Privacy centric browser setup
I'm often asked for tech tool recommendations that I use, that are privacy & security minded. If you ever have such a question, don't hesitate, I love to be of service.
My browser setup hasn't changed for years:
I use the latest version of Firefox as my browser. One of the features, and risks, with modern browsers, is that they allow people to install plugins. It's worth noting that if you install a browser plugin, the author of that plugin can see every single website you visit, so you really need to trust your browser plugin authors, so install them with caution.
I've chosen to trust 4 browser plugins, the first three I recommend to everyone reading this:
- EFF's Privacy Badger
- Ublock Origin
- Facebook Container
and if you're an advanced user/techy:
umatrix (This one takes work to learn/use, but is very powerful)
While you're reading up on browsers, there's a lot of misconception about "Private browsing mode" in Firefox or Chrome. The only thing this mode does is remove your tracks from your spouse or other people in your house. If you want truely private browing -- say for example you're looking up a health diagnosis for yourself, or something really sensitive, there's only one browser option and that is tor browser, which is a highly modified version of Firefox that does onion routing. This is what you would use if you want no evidence of your tracks from your internet provider, or the website you're visiting.
If you're using firefox without tor, even with these plugins, note that your ISP and the website you are going to are monitoring, logging, and tracking you the best they can by logging your digital fingerprints.
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