Which are the best browsers? And which service offers you the most security? In a browser comparison, we look at the privacy options provided by Safari, Firefox, and Co. – and what your data is like in each case. There are various Internet browsers on the market: Apple’s Safari to Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome to Mozilla Firefox. All services have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of privacy and functionality.
Your browser should be tailored to your personal needs. After all, it is your direct connection to the Internet – and thus also to countless information and contact options. The most important factors are security, privacy, and general functionality. But speed should not be neglected these days either – and it differs from browser to browser. But how do Safari and Co. differ from each other in detail? We want to take a look at this in a browser comparison – and at the end also give you recommendations.
Browser Comparison: What About Data Protection In Safari And Co.?
In the browser comparison, we concentrate on the services mentioned at the beginning: Safari, Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. So let’s look at their respective settings around security and privacy.
No Matter Which Browser You Use: It should always offer you the option of switching to “private mode” and surfing the Internet without your search history being automatically saved.
This is especially true if you share your computer with other people. After all, if you value privacy, sometimes you don’t want other users to see and access your search history. Because as in real life, what you do digitally is nobody’s business. All browsers mentioned also offer “private mode.” Many browser providers call this setting incognito mode.
Browser Speed: Block Tracking Cookies
Of course, you also want to surf the Internet quickly. Your browser should block third-party tracking cookies by default. With this, your browser prevents companies and websites from tracking your surfing and shopping behaviour. Of course, this is primarily for data protection reasons, but it also increases your speed.
Trackers usually work in the background. You can’t see them, but you can detect them based on slow browser speed. Safari and Edge block the trackers by default. And Firefox has also been included since the update to version 67. However, Google Chrome performs poorly in the browser comparison: You have to block the tracking cookies in the settings yourself.
To do this:
- Select “Advanced settings” and then the “Privacy” item.
- From here, click on “Content Settings” and tick the “Block all websites from saving data” and “Block third-party cookies and website data” options.
- Click Done and restart Chrome.
Safari, Firefox, and Edge also automatically block social media tracking. If you use Chrome, you should take care of it yourself. For example, you can install the free browser extension Adblock Plus. You can also use the ad blocker to block social media implementations on websites.
Google Chrome And Safari Do Not Protect Against Crypto Mining By Default
In addition, you should also check whether your browser protects you against stealthy crypto mining on websites. Criminal operators use their processor power to generate cryptocurrency. As a user, you usually only notice this if your laptop fan suddenly starts up for no reason or your smartphone battery drains rapidly.
Firefox and Edge block crypto-mining scripts by default. With Chrome and Safari, you have to help yourself – for example, with third-party applications. Miner block is a popular extension for Chrome. There is currently no extension for Safari. However, you can block corresponding Internet addresses in your ad blocker yourself.
Browser Comparison: Chrome Performs Worst
We note: Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge score best in our browser comparison because they contain the most critical privacy settings by default and even block crypto-mining scripts.
Safari comes in just behind the two browsers. However, Apple should urgently develop a verified extension to block crypto mining.
Chrome has an easy fix for this. However, Google’s browser performs worse in a direct comparison. Users themselves must block tracking cookies and track by social networks.
Anyone who does not deal with data protection beforehand makes these settings surf less safely than Firefox and Co.
But why is that? Google makes a lot of money from ads. And that depends in part on user data the company collects while they’re browsing — including via Google’s search engine.
If you still want to use Chrome, for example, because you have also linked your Google accounts for YouTube and Gmail, you can disable ad personalization in the privacy settings.
You can also add particular browser extensions like Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo, and Ghostery to block the trackers. But the question is: why add a bunch of add-ons when you can use a browser like Firefox or Safari that does all the work by default?
Also Read: New Microsoft Edge Web Browser: Competition For Google Chrome Too
