that keeps track of how many articles you have read in a week. How does the site know this? By using cookies and tracking software, it can recognize your IP as a recurring visitor. With Forgetful Browsing, when you close a website’s tab, no trace of you being there will be stored on your end or the website’s end. Forgetful Browser is objectively better than Chrome’s Incognito Mode simply because the latter will store cookies and will let sites retrieve your information to try to sell you things based on your intimate habits, while Forgetful Browser will completely prevent this.
Brave also prevents third-party tracking to obtain sensitive information by using a Firewall and a VPN called Guardian VPN. Brave gives you the tools needed to keep you safe, but keep in mind that your security depends on you and how careful you are while using the tools.
As of today, Brave browser is easily the best option for casual secure browsing. Yes, TOR may have more options and achieve more layers of data encryption, but not everyone needs that or has the time to put hours into finding the right configuration. With Brave, you will have the best of both worlds from the start. You will later decide your level of involvement when it comes to cybersecurity. Only you can tell if a browser is enough for you or not, but anyway, using Brave as a starting point should be a no-brainer. Remember that one of the attributes of modern technology is how quickly it can change or develop into better or worse tools, so we highly advise you to jump on the Brave bandwagon now that it’s the best. Don’t miss out! You may regret it later when you get caught doing something that should be private and your business only.
TOR Browser
The go-to browser for professionals at constant risk of having their information leaked or compromised, like political journalists, activists, and Government Agents. TOR is widely known for alleviating any internet security needs. It is the safest browser available. A double-edged sword that has also made TOR the go-to browser for individuals involved with illegal, immoral, or taboo activities associated with the Deep Web, an internet “secret” layer only accessible by TOR.
TOR operates in a complex layer-based protocol, making personalization and preferences too much to handle for the average user. Most people may not see the need to use a browser originally developed by the U.S. Government for Estate security purposes. Their needs may not be that crucial. However, TOR’s default settings are enough to make browsing a safe and private experience.
But let’s clear something up: private does not mean bulletproof. Yes, TOR is famous for its privacy, but that is not the same as being invincible. If you are picturing total anonymity, you should know: Just because you are using TOR does not mean you are safe from mistakes, leaks, or even getting caught. Many criminals have been caught while using TOR because they made rookie mistakes, underestimated law enforcement, or just got too comfortable. Privacy is a moving target.
TOR is slow for a reason, it bounces your traffic through multiple layers, but all that anonymity goes out the window if you do not know what you are doing or if you trust it too much. So, do not believe the hype that TOR makes you invisible. It does not. It just makes you harder to find, and that is not the same thing.
And here is the brutal truth: TOR is not automatically better just because it is private. TOR’s user experience is clunky, slow, and it is unfriendly for regular day-to-day stuff. Forget about saving sessions or bookmarks, and do not expect the smooth ride you are used to with Chrome or Brave. If you are not ready to put in the work and develop smart online habits, TOR is not going to save you. It will probably just frustrate you. Privacy tools can only do so much, the rest is up to you. Be a better user, not just a more “anonymous” one.
Google Chrome
For those with simpler needs and who don’t need to iron-wall themselves behind several Internet cybersecurity layers, there are user-friendly browsers like Google Chrome. Incognito Mode’s default settings are enough to get you covered. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to use a public computer, you should always do it in Incognito Mode. That way, no one will find your private browser history, or if you tried to contact someone in a hurry. People using the browser after you won’t know what you did on your session.
Things could go wrong for you without the constant use of Incognito Mode. Manually cleaning your browser history is always a good practice, but the risk of leaving a little something behind is too high to rely on it. With Incognito Mode, there will be no trace of your private habits that people close to you whom you share the computer with could find.
Incognito Mode won’t hide your activity from your internet safety provider or your boss. You should be very careful to keep your hidden activity within the legal boundaries. Chrome’s Incognito Mode is not perfect. It also won’t delete the downloaded files or the bookmarks made during the session. Shared-use computers, public and even friends’ computers, may not have more sophisticated browsers, and you may not have the time to install one. Google Chrome is still a good private browser that does its job.
Microsoft Edge
In a similar fashion to Chrome and Brave’s Incognito Mode, Edge has InPrivate mode. A functionality that claims to delete your browsing history, cookies, site data, passwords, and personal data when you end your session and close the InPrivate window. Edge has the same problem other browsers have: your activity can still be tracked by your school, workplace, and internet service provider.
With Edge’s InPrivate, you will be able to search using the Bing search engine, sometimes that is not a benefit, but it can be used to do quick searches that don’t involve the exchange of private information. Edge also allows you to select which extensions you permit to operate in InPrivate mode to ensure efficiency even when you are trying to hide your activity.
However, there are a series of key points that make Edge a lackluster browser when it comes to internet security. First of all, InPrivate discloses your location using its access to your Bluetooth, WiFi, IP address, and GPS. This alone disqualifies Edge as a browser that can be used to practice intimate habits without worry. But the drawbacks don’t end there. InPrivate is unable to prevent extensions from collecting your data and using it in malicious endeavors. Your browsing history will still be linked to your Microsoft account to be used for ad improvements, something that doesn’t make any sense. Why would anyone use a private browser if he was fine with advertisers getting their hands on personal data? Also, if a computer has parental protection activated, children won’t be able to use InPrivate mode, putting them at risk of being caught by their parents or any other adults if they want some privacy for their habits. Lastly, if you optimized the InPrivate setting to work in favor of your needs, they could revert to default values with an update, and it will happen without the browser letting you know, leaving your private habits exposed for your family or coworkers to see.
Even with all these drawbacks, Edge’s InPrivate mode can be useful for the average user who is not associated with illegal activities or taboo habits. The default settings are enough to never worry about your cybersecurity. But if you are concerned or paranoid about your virtual fingerprint, don’t use Edge. You will eventually get caught.
Firefox
Once regarded as the safest private browser, Firefox was left behind once TOR and Brave broke through as rookies to the private browser scene. It is still better than Chrome and Edge for casual users, so it still has its niche and is widely used by people who want to keep their double life in check, like using the normal mode for work and the Private Mode for their personal, vanilla stuff.
Firefox’s Private Mode won’t protect you against malicious software or Trojan viruses used for phishing. As with most private browsers, Firefox’s Private Mode won’t prevent your school or employer from taking hold of your private habits and the websites you visit. It also won’t prevent websites from pinpointing your exact location, this may become a problem if you visit borderline illegal websites, those places are prone to be audited by the authorities and ask for a user list, leaving you, your house, your workplace, and even your family exposed and at risk of legal prosecution and even blackmail.
Private Mode in Firefox is useful to get rid of cookies and website trackers when you close a private tab or window. It also won’t remember your search history or your last saved download location. However, the files will still be visible and clickable on your computer, leaving the risk of being found by someone who may use them against you.
The feature that separated Firefox from the rest was the Tracking Protection function. It prevents websites from collecting your data and selling it to marketing corporations that are after ad revenue. Whenever a site tries to access your footprint, Tracking Protections shuts it down.
If you are using Firefox and would like to try its private mode, you can go to the top right corner, deploy the menu, and select “Open a New Private Window”. Another cool feature of Private Mode is that you can set Firefox to always use it.
Safari
Apple products and technologies are famous for being user-friendly and easy to use. Their target customers are individuals who don’t want to complicate themselves by personalizing a browser to do something they may not even need, like heavy cybersecurity. Safari is a browser mostly used via iPhone to search for quick queries. However, MacBooks are still popular, and Safari is the browser most MacBook owners use. Those users may not want heavy protection or cybersecurity functionalities. They are happy to even have a private function in their browser that allows them to access things that they don’t want in their search history, but probably nothing illegal or taboo.
Safari is good at covering the basic features of a private browser. It will never save data like search history or autocomplete information. It won’t allow malicious cookies to track the user’s habits. Once you search the Safari Incognito Mode tab or window, all traces of your activities will be gone.
Maybe the major failure of this private browser is that it doesn’t hide your IP address from third-party sources, so they cannot just find you but launch localized ads at you, which immediately tells you that the browser you are using is not as safe as you may think.
Opera
Opera is a cybersecurity-oriented browser that includes default functionalities like an integrated AdBlocker, tracker blocker, and a free-to-use VPN. Some years ago, Opera was considered to be a good private browser, but that was before the company was bought by the Chinese. Now it really can’t be trusted, as it may be a tool to spy on and regulate the population by the Chinese government.
This doesn’t mean Opera is a bad private browser, because it is. Opera keeps being a great option if you need certain things disclosed, like your habits on the net or your location, so the wrong people can’t find you. Opera will also protect you from crypto-jacking scripts that may want to use your navigation data to mine cryptocurrency. These are features that not many browsers have, so depending on your needs, Opera might just be the right browser for you, even above more popular or generally practical ones.
Other than that, Opera is not much different from commercial browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Safari. It is meant for casual users who would like some privacy from time to time, more than people who need to hide their habits from their family, boss, or coworkers. Most of its functions, like the ability to bookmark and save browsing history in Private Mode, reaffirm this claim. Let’s say you are being cautious about your habits and activities, then, by accident, you bookmark something no one should be able to see. The bookmark will stay there, and now you are in serious trouble.
If you decide to use Opera, you should know what you are getting into: some nice functionalities at the cost of potentially being spied on by a Chinese corporation. There are better options for you out there that won’t make you afraid of being exposed at any given time.
DuckDuckGo
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo is a privacy-oriented browser that you can use on your PC as well as on your Android or iOS phone in the form of an app you can download from your app store. DuckDuckGo is fairly popular for a non-mainstream browser. It gets third place in the active number of users worldwide. The main reason for its popularity is that DuckDuckGo is the perfect combination of safety and practicality. To use DuckDuckGo, all you need to do is download the desktop software or the Android or iOS app.
In DuckDuckGo, you will be able to track how much it has saved you from potentially harmful ads and tracking software. As soon as you open the browser, it will tell you how many trackers it has blocked, how many ads it has prevented from showing you, and how much time and bandwidth you have saved because of it. This way, you will get a full picture of what private habits you can get away with and which ones you need to be more careful of. Having hidden habits and not getting caught requires intelligence and common sense, but having a tool like DuckDuckGo can make your life easier, reduce your stress or paranoia, and drastically decrease the risk of ruining your social or family life.
One of the benefits of using DuckDuckGo as your go-to browser is that it will prevent algorithms from tracking your habits to show you ads. This has been a recurring topic during this article, as most browsers featured here can do this, but this time is a little bit different because Duck Duck Go does it with a particular purpose in mind. With commercial browsers like Chrome or Firefox, the information about your browsing habits is sold to third-party advertisers who will want to sell their products to people who are already interested in related topics. This creates an internet echo chamber. Without Duck Duck Go, you will be trapped in an information loop where nothing new will be able to penetrate. DuckDuckGo’s ad revenue model works distinctly. You will still see ads while browsing, but you can rest assured that the browser’s development team has already approved those ads and they are completely safe and free from third-party trackers or any kind of localization attempt.
For a brief period, Duck Duck Go lost its spot as one of the most secure browsers available due to the controversy where the browser was allowing certain Microsoft-designed third-party trackers to run free on the browser. This happened because at the time, browsers were legally required to let trackers steal information from their users, something that was pretty much nonsense, and Duck Duck Go fought in court to amend the problem. This way, Duck Duck Go not only became one of the safest browsers again but also gained an international reputation for its commitment to internet cybersecurity.
While using DuckDuckGo, you will have lots of benefits that other commercial browsers can only dream of offering. You will take full control of the information that leaks online and offline, and your private habits will be secure as long as you keep them that way. You will have access to a private search engine that won’t leak information to the servers where the sites are stored, and neither will it leak information to the local browser you are using or your PC or phone, preventing your data from falling into the wrong hands. The browsing is completely anonymous. Duck Duck Go is also able to block any third-party trackers automatically, doesn’t matter how sketchy the sites you need to visit are during your private habits, the browser will upgrade insecure HTTP connections to HTTPS, and you wouldn’t even know about it, lifting that weight from your shoulders. The browser also features a special Duck Player that will allow you to access YouTube without the hassle of being targeted by ads or tracking cookies.
If you are a phone user, Duck Duck Go may be your best option for mobile browsing, the Android version features App Tracking Protection, which means it will not only keep your internet browsing habits safe, but it will also prevent apps from spying on you or sharing your information, something useful in this day and age where you may be inclined to install a bunch of apps not paying any mind of their origins or if they are secure or not.
If Duck Duck Go suspects a site, even one you trust completely, is trying to spy on you or track your habits, it will immediately let you know. And this applies to anyone. If someone in your network is trying to access your browsing habits, or a third-party company, or even a Duck Duck Go employee, no one is allowed to do so without you knowing about it. This can save you from being exposed or at least give you a reaction time in case you need to erase compromising information or leave your surroundings to avoid being found. This feature is called Privacy Grade and is not available in any other commercial browser.
DuckDuckGo takes private browsing so seriously that it claims to not be able to reveal how many people use the browser because its team simply does not know it. And it makes total sense: if they don’t track anything or anyone, how would they know the number of their user base? This speaks well about the company’s commitment.
One of the downsides of DuckDuckGo is that for it to block third-party trackers correctly, it needs to have its database upgraded. If a new tracker emerges and you stumble upon it, it’s likely that Duck Duck Go won’t recognize it and will let it go, compromising your integrity. However, Duck Duck Go’s development team works hard to always be up to date with these malicious cookies.
With DuckDuckGo, the pros outweigh the cons by a wide margin. It is still one of the safest browsers to use if you need to keep your habits hidden from the world, maybe the third-best option only after TOR and Brave.
The Benefits of Private Browsing Mode
We went through the advantages of private browsing for some of the major browsers you can get for your device, but now let’s take a look at the generalities. Why should everyone use a private browser? Here is a quick list of the most important reasons you need to seriously consider using private browsing:
Getting Rid of Malicious Advertising
Sketchy sites, not safe for work, content providers, and gambling hubs get most of their revenue by showing ads to their visitors. Given the immoral aspect of these sites, you can’t expect their ads to be safe. Most of these ads will either try to scam you into buying a bootleg product that will do more harm than good, get your phone or e-mail data to try to scam you in a more elaborate and personalized manner down the line, or, the most nefarious of these, try to collect the data of your most private habits to get to know you, your weak points, when and where they can attack you, what are your stakes, etc.
With private browsing, you will be reducing the risk of being blackmailed or having your entire life crumble because of you when your private habits get exposed due to irresponsible, not insecure, browsing. Most of these browsers have an ad blocker included, and even those that don’t have available extensions, you can install to get rid of ads forever.
Share Your Device Without Being Paranoid or Afraid of What Might Happen
Things happen. You may have a visit that needs to check something real quick on your home computer. You may be hanging out with friends, and one of them asks you to borrow a quick call. There are a lot of scenarios where your device may be in the hands other than you. A situation like this may create tension and stress you out because you never know how nosy people can be when handling a divide that is not theirs. If the person you are borrowing your device from is an enemy in disguise or may not have your best interests in mind, it may lead to your information being leaked or your private habits being exposed.
With private browsing, this problem is a thing of the past as long as you are careful. If you use a browser that deletes your cookies and browsing history while closing a tab and prevents third-party tracking, chances are that when a stranger goes over your device, they won’t find anything compromising there. As long as you delete your downloaded files, no one will see the kind of media you enjoy in your private time. Anyone is allowed to have private time, but sadly, people may be inclined to shame others for it. Maintaining a clean browser means you can lend it to a friend or coworker without acting suspiciously or being afraid of what they could find.
Being Able to Keep a Double Life
You may be aware that the things you browse for in your job are not the same things you browse for within the privacy of your home. Some people prefer having multiple devices, one for every aspect of their lives, but this can quickly get convoluted or expensive. By keeping track of multiple devices to keep your private habits a secret, a time will come when you make a mistake or slip, and all your efforts and monetary investment will go to waste.
It is more efficient and practical to only use a device for both your professional and personal needs. With private browsing, these two worlds will never be intertwined. You can use a session for your private habits, close it, delete all evidence, and then use another session for your work and keep it bookmarked or autocomplete the things you want to go back to. This way, you will keep your two lives separate.
The Drawbacks of Private Browsing
Most of the drawbacks of using private browsing have to do with how advanced the technology is. For example, if Brave or Duck Duck Go had the ideal technology for it, web browsing would be fully safe and anonymous, because these browsers care about making the internet a better place and think users should be able to have privacy. Meanwhile, commercial browsers like Chrome and Safari care more about making revenue by selling user data to algorithm technologies that will show targeted ads to you. Thanks to this greed private browsing still has some drawbacks, and you should be aware of what they are.
Even the browsers with the best functionalities can not automate everything. You still need to take an active part in it. Deleting downloaded files, making sure the browsing history got deleted, and that no site tracked your information using cookies, and will remember you being there if someone else accessed it from your device.
We are not saying being careful is a bad thing, but it can become tedious as years pass by. Still, it is better to invest a few extra minutes in checking that everything is working ok with your private browser and checking for the latest upgrades to ensure everything is working fine. If you think that by just installing a private browser you will be safe from being spied on or having targeted ads shown to you, you are making a critical mistake that you may regret for the rest of your life.
So, Why Use Private Browsing Mode?
Aside from what we already revisited, there are some wholesome, everyday reasons to use a private browser that don’t have to do with secrets, iron-walled privacy, taboo habits, or illegal activities. An everyday person may want to use Private browsing for a variety of reasons.
Let’s say a son is trying to surprise his mom with a birthday gift. If he looks for it in a normal browser and then pays for it the same way, chances are the rest of his family will know about the gift and even be able to autocomplete his credit card information to make more purchases. With private browsing, our hypothetical son will be able to order the gift without anyone finding out and surprising his mother as he intended.
The same goes for social media, bank sites, and operations, e-mail accounts, etc. In a few rods, everyone may need a little bit of privacy from time to time without the need to be involved in nefarious activities.
An everyday person may find themselves in a situation where they need to use a public computer. Let’s say he is on vacation and needs to send an urgent email, the only available computer to him is that old one in the lobby, and everyone else uses which may be full of malware and tracking cookies. If he uses the private feature of the browser that PC has installed, he will be able to send the email without leaving any trace and reducing the risk of the email client remembering the user’s data, like passwords and contact directory.
If you’re not sure if a device that’s not yours has a browser secure enough for you to use, you can always visit the Privacy Test website. All you need to do is ask it to scan a website you intend to visit, and it will tell you exactly what information it can gather from you and what you can do to prevent it.
Remember that it is impossible to be 100% safe while browsing websites, but that’s not an excuse to be sloppy and let your information be stolen or compromise your habits. You have the power to control your information.
