5 WEB BROWSERS- THAT PROTECT YOU FROM SPIES

5 WEB BROWSERS- THAT PROTECT  YOU FROM SPIES

Every time you surf the internet, your activities are being tracked. THEY know which websites you visit, what you’ve searched for, and where you spend your time on the world wide web. Marketers record what you’ve been browsing on shopping sites and then serve you ads for those products long after you’ve left those stores. Based on where you live, websites decide what you should see and what you shouldn’t. And governments are possibly monitoring your every move. So if you think you’re “FREE” on the internet, think again…. But there’s a way to escape abusers of your privacy.;

EPIC-- https://www.epicbrowser.com

This browser in “incognito” mode by default (time means your internet activity and search history is not saved on your PC); it blocks ads, does not allow third-party ‘tracking’cooking to be saved and prevents spies from collecting data on your browsing habits.

Epic is built using Chromium, the same code base as the chrome browser. And while it looks like the Google browser, it does not channel your searches to Google’s servers or any of its services. Instead, Epic routes your queries through a proxy server to prevent your IP address and location from being disclosed or tracked.

It can auto-fill text in the address bar, but this data-also-is not shared with any web server, your browsing data and and temporary internet files are cleared each time the browser is closed.

A simple umbrella icon- on the right of  the address bar- gives you a quick view of your security status and control over ad block, proxy and encryption settings.

You can further lock-down the browser by clicking on the socket icon that sites besides the umbrella button to enable “EpicProxy”. In this mode, all web traffic is encrypted through its proxy servers to further prevent tracking or hacking attempts. On the downside, this feature slows down page loading time.

Available for: Windows, Mac

OPERA—   https://www.opera.com/

Opera is the only ‘old timer’ that has incorporated improved security features to protect user privacy. Apart from the private or incognito mode, Opera comes with its own ad-blocking system and free virtual private network (VPN). The latter ensures that all traffic between the browser and the websites you visit are encrypted. It also allows you to spoof your co-ordinates to another location- USA or Singapore- to access content that might be restricted in your country.

Once you enable both these features from Settings (under Privacy & security), you can switch them on or off from the address bar itself.

The ad blocker improves page load times; is less of a memory hog and saves on data consumption. Like Epic, Opec also sends out a “ do not track” request when visiting websites like Facebook and  YouTube. However, it needs to be enabled from the Setting page.

Available for: Windows, Mac Linux, Android, IOS

 COMODO DRAGON & ICE DRAGON

https://www.comodo.com/

Comodo Dragon and IceDragon are secure versions of the Chrome and Firefox browsers, respectively Since their user interface is identical to those offered by Google and Mozilla, you can use either, depending on your comfort. The advantage extensions that  are built for Chrome and Firefox.

The core difference, however, lies in the security tools that they pack. Both browsers can detact and block websites with malicious code or suspicious content. You also get  site inspection tool that lets you check the authenticity of  a link that is sent via email and an option to force noon-HTTPS sites to work over a secure connection.

Comodo Dragon also offers Secure DNS. When enabled, all web traffic is routed through its secure servers for added security. On the downside, unlike Opera and Epic, both browsers  lack a built in ad blocker. You will need to install an extension from the chrome or the Mozilla store.

Available for: Windows

SRWARE IRON

https://www.srware.net/

SRWare Iron has features that are similar to Epic. It does not employ Google service; does not allow web addresses to be tracked, and does not  share your web searches with third parties, or use auto complete to make suggestions. It comes with a built in ad blocker, but it does not do as good a job as Epic on this front. The only way you can improve this functionality is by editing the adblock.ini file, which can be accessed from its folder under Programs. Instead, it is easier to install an extension like Adblock Plus from Chrome store that does the same thing. Or, you would have to pay for its Pro version. Furthermore, it does not have a “Disable WebRTC” setting, which is available in Comodo Dragon. This is needed to prevent WebRTC-a communication protocol used for audio-video streaming-from exposing your IP address. For this, you have to install an SRWare-developed extension called Easy WebRTC Block.

Get a portable version that you can run off a USB pen drive- for whenever you are using a system other than own-and an app for Android.

Available: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android

SECURE VPN

Browsers such as Epic, Opera and Tor come with a virtual private network (VPN) proxy service to mask your IP address and location. Alternatively, you can use an extension with your existing browser to create a smoke screen between the internet and you.

You can use HotSpot Shield (https://www.hotspotshield.com) or Hola VPN (hola.org), which offer their services for free without any data limitations. The former lets you register five devices with one account and surf the web anonymously over a secure connection.

Hola uses a peer-to-peer architecture where users share their idle resources to route data for other members. You can opt out of this collaborative model by paying for its monthly plan.

Then there is Windscribe(windscribe.com), which safeguards your privacy, hides your location and blocks ads. It can change your web browser’s identity even time it restarts to prevent web trackers from creating a “browser fingerprint’

The latter there is Windscribe(windscribe.com), which safeguards your privacy, hides your location and blocks ads. It can change your web browser’s identity every time it restarts to prevent web trackers from creating a “browser fingerprint” The latter consists of your browser version, settings used, screen resolution, etc. Plus, you get an “anti-social” feature that disables embedded social media badges (Twitter,Linkedin, Facebook,etc.) on a website, which may contain code to track your activities. While all these service are free, it comes with a 10GB bandwidth limit.

Available for: Windows, Mac, Chrome, Firefox, IOS, Android

TOR-    https://www.torproject.org/

Tor anonymises traffic from the browser by tunneling encrypted data through multiple servers before it reaches its final destination. This makes it extremely its final destination. This makes it extremely difficult for website trackers to trace the origin of the web request or track multiple visits. The path changes after ten minutes, making a trace back even more difficult.

Apart from making it difficult to trace your web request, Tor may not display your country of origin too. This means you can also browse internet content that is not available for your region.

The browser also incorporates a very effective script-blocking tool, called No Script that prevents malicious code from being executed via the browser. Like it is with Epic, your browsing data is deleted when TOR is closed.

TOR is easily one of the more secure browser there is, and it can also be run off a USB flash drive, but its tunneling system slows down browsing speeds considerably. Also, it consumes much more system memory- with the same set of tabs open- when compared to the rest of the browsers in the list.

Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android