{"id":552,"date":"2019-12-09T16:27:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T16:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/?p=552"},"modified":"2019-12-09T16:27:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T16:27:00","slug":"browsers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/browsers\/","title":{"rendered":"Browsers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I know we all don\u2019t have a lot of time to read and digest the information. I have put this<br> document together to help skip to the good stuff. I\u2019ve added a few tips of my own with the<br> browsers that I\u2019ve used. If you want all the information, please consider reading the entire<br> article found at <a href=\"https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/secure-browser\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/secure-browser\/ (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/secure-browser\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The article above recommends the Tor browser. However, there is mounting evidence that the Tor browser has been compromised and is no longer trustworthy. See Tor Browser below for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can test your current browser for WebRTC leaks and browser Fingerprinting by visiting<br> https:\/\/crypto.blacklab.net\/test\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended Browsers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brave<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brave is a Chromium-based browser that is fast, secure, and privacy-focused by default with a built-in ad blocker. The main developer behind Brave is Brandon Eich, who formally worked for Mozilla. For out-of-the-box privacy and security, Brave is a decent option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brave is based on Chromium, with many privacy-abusing features\/preferences stripped out. Brave does well with its default privacy settings and extra features. Here is a brief overview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Blocks ads and trackers by default<\/li><li>Protects against browser fingerprinting<\/li><li>Built-in script blocker<\/li><li>Automatically upgrades to HTTPS (HTTPS\nEverywhere)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>WebRTC \u2013 It\u2019s also worth noting that all Chromium-based browsers are vulnerable to the WebRTC leak issue, whereby your real IP address can be exposed, <strong>even if you are using a VPN service<\/strong>. While there are solutions to WebRTC leaks for all browsers, but with Chromium, you\u2019ll need to block WebRTC because it cannot be completely disabled (such as with Firefox).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind, however, that to effectively \u201cblock all fingerprinting\u201d you will probably need to consider other factors as well \u2013 see the browser fingerprinting guide. You can read more about Brave\u2019s privacy and security features here: <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/features\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/brave.com\/features\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you think your identity was safe while using a VPN? Nope, you\u2019re not. Reading through the 2 articles below will help you understand how to keep your identity from being leaked out without you knowing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is a WebRTC leak? <a href=\"https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/webrtc-leaks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/webrtc-leaks\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is Browser Fingerprinting: <a href=\"https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/browser-fingerprinting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/browser-fingerprinting\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One quick tip on using Brave. Some sites break when you leave the <strong>Shields Up <\/strong>option that Brave leaves on by default. A quick shields down will fix the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-216x300.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-216x300.png 216w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-600x835.png 600w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-736x1024.png 736w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-720x1002.png 720w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-580x807.png 580w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM-320x445.png 320w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.20-AM.png 746w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-300x235.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-300x235.png 300w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-600x471.png 600w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-720x565.png 720w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-580x455.png 580w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM-320x251.png 320w, https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Screen-Shot-2020-02-09-at-6.56.44-AM.png 744w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>How to configure your Brave browser to protect and secure.  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/how-to-protect-and-secure-your-web-browsing-with-the-brave-browser\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/how-to-protect-and-secure-your-web-browsing-with-the-brave-browser\/  (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/how-to-protect-and-secure-your-web-browsing-with-the-brave-browser\/ <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Firefox<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firefox is a great all-around browser for privacy and\nsecurity. It offers strong privacy protection features, customization options,\nexcellent security, and regular updates with an active development team. The\nnewest version of Firefox, Firefox Quantum, is fast and light-weight with many\ncustomization options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of the box, Firefox is not the best for privacy, but it can be customized and hardened, as explained in my Firefox privacy modifications guide <a href=\"https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/firefox-privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/restoreprivacy.com\/firefox-privacy\/<\/a>. Be sure to disable telemetry in Firefox, which is a feature that will collect \u201ctechnical and interaction data\u201d and also \u201cinstall and run studies\u201d within your browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NOT Recommended Browsers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people think Tor is the ultimate for online anonymity.\nI hate to break the news to you, but that\u2019s not the case anymore. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Roger Dingledine (Tor co-founder) and other key\nTor developers, getting people (outside the US government) to widely adopt Tor\nis very important for the US government\u2019s ability to use Tor for its own\npurposes. In this goal, they have largely succeeded with Tor being widely\npromoted in various privacy circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here are some surprising truths about Tor.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tor is compromised and not anonymous. Governments can de-anonymize Tor users is another well-known fact that Tor promoters are ignoring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br> Washington Post Article &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/secret-nsa-documents-show-campaign-against-tor-encrypted-network\/2013\/10\/04\/610f08b6-2d05-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/secret-nsa-documents-show-campaign-against-tor-encrypted-network\/2013\/10\/04\/610f08b6-2d05-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/secret-nsa-documents-show-campaign-against-tor-encrypted-network\/2013\/10\/04\/610f08b6-2d05-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Since 2006, according to a 49-page research paper titled simply \u201cTor,\u201d the agency has worked on several methods that, if successful, would allow the NSA to uncloak anonymous traffic on a \u201cwide scale\u201d \u2014 effectively by watching communications as they enter and exit the Tor system, rather than trying to follow them inside. One type of attack, for example, would identify users by minute differences in the clock times on their computers.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Washington Post<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Tor developers are cooperating with US government agencies. Some Tor users may be surprised to know the extent to which Tor developers are working directly with US government agencies. The journalist, Yasha Levine, was able to clarify this cooperation through FOIA requests, which revealed many interesting exchanges. There was an email correspondence in which Roger Dingledine discusses cooperation with the DOJ (Department of Justice) and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), while also referencing \u201cbackdoors\u201d being installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No warrants are necessary to spy on Tor users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cThe U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can still spy on users who use the Tor browser to remain anonymous on the web. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. has ruled that the FBI does not need a warrant to hack into a U.S. citizen\u2019s computer system. The ruling by the district judge relates to FBI sting called. Operation Pacifier, which targeted a child pornography site called PlayPen on the Dark web. The accused used Tor to access these websites. The federal agency, with the help of hacking tools on computers in Greece, Denmark, Chile and the U.S., was able to catch 1,500 pedophiles during the operation.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Tor was created by the US government for a reason. Roger Dingledine, co-founder of Tor in a 2004 speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI forgot to mention earlier, probably something that will make you look at me in a new light. I contract for the United States Government to build anonymity technology for them and deploy it. They don\u2019t think of it as anonymity technology, though we use that term. They think of it as security technology. They need these technologies so that they can research people they\u2019re interested in, so that they can have anonymous tip lines, so that they can buy things from people without other countries figuring out what they are buying, how much they are buying and where it is going, that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p><cite>Roger Dingledine<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Tor is funded by the US government. Financial data showed that Tor wasn\u2019t the indie-grassroots anti-state org that it claimed to be. It was a military contractor. It even had its own official military contractor reference number from the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>US Agency for Global Media (spun off from CIA) \u2013 $6.1 million<\/li><li>State Department \u2013 $3.3 million<\/li><li>The Pentagon \u2013 $2.2 million (2011 through 2013)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Safari<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Safari is the default browser for Mac\nOS and iOS devices. Overall, Safari is not a horrible choice in terms of privacy\nand tracking protection \u2013 but it also cannot be recommended for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple is a partner in the NSA PRISM program:  <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PRISM_(surveillance_program)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PRISM_(surveillance_program) (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PRISM_(surveillance_program)<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple was caught \u201choarding\u201d Safari browsing history \u2013 even after it was deleted  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/thomasbrewster\/2017\/02\/09\/apple-safari-web-history-deleted-stored-icloud\/#2c6980f26328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/thomasbrewster\/2017\/02\/09\/apple-safari-web-history-deleted-stored-icloud\/#2c6980f26328 (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/thomasbrewster\/2017\/02\/09\/apple-safari-web-history-deleted-stored-icloud\/#2c6980f26328<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple was found to be collecting Safari history even when used in private mode.  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3044018\/safari-private-browsing-history-is-not-forgotten-after-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3044018\/safari-private-browsing-history-is-not-forgotten-after-all  (opens in a new tab)\">https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3044018\/safari-private-browsing-history-is-not-forgotten-after-all <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a positive note, however, Apple\ndoes somewhat better with privacy than other large companies. The Safari\nbrowser blocks third-party cookies by default and also implements cross-site\ntracking protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Chrome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it has the name Google in it, you know it has to be\ngathering everything it can get its greedy little hands on. But if you run into\nissues with other browsers, it\u2019s a good backup to see if it\u2019s a browser issue\nor a site issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Chrome is a secure browser, but it also collects\nquite a bit of data. While it remains the most popular browser on the market,\nChrome is not the best choice for privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Microsoft Internet Explorer\/Edge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edge is a Microsoft product. Just like with Windows, it\u2019s a good idea to avoid Microsoft products, including Internet Explorer, and their newer browser, Edge. Internet Explorer and Edge are also closed-source, so there\u2019s no telling what\u2019s going on behind the scenes, and they\u2019re also not the best for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Opera Browser<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opera started off as a decent browser, developed in Norway.\nHowever, in 2016 it was sold to a Chinese consortium for $600 million \u2013 and a\nlot has changed. Opera\u2019s privacy policy explains how your data is being\ncollected and shared when you use Opera products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Epic Browser<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Epic is a browser based on Chromium, created by \u201cHidden\nReflex\u201d which is based in India. Since 2014, Epic has been claiming they would\nopen source the code, but it remains closed source today. What\u2019s going on\nbehind the scenes? How do they manage Chromium and remove invasive code? Who\nknows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like with Opera, Epic falsely claims to offer a \u201cfree\nVPN\u201d through the browser, but this is not really true. The browser is merely\nrouting traffic through a US proxy server. As we learned with Opera (and with\nmany other \u201cfree proxy\u201d services), proxies are frequently used for data\ncollection (and they are often not secure). Sure enough, when reading the\nprivacy policy, data from \u201cvideo download and proxy services\u201d is being collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person who analyzed Epic found it to be connecting to\nGoogle on startup. This means that Epic is not, in fact, de-googled as it\nclaims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I know we all don\u2019t have a lot of time to read and digest the information. I have put this document together to help skip to the good stuff. I\u2019ve added a few tips of my own with the browsers that I\u2019ve used. If you want all the information, please consider reading the entire article<span class=\"post-excerpt-end\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/browsers\/\" class=\"themebutton\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacklab.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}