8 Android browsers that take care of your privacy

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you are tired of targeted ads and the intrusive attention of search engines, install something from this list.

1. Firefox Focus

Mobile Firefox already has a good set of tools to keep your privacy: incognito mode and anti-tracking. But Firefox Focus is even more serious. This browser blocks most of the known web trackers by default and automatically erases your browsing history, passwords and cookies upon restart. The program also removes ads on websites, can protect open tabs from viewing by strangers by scanning a fingerprint, and can disable JavaScript and Cookies.

2. Ghostery Privacy Browser

The Ghostery extension is enjoying well-deserved popularity. But this developer also has a full-fledged browser for Android. It is based on mobile Firefox and is fully compatible with its extensions, so nothing prevents you from installing some uBlock in addition to its privacy protection tools.

Ghostery has one of the largest databases of online trackers, so Ghostery Privacy Browser blocks most tracking elements on web pages without any problems. You can easily see exactly what has been paused thanks to the icon next to the address bar. Ghostery can also delete your entire surfing history with one click, has built-in anti-phishing protection and can block cookies.

3. Orbot and Orfox

Orbot allows Android users to connect to the Tor network. Tor uses the principle of onion routing: your data is sent over encrypted channels through many random servers around the world, making it difficult to track down. In addition, Orbot provides deep encryption of all transmitted data and allows you to open almost any blocked resources. The perfect tool for the paranoid. True, beginners can be confused by the excessive abundance of settings.

Orbot can be used as a system VPN on Android, so you can run any browser or messenger traffic over the encrypted Tor network. But Orbot works best in conjunction with the Orfox browser. It is based on Firefox, but has some very advanced additional tools for traffic encryption and anti-tracking.

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4. InBrowser

InBrowser is forced to turn on incognito mode, so it never remembers the sites you visit and does not save cookies and passwords. They are automatically and permanently deleted when you exit the application. In the InBrowser settings, you can disable JavaScript and Flash, as well as change the User Agent to disguise itself as other browsers.

Naturally, InBrowser has tracking tracker blocking, Do Not Track function, Panopticlick tracking protection, and obfuscation of the Referer header, so that sites tracking your movements won't be able to find out anything.

A couple of other interesting features of InBrowser are support for the Tor network and integration with the LastPass secure password storage service.

5. DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser

DuckDuckGo is a well-known search engine that focuses on the privacy and confidentiality of its users. But apart from the search service, DuckDuckGo also provides its own browser. It blocks trackers tracking you, forces sites to use encrypted connections whenever possible, and removes ads on pages you visit.

If you open the site statistics (the icon to the left of the address bar), you will see which elements of the page were blocked. In addition, DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser will provide you with an assessment of the open site's privacy policy, so you can decide whether to trust the resource. And another button next to the address bar allows you to clear all data and close all tabs with one click - useful if someone is annoyingly spying on what you are looking for on the Internet.

Of course, DuckDuckGo is used as a search engine in the browser, which does not collect statistics from users and does not try to show you personalized search results.

6. Privacy Browser

This is a very functional browser with a bunch of settings aimed at maintaining privacy. You can block JavaScript, ads, trackers, social media buttons and tracking elements, cookies. Moreover, a flexible system of settings and filters for each domain allows you to set different rules for each site you visit.

The Privacy Browser has the ability to connect to the Tor network. There is a night mode, and a dark theme, and a customizable search, and detailed statistics on blocked elements.

The browser can be purchased from Google Play to support developers, or downloaded from the F-Droid repository and used for free.

Privacy Browser →

7. Adblock Browser

Browser for Android from the creator of the famous Adblock Plus extension. True, Adblock Browser cannot boast of particularly advanced privacy protection features like other browsers on this list, but it does its job of showing web pages without ads and tracking trackers.

Adblock Browser blocks ads, potentially insecure domains and social media buttons. It allows you to create your own filters, so if there is no ad item in its extensive blacklists, you can easily add it manually.

Adblock: Fast browser with ad blocking. eyeo GmbH

8. Brave Browser

Brave Browser prevents you from opening sites with malware and prevents search and ad trackers from tracking you on the Internet. Brave has a built-in ad blocker, as well as a rather interesting feature - browser fingerprint protection, which prevents search engines and social networks from identifying you by its settings. By using Brave, you become impersonal to trackers.

The Brave icon to the right of the address bar provides the user with detailed information about blocked items on the page. You can block JavaScript if you want.

Brave Browser: Fast and Confidential Browser Brave Software