The Search for a Private Browser

 

The internet: a vast frontier, bursting with information and connection. But like the Wild West of old, it's a landscape fraught with peril. Our digital footprint is under constant scrutiny, leading to concerns about online privacy more relevant than ever.

In 2024, the internet's state reflects this double-edged sword. On one hand, information abundance empowers us. On the other, data tracking creates an unsettling feeling of being watched. From social media giants to targeted advertising, entities collect our information seemingly effortlessly, raising critical questions:

• Who owns our data?
• How is it used?
• Are we truly in control?

The answer is often murky. This is where internet privacy steps in, crucial for protecting our identities and online behavior. Imagine your browsing history like a treasure map, and internet privacy safeguards act as the lock and key.

 

The importance of internet privacy extends beyond just personal information. It impacts:

• Financial security: Data breaches can expose financial details, making us vulnerable to fraud.
• Employment opportunities: Online profiles could influence hiring decisions, potentially creating bias.
• Mental health: Targeted advertising can exploit vulnerabilities and contribute to anxiety or depression.

 So in this day and age a private and secure web browser is essential. But browsers claiming to be secure aren't fully secure. Browsers like Brave are great for the average consumer and they do really good work towards securing their browser. But if you are as paranoid about privacy as I am you might want to follow the steps mentioned below -

1. Install the latest version of firefox
2. Go to arkenfox gihub repo using (https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js)
3. Download the user.js file. (It's the last file in the explorer tree of the repo named 'user.js')
4. Open firefox and type 'about:profiles' in the address bar
5. This portion handles the profile you use when running firefox. Basically it handles all the browser settings.
6. Click on the 'create new profile' button and name it arkenfox.
7. Click on the 'open root folder' button on the newly created profile. It will open the root folder of the profile.
8. Delete all the files in that folder.
9. Move the downloaded user.js file into the folder
10. Restart firefox

Caution: It should be noted that all your extensions and data will be lost after restarting firefox, so backup all the data. Also your browser will behave very differently so read and understand all the settings the 'user.js' file will change before downloading and using it from the github repo. Do not attempt this if you don't understand what you're doing.

The reason I chose firefox is because as a dev and a guy loves linux operating systems, I am biased towards FOSS softwares. And firefox is more geared towards security than chromium based browsers.

If you've followed all the steps, Now you have a browser that is as hardened as it can be (in my opinion). All trackers and js will be blocked automatically. All you have to do is be a little cautious about entering shady sites and downloading untrusted files.


This doesn't block ads however. For that download extensions such as -
ublock origin - for adblocking
privacy badger - for better tracker protection etc.