The constant collection of data suggests that web privacy is dead, but the first step to understanding the situation is to evaluate the state of browsers and see what they let slip. From dedicated trackers to something as simple as screen resolution, everything can be used to identify and/or analyze our sessions. The PrivacyTests portal presents users with a list of privacy results in the main browsers on the market, including mobile versions and nightly builds.
If you visit Thingiverse and explore the available models, within minutes you'll see ads offering 3D printers. If you search for information about a spare part, offers to "equip your vehicle" will soon arrive. Clothes? Same. Footwear? Same. Hotels? Much more than Trivago That's web browsing these days: a combination of Big Data, cookies, telemetry, and special trackers, in an attempt to adapt to your interests and, if possible, get money to change hands.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with that when done correctly. But privacy is a very delicate issue, and the general feeling is that some software resources take more than they need, starting with browsers. What is the privacy profile among the main options? The folks at PrivacyTests give us more than one answer by evaluating desktop browsers, iOS/Android browsers, and nightly builds.
PrivacyTests: Privacy Testing for Browsers
PrivacyTests divides its tests into six categories: Desktop, Private Desktop, iOS, Android, Nightly Builds, and Private Nightly Builds. Without too many surprises, the worst results appear in Chrome-derived browsers, with the notable exceptions of Brave Browser and Ungoogled Chromium. Firefox offers better protection than standard Chrome, but there is a superior option based on its code, which is LibreWolf. Almost all of LibreWolf's dashboard is green, surpassing even the Tor Browser, which isn't far behind.
Safari provides acceptable protection to its users both in the desktop edition and in its iOS-compatible variant. Among Android browsers, it's worth highlighting Brave, Bromite, Focus, and Mull, but at the same time we're surprised by Firefox's result, which doesn't seem to be as strong on privacy, and something similar happens with DuckDuckGo and the mobile version of the Tor Browser.
Private modes (read "incognito") certainly help optimize the privacy profile of some browsers, for example Chrome itself, which then blocks all tracking cookies. Now, good privacy doesn't always translate into good performance, and that's where PrivacyTests' influence runs out. Finally, it's worth mentioning that the site is the responsibility of Arthur Edelstein, a current Brave employee. Edelstein mentions that there is no link between his site and Brave's marketing efforts, and that he seeks to ensure maximum transparency.
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