Safer Internet: Browse the Web Privately

Quotes | Summary |
References: General | Chrome (Google) | Crosswords | DuckDuckGo |
Edge, Internet Explorer (Microsoft) | Firefox (Mozilla) | Opera | Safari (Apple)

Quotes

• "The Internet 'browser' is the... piece of software that puts a message on your computer screen informing you that the Internet is currently busy and you should try again later." ~Dave Barry
• Internet Explorer is the #1 browser... for downloading other browsers, e.g., Firefox, Chrome.
• "The ten thousand things
  How long do any persist?
  Netscape, too, has gone.
  
  Server’s poor response
  Not quick enough for browser.
  Timed out, plum blossom." ~Haiku error messages

Summary

• Although these next sections are primarily about web browsers, keep in mind that the advice also applies to any application, esp. mobile, that accesses the network
• [1] Go to the right site, e.g., email links vs. bookmarks / password manager
• [1] Use HTTPS (addresses) for sending login or sensitive info to sites
• [1] Manage Local Storage of Private Data: cookies, history, private browsing
• [1] Block ads and tracking via browser extensions such as AdBlock Plus and Ghostery
• [1] Keep sensitive data in a password manager; use 2-Factor Authentication
• [1] Search privately: try other search engines, e.g., DuckDuckGo or StartPage instead of Google or Bing
• [2] Browse anonymously; Censorship; NSA; Tor
• [2] Shop privately
• It's a good idea to have a second browser (e.g., Firefox) handy when your default browser (e.g., Safari, Edge) 'misbehaves' with certain sites, or no longer receives security updates (e.g., ancient OS)
• macOS: Safari > Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar -- sets up access to 2nd browser; later...
• macOS: Safari > Develop > Open Page With > (other browser)
• Some browsers provide more privacy than others {TCYOP-4: 77}:
• worse: Chrome; Internet Explorer
• good: Firefox; Safari; Tor
• better: Brave; Comodo Dragon and IceDragon (Windows); Epic
• Travel Back to 1990 With the Original World Wide Web Browser: no images, JavaScript, etc.;
  Internet Timeline: in 2019, 50 years for Internet, ~30 for World Wide Web

References

• {TCYOP-4: 78-109; TCYOP-3: 64-68; Understand the Privacy Risks of Web Browsing: On Your Device, In Transit, On a Web Server}
• sections: Refs: Chrome (Google); Crosswords; Edge, Internet Explorer (Microsoft); Firefox (Mozilla); Opera; Safari (Apple)
• oldweb.today visit past web sites for different browsers, OS
• Cover Your Tracks analyze how well your browser and add-ons protect you against online tracking techniques. check if your system is uniquely configured -- and thus identifiable -- even if you are using privacy-protective software
• Wikipedia: web page; web site; web server; web browser; Comparison of web browsers; mobile app
• HowStuffWorks: What's the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web?
• HowStuffWorks: How Web Pages Work; Quiz; How Web Servers Work; Quiz
• HowStuffWorks: How do I create my own Web site?
• HowStuffWorks: Can the government see what Web sites I visit?
• Ethical.net: Browsers; Browser extensions
• Best Privacy Browsers (2024): Brave, Safari, Ghostery, Firefox, DuckDuckGo Wired; 4/6/2024
• Your Browser Has a Hidden Setting That Will Speed Up the Web Giz; 12/9/2023
• How to Switch Browsers Without Losing Your Bookmarks and Passwords Wired; 7/30/2023
• Arc Will Change the Way You Work on the Web TB; 5/1/2023
• Browse the Web Without CSS, JS, or Images with the Kristall Browser OSXD; 2/18/2023
• Download This App If You Use Multiple Browsers on Your Mac Velja; LH; 2/7/2023
• Tor Browser for Apple Silicon Macs is Now Available OSXD; 12/17/2022
• Best web browser for Mac MW; 12/16/2022
• How to Make Your Web Browser as Secure as Possible Giz; 7/15/2022
• How to Navigate Away From a Website That Disabled the 'Back' Button
  hold down Back button for site menu; LH; 6/16/2022
• This Browser Can Use Chrome and Firefox Extensions at the Same Time
  Orion is based on WebKit and claims to be privacy-focused; LH; 6/9/2022
• Steps to Simple Online Security: 9: Secure Your Web Browser NYT; 4/15/2022
• The Fastest Browsers on Windows (and the Downsides of Each) LH; 3/15/2022
• Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla create Interop 2022, a browser benchmark
  to resolve compatibility issues identified by web developers in 15 specifications; Reg; 3/4/2022
• Google and Mozilla are ready for Chrome and Firefox version 100 to break some websites
  User-Agent parsing libraries for 2- vs. 3-digit numbers; Verge; 2/17/2022
• Harken back to the late 1990s with this re-creation of the dialup Internet experience
  what happens when you try to visit modern websites using Windows 98; Ars; 1/14/2022
• Browse the Web from Your Wrist with µBrowser
  Apple Watch; limited functionality; TB; 12/12/2021
• 6 of the Best Internet Browsers for Protecting Your Privacy
  settings: ad-tracking, third-party cookies, and fingerprinting;
  Firefox, Brave, Safari, Microsoft Edge, DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser, Tor;
  LH; 9/8/2021
• If You Care About Privacy, It’s Time to Try a New Web Browser Firefox Focus, DuckDuckGo,j Brave; NYT; 3/31/2021
• Google and Microsoft team up to fix compatibility issues between browsers cross-browser effort called #Compat2021; Eng; 3/23/2021
• 6 Privacy-Focused Alternatives to the Apps You Use Every Day Signal for Messaging; Firefox for Web Browsing; DuckDuckGo for Search; OsmAnd for Maps; ProtonMail for Email; Jumbo for Social Media; Wired; 12/13/2020
• How to Run Alternative Browsers on Your Chromebook Linux (Beta): Firefox, Vivaldi; or Android Play Store; Giz; 11/6/2020
• How to Change Your Default Browser on iOS/iPadOS iOS14; LH; 9/14/2020
• Hidden Browser Games Easter Eggs; Chrome: dinosaur game, Edge: surfing, Firefox: unicorn pong; 9/12/2020
• How to Wipe Your Viewing History on Any Streaming Service Giz; 7/13/2020
• This tiny game runs directly in your browser's title bar -- and it's kinda fun How to save web articles for reading at a later time MW; 6/5/2020
• How to Unlock Hidden Browser Games in Edge, Firefox and Chrome edge://surf; chrome://dino; LH; 5/27/2020
• Vivaldi browser gets built-in options to block ads and tracking with a blocklist powered by DuckDuckGo's Tracker Radar, and comes out of beta on Android; TC; 4/22/2020
• Best web browser: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera go head-to-head PC; 4/17/2020
• Study ranks the privacy of major browsers Ars; 3/17/2020
• How to Add a Website to Home Screen of iPhone & iPad in iOS 13 (share icon) > Add to Home Screen; OSXD; 2/26/2020
• How your browser protects your privacy Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Vivaldi; Verge; 2/20/2020
• Tired of Web Sites Blocking Standard Browser Controls? StopTheMadness! extension; TB; 2/17/2020
• The Fractured Future of Browser Privacy Better anti-tracking measures have become the norm for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other modern browsers. But they still disagree on how exactly they should work; Wired; 1/30/2020
• Why Your Web Browser is Running Slowly and How to Fix It Giz; 10/25/2019
• Before Netscape: The forgotten Web browsers of the early 1990s WorldWideWeb, Erwise, ViolaWWW, Midas, Samba, Mosaic, Lynx, Cello; Ars; 5/26/2019
• Travel Back to 1990 With the Original World Wide Web Browser worldwideweb.cern.ch; Giz; 2/19/2019

Chrome: Google

• Wikipedia: Chrome
• Google: desktop, mobile
• How to Update Chrome also: Chrome > About
• 9 Ways to Make Google Chrome Safer and More Private LH; 11/7/2023
• Sunsetting support for Windows 7 / 8/8.1 in early 2023 Google; 10/27/2022
• 9 Default Chrome Settings You Should Change If You Care About Your Privacy LH; 2/22/2022
• Chrome 88 lays Flash and FTP to rest end of two eras; PC; 1/20/2021
• Google Chrome sucks -- here's why you should stop using it TNW; 1/2/2021
• Google launches Chrome 86 with stronger password protections on iOS and Android, VP9 video codec for macOS Big Sur 10/6/2020
• How to make your cheap Chromebook look and feel like a high-priced MacBook MW; 9/8/2020
• Quit Chrome. Safari and Edge Are Just Better Browsers for You and Your Computer. switch from Google’s browser to one from Apple or Microsoft, and you’ll notice immediate improvements in performance, battery and privacy; WSJ; 7/12/2020
• Google Chrome Is Getting a Bunch of New Privacy Features Wired; 5/27/2020
• Google launches Chrome 83 with updated safety and privacy settings, third-party cookies blocked in Incognito mode, DNS-over-HTTPS support, and new dev features Verge; 5/19/2020
• Chrome 81 arrives with Web NFC Origin Trial, AR features, and mixed images autoupgraded to HTTPS 4/7/2020
• Google Chrome will block insecure downloads in coming months Verge; 2/10/2020
• I finally switched from Chrome to Mozilla Firefox -- and you should too 1/11/2020
• Chrome rolls out new protections preventing password and data theft Site isolation debuts in Android Chrome while desktop versions extend it to new fronts; Ars; 10/17/2019

Crosswords

• Steve: Browsing
• Crossword: Safer Internet Day (Feb 5) about safety generally, not internet; NYT Archive: Monthly Bonus; Feb 2019
• Cyberspace cryptic crossword Internet-and-computer-themed; browser, pdf; 3/2019
• Solve the Internet (index): article We're Launching a weekly Crossword Puzzle About the Internet; 1st puzzle: MB; June 6, 2018
• NYT Learning Network: Internet Safety .puz; 5/15/2003; Social Media 11/7/2011
• Misc.: Internet Safety; Protecting Internet Privacy

DuckDuckGo

• The Best Privacy Features in DuckDuckGo's New Web Browser LH; 10/18/2022
• DuckDuckGo is building a privacy-first desktop browser for macOS
  based on Apple WebKit; MW; 12/21/2021

Edge: Microsoft

• Wikipedia: Edge; Internet Explorer
• Microsoft: Edge; Internet Explorer
• The Most Annoying Microsoft Edge Features Everyone Should Disable LH; 8/8/2022
• Even in Death, Internet Explorer Lives On in South Korea NYT; 7/8/2022
• 5 ways Microsoft Edge is better than Chrome PC; 6/16/2022
• Internet Explorer Is Shutting Down in a Burst of Nostalgia NYT; 6/15/2022
• How to Change Your Web Browser in Windows 11 (It's Not Easy) Wired; 10/6/2021
• Internet Explorer, The Love-To-Hate-It Web Browser, Will Die Next Year NPR; 5/22/2021
• Why Microsoft has blocked hundreds of sites in Internet Explorer Microsoft is 'encouraging' users to abandon Microsoft's legacy browser and adopt Edge instead; how to enable Internet Explorer Mode within Edge; PC; 10/29/2020
• Why Your Edge Browser Installed Microsoft Office Without Asking LH; 10/15/2020
• Porn surfers have a dirty secret. They’re using Internet Explorer -- and Flash Ars; 9/12/2020
• Microsoft is using ransomware-like tactics to force-feed its new Chromium Edge browser to users through an automatic Windows update Verge; 7/2/2020
• Why Microsoft's new Edge could eventually win the browser wars convenience, compatibility w/ Chrome; PC; 2/11/2020
• Microsoft says it will fix an Internet Explorer security bug under active attack TC; 1/18/2020
• Microsoft's Chromium Edge browser now available on Windows 7 and Windows 8 Verge; 6/19/2019
• Microsoft really doesn't want you to use Internet Explorer anymore Microsoft calls it a compatibility solution, not a browser; Verge; 2/8/2019
• Internet Explorer 10 termination set for January 2020 Reg; 1/29/2019

Firefox: Mozilla

• Wikipedia: Firefox
• Mozilla: Firefox
• How to Download Firefox
• Tor Browser -- based on Firefox
• for older Macs: TenFour Fox Power PC Mac (G3,G4,G5 processors); OS X 10.4-10.5; forked from Mozilla Firefox 38; Classila Mac OS 8.6-9.2.2 (and compatible with 10.1.5-10.3.9); not actively maintained?
• Firefox 95 TB; 12/10/2021
• PowerPC fork of Firefox that lasted for over a decade has reached the end of the road
  TenFourFox; Ars; 10/14/2021
• Firefox 91 TB; 8/16/2021
• An endangered internet species: Firefox even with another infusion of cash from Google, you have to wonder just how long Firefox will survive as a viable, mainstream web browser; ZD; 8/14/2020
• Firefox 78 last release that will support macOS 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite, and 10.11 El Capitan; TB; 7/3/2020
• The Firefox 76 password manager now tells you when you use leaked passwords Firefox Lockwise; Firefox Monitor: checks whether a website has suffered a security breach; ZD; 5/5/2020
• How to Disable Firefox 75's New Address Bar LH; 4/7/2020
• Firefox 75 overhauls the browser's address bar Ars; 4/7/2020
• Firefox 72.0 TB; 1/8/2020
• Tweak These Firefox Settings to Power Up Your Browsing
  1. Restore previous session;
  2. Reach your favorite features quickly;
  3. Forget what just happened;
  4. Customize the new tab page;
  5. Share large, encrypted files;
  6. Add tags to your bookmarks;
  7. Clean up your view of a page;
  8. See if you're affected by data breaches: Firefox Monitor;
  9. Save articles to read later;
  10. See how Firefox is protecting you (Privacy Protections);
  11. Lock down website permissions;
  12. Take back control of your tabs;
  13. Manage multiple accounts more easily;
  14. Give Firefox a refresh (reset except for bookmarks and passwords); Wired; 12/22/2019
• Firefox 70 brings Enhanced Tracking Protection and longer battery life Ars; 10/23/2019
• Firefox 67 arrives with faster performance and enhanced Private Browsing features PC; 5/21/2019

Opera

• Wikipedia: Opera
• Opera: desktop, mobile
• Opera 64 desktop browser launches with inbuilt tracking protection using the EasyPrivacy Tracking Protection List a powerful screenshot tool, and more; Eng; 10/8/2019
• Opera Reborn 3: No modern browser is perfect, but this may be as close as it gets while not as innovative as its mobile brethren, new release closes the gap with Vivaldi; Ars; 5/19/2019

Safari: Apple

• Wikipedia: Safari
• Apple (macOS): Safari (apple) > App Store > Updates
• Safari alternatives: Five Mac web browsers worth trying Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge, Brave; MW; 12/16/2022
• Five reasons why you might want to try out another browser on your Mac
  You use mostly Google apps and services;
  You want to customize your browser;
  You're a web developer;
  You value your privacy (a lot);
  You use more than just Apple devices;
  MW; 8/28/2022
• Essential Safari tips to help you browse smarter and faster on your Mac MW; 2/24/2022
• Safari and iOS users: Your browsing activity is being leaked in real time Ars; 1/18/2022
• Apple's Safari browser runs the risk of becoming the new Internet Explorer -- holding the web back for everyone
  WebKit engine is well behind the competition; Reg; 10/22/2021
• 13 Safari Settings You Should Change to Make It a Better Browser
  View > Show Status Bar
  Preferences > Advanced > Show full website address
  Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar
  Develop > Show Page Source
  Preferences > Websites > Auto-Play
  Preferences > Websites > Camera, Microphone, Screen Sharing, Location
  Preferences > Websites > Reader
  Preferences > Websites > Notifications
  Preferences > Advanced > Never use font sizes smaller than
  Preferences > Search > Search engine
  Bookmarks > Show Start Page (customize)
  Preferences > Tabs (and kbd shortcuts)
  Safari > Safari Extensions
  LH; 7/6/2021
• The Safari Settings You Should Tweak Right Now macOS, iOS;
  1. Run a password audit (if not using password manager);
  2. Pop out videos (picture in picture);
  3. Set permissions for each website;
  4. Brighten up your browsing with favicons;
  5. Tidy up after yourself (remove history items);
  6. Show the full URLs of websites;
  7. Know your keyboard shortcuts;
  8. Control Safari with your voice;
  9. Give yourself more options (Develop menu);
  10. Clear out the cache;
  11. Split the display;
  12. Find open tabs on your other devices;
  13. Build up your reading list;
  14. Customize your toolbar; Wired; 12/8/2019
• WebKit's new anti-tracking policy puts privacy on a par with security TC; 8/15/2019
• How to Handoff Safari from iPhone to iPad and Vice Versa OSXD; 4/10/2019
• The web at 30: Apple's place in history MW; 3/13/2019
• The 7 best free Safari extensions for the Mac MW; 2/14/2019