How to Use the Private Browser Comparison Tool
This post is the official guide for using the Private Browser Comparison Tool. It includes what it is, its limitations, and how to use the tool.
What is the Browser Comparison Tool?
The primary goal of the Browser Comparison Tool is to offer a “centralized” and easy-to-understand solution to comparing privacy-oriented browsers before committing to a download.
Browsers are complicated and most browser websites/landing pages don’t exactly communicate what users get out of using their browser outside of rather broad statements – this is understandable, considering they’d have to get into at least some technical details, which may turn majority away. Most users don’t really have a solid idea of what they’re getting without downloading the browser and trying it out.
Though some “technical” information (limited) is included, it aims to paint such information as easy to digest for most users.
Limitations
The Browser Comparison Tool does have limitations, which include:
- It does not explicitly “recommend” or “endorse” browsers (though, avoidthehack thoughts/recommendations are highlighted on the “Details” pages)
- It doesn’t take “privacy tweaks” into account; it compares browser defaults (with the exception of simple toggles, such as JavaScript or Sync-ing capabilities)
- As of writing: Update frequency (which is an important aspect of basic security hygiene) is not taken into account in the table.
When it comes to updates, you can do a little leg work to get a sense of whether a browser is “updated” or otherwise regularly maintained. Regular updates looks different depending on the browser; However, most browsers are forks of Gecko (Firefox) or Chromium (Chrome/Chromium) and should absolutely keep up with upstream security fixes at minimum.
For the few browsers that run on their own engine or use the systemview of your operating system, you can check the browser’s repo or “download page” for a “last updated” date. A repo is far more reliable because updates are generally automatically timed stamped and past commits (changes) can be viewed to get a sense of when security fixes are incorporated.
Want only recommended browsers? If you are a user looking for browser recommendations for your device, then you should check the Privacy Browsers page and select your operating system.
Navigating the tool
Ultimately, the Browser Comparison Tool is a mini-website, with the table at the forefront.
Menu
“1” takes you to the table from anywhere on the tool.
“2” takes you to avoidthehack.com from anywhere on the tool.
Browser Details pages
Each browser listed in the table has its own “Details” page.
Menu
The menu is mostly the same on the details pages, with the exception of the “FAQ” submenu item. This takes you to the FAQ area, located at the bottom of the homepage where the table lives.
More information
This section gives a quick overview of the browser, primarily communicating relevant information not already listed in the table. It also contains a link to the browser’s download page.
If the browser is on either Privacy Tests or Privacy Guides, those links are included as well.
avoidthehack weigh-ins
This section covers whether the browser has specific weigh-ins on avoidthehack.com; specifically, whether it has dedicated posts or is recommended on avoidthehack.com
The main table
The table on the home page is the primary “attraction,” so to speak. It is actually how majority of the navigation happens on the tool.
Defining the table header (columns)
What the table headers in the main table reference from left to right…
“+” = a placeholder for the column where users can explore more details (view clicking on the “Details” link) about listed browsers.
Logo = the browser’s official logo.
Developer = the primary maintainer(s) of the browser.
Engine = generally refers to the rendering engine of the browser. The two most common rendering engines are Gecko and Chromium (though Chromium also includes more than just the rendering engine), though others exist.
Source code = whether the source code is publicly available. Most browsers are at least partially open source with the usually the browser UI being “closed source.”
Telemetry = whether the browser “phones home” information or not. Information included in telemetry varies widely and users should consult the browser’s privacy policy for specifics. Automatic Updates are not considered telemetry for this purpose.
Tracker Blocking = refers to the capability of the browser to block ads/trackers without the user having to download any other software. Blocking third-party cookies is not a factor here.
Script Blocking = refers to the browser’s ability to block scripts (JavaScript is also included)
Fingerprinting protection = refers to the browser’s ability to block or resist fingerprinting techniques, whether enabled by default or not (but must be available natively without downloading additional plugins or software).
Disable WebRTC = can the browser completely disable WebRTC or does it just anonymize information?
Availability = on what devices/operating systems is the browser available for download? Beta/Alpha versions are not included here.
Sync = does the browser have syncing capabilities?
Google services = does the browser use Google services or APIs?
Force HTTPS = does the browser force HTTPS connections? Warnings about insecure connections do not count.
DoH Support = does the browser support DNS-over-HTTPS for DNS queries generated by the browser?
Extension Compatibility = is the browser compatible with browser plugins (generally add-ons or extensions)?
Default Search = the default search provider of the browser. Does not include preloaded search providers that are not the default.
Adjusting the table view
Using the rows button, users can adjust how many rows show in the table at once. This also affects the number of “pages” the table has.
The default shows 7 rows of the table.
This is an example showing 10 rows of the table:
Searching for information in the table
The table has a search function, which uses string-searching to peruse the entire table for what you type in the box.
What exactly does this mean? It means you can search for anything (string) in the table.
For example, let’s assume you are a Linux user and are interested in only browsers available for Linux. If you type in “Linux” you get hits for browsers available on Linux-based systems:
Similarly, let’s assume you’re only interested in browsers using Gecko. Typing “Gecko” in the search field will bring up browsers listed as using Gecko for their engines:
In this case, you could also…
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Avoid The Hack! authored by Avoid The Hack!. Read the original post at: https://avoidthehack.com/how-to-bct
