These are the secure browsers and settings that Google hates

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or DeepSeek, the way in which many users obtain information has been transformed: instead of going through the results of a traditional search engine, they ask the question directly to an assistant that returns immediate and comprehensive answers.

However, web browsers remain key parts of the digital ecosystem and will continue to be so.

In fact, the browsers themselves are adapting to this trend: the classic lists of links will give way to enriched results that will integrate, in a single block, the synthesis generated by AI together with explanations, images and videos.

The effect will be a much more complete and higher quality search experience than what we know today.

However, while this transition is being consolidated, the “traditional” browsers persist… and with them a problem that I have been denouncing for some time, in fact, this is the third article I have dedicated to web browsing and browsers: the abusive use of tracking techniques by many companies.

When we think of online privacy, we tend to focus on strong passwords or encrypted connections; however, there is a silent war going on inside the browser itself that most people overlook.

Every click, page scroll or doubt you type becomes a valuable business asset that ends up in the hands of third parties.

In the following lines I will make a review, not exhaustive, of some secure browsers that I recommend and of the previous configurations that everyone should establish before starting to use these massive spying tools.

What features should a good secure browser have?

Ideally, a good secure browser should fulfill two key functions:

**Automatically block third party trackers **and protect your identity to the maximum.
**Give the user full control **over their information. This involves deciding who can and cannot follow your browsing habits.

In other words, a secure browser should allow you to surf the Internet anonymously, without leaving traces that reveal your identity, habits or personal data.

So, which browser is the most secure?

Well, this depends on the level of security you are looking for.

It is not necessary to become obsessed, but it is necessary to understand that there are options for every need. For example:

Tor uses advanced anonymization methods, which makes it extremely difficult to trace. On the other hand, its technical complexity slows down browsing and makes it a somewhat slow option, but ideal for most cases.
Brave stands out for including very robust privacy settings by default, without sacrificing speed. It is a balanced option for most users and, without a doubt, my recommended browser today. It offers its own search engine (Brave Search) that does not store IPs or browsing histories.
Searx: A curious browser, or rather, an open source meta-search engine that mixes results from Google, Bing and others, without keeping records. It is not one of my favorites, but it is a very interesting option to consider.
StartPage: uses an engine that uses Google results but through a proxy. It was Tor’s default search engine until 2023. Its motto: “Privacy does not require sacrificing quality.”
Other alternative browsers: LibreWolf (a bastioned version of Firefox) or Mullvad Browser (designed for use with VPN).

Ultimately, the final choice will depend on how much security you prioritize and how much comfort you are willing to give up.

Usually the more security, the less comfort, so find the balance you are willing to assume.

Although browsers (search engines) are totally independent of the browser, it is difficult to talk about browsers without devoting a few lines to search engines.

Each browser usually includes its default browser, which in many cases belongs to the same brand.

For example, Chrome with Google, Brave with Brave Search, DuckDuckGo integrates its own search engine and Edge works with Bing, Safari with Bing, and so on.

However, thanks to antitrust regulations, it is possible to change the default search engine in browsers to adjust it to your preferences or needs, either for privacy, speed or greater relevance in the results.

Today, many browsers are competing to see who can equip their search engine with the best AI tool to offer more than just a list of links.

The idea is that they can answer specific questions and even provide opinions that enable almost human-like conversations through an agent.

This technology when used in its application version - not in the browser - is amazing, as it can answer almost any question, no matter how complex, and assist in everyday tasks such as writing emails, preparing reports or even writing programs.

The quality of the response depends on the accuracy and clarity of the instructions you give before starting the job. The better you describe what you want, the better the response will be.

Eventually, once you get used to using this new technology, you can’t stop using it. Even searches in traditional browsers that do not yet use this technology seem to be from the last century when compared to the information provided by these more advanced algorithms.

However, they will have to be regulated and closely monitored to ensure that they do not end up being used as manipulation tools containing biases or fake news, as we will see in detail in future articles dedicated to manipulation and Fake News.

Configurations to consider

It is not only important to choose the right applications but also to configure them securely, as the default settings often leave us totally exposed.

Many of the threats that put people’s security and privacy at risk in the digital world can be avoided simply by performing a good browser configuration.

As with any other application, the first thing we should do before starting to use it is to thoroughly review all its settings.

It is true that for less experienced users, reviewing many of these settings can be as complicated as reading a book in an unfamiliar language.

Often, it is not understood what each option means and whether it would be appropriate to modify it. However, I encourage those readers with less experience to always give it a try.

Although at first many of these options may “sound like Greek”, with practice and patience you will gradually understand how they work.

Small daily steps in this learning process make a difference over the years.

I assure you that it is worth it, because you will be using the same technology for the rest of your lives, so the sooner you start protecting your digital life the better, even if it takes five years.

Of course, as I have already said, protecting ourselves sometimes implies sacrificing speed or certain functionalities, which can make the handling of applications somewhat more cumbersome.

Even so, these privacy and security measures will make it much more difficult for a potential attacker to also breach our computer when we visit pages where they have inserted malicious code.

Although we can resort to online services such as https://urlscan.io/ to analyze the security of any page before visiting it -which is impractical on a day-to-day basis- or scan the browser for possible infections or weak configurations, it never hurts to follow a series of good practices that help us to be better protected.

Disable JavaScript

If we disable JavaScript code execution by default, we prevent any malicious code that a site might contain from executing when we visit it. This includes most cryptominers.

The trade-off is that many legitimate page functionalities that rely on JavaScript - buttons, menus, forms - will also be disabled.

Therefore, if we know that the page is trusted, it will be necessary to manually reactivate JavaScript for the web to work correctly, which can usually be done conveniently in Brave by simply clicking on a button visible at the top of the browser.

Browsing history, cookies and trackers

Most browsers monitor the user’s browsing history.

This is not always malicious, but it is a breach of privacy if not properly controlled.

The real problem lies in who has access to this browsing history and whether they can link it directly to our identity, so it will be extremely important to check whether the browser is correctly configured to prevent this by default.

On the other hand, cookies have been for years the most used resource by website developers and advertisers to understand the user and their usage preferences.

In this eagerness to get to know the audience better, the user was spied on to unsuspected limits.

However, this practice has become increasingly limited thanks to the default blocking of trackers offered by many browsers.

In most browsers you can configure the blocking of third-party cookies in the privacy section.

It is also advisable to block the buttons of social networks and other trackers. trackers when the browser allows it.

We are reaching a tipping point in digital privacy.

The online advertising industry is moving away from traditional web cookies.

Google - whose Chrome browser is still the world’s most popular and one of the least respectful of its users’ privacy, as well as having been singled out in 2022 as the most insecure browser - has been trying to develop new ways to display ads without using cookies.

One example was the Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) project, which was not well received, understandably, since “it’s like asking the wolf to watch your sheep”.

On January 25, 2022, Google Chrome announced that it would retire FLoC and replace it with another new standard called Topics API.

At the moment, if you are not spied on with cookiesthey try with supercookiesand if not with evercookies, Flash cookies, CSS fingerprinting, bounce tracking or hundreds of other alternative methods that are not worth going into what they consist of, among other things, because what we have to keep in mind is that the vast majority of websites are going to try to spy on us, if only to control how their users interact within their platform.

Data brokers will never stop looking for ingenious ways to track us.

Another curious example is the use of a website’s favicon to track the user.

Unlike cookies, this method is not affected by content blockers, VPN, incognito mode or other protection tactics.

The browser saves the favicon image (that image that appears in the open tab) of the website when we visit it for the first time and stores it in a local folder.

The server can check if you already have such a favicon, which allows it to know if you have visited the page before or even track your browsing activity.

We also have the case that happened in 2024, when Google started removing third-party cookies in Chrome, a move that seemed to protect users.

However, many websites responded with an aggressive tactic: blocking access unless you accept their cookies or pay a subscription.

This is not just annoying; it is legalized blackmail.

In short, cookies are no longer just trackers: they are now an invisible tax.

And finally we have examples like Meta (Facebook), although they don’t have their own browser or search engine, they receive data from thousands of external companies.

These companies report everything from your reading habits to your physical location, building profiles that include religious beliefs, sexual orientation or health status.

Other web privacy tricks

Many websites require registration to access certain services.

When the site does not interest us too much or we only need to use it once, we can use temporary e-mails.

These pages offer addresses that last only a few minutes and then disappear. Some examples are:

They do not ask for previous personal data, so they are ideal for validating registration links without exposing our real information.

On the other hand, the spy on some sites are not third-party cookies, but the “Like” or “Share” buttons of social networks (RR. SS.) such as Facebook or X (Twitter) that appear embedded in many pages.

Each time we click one of these buttons, we authorize these platforms to collect more information about what we visit and, therefore, to send us targeted advertising.

For more advanced users, there is a way to install a network ad blocker without having to install it on every computer in the home. More information at: https://pi-hole.net/

In summary, as a take away, do not forget to follow the following recommendations when you finish reading this article:

Frequently update the browser, its plugins and extensions.
Never save passwords, credit cards or addresses in the browser. If your browser is compromised, it will be easy to extract this data.
Pay attention to the URL: even if it has the same name as the store, it may not be the original one.
Verify in the “Legal Page” the company name and CIF (Tax Identification Code) of the company. Then, perform a search with that name or CIF to see if there are any complaints or negative opinions, and also check what other web pages it has open and its reputation.
Use browsers such as Brave. Avoid Google Chrome.
Configure search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Brave Search or StartPage.
Check that the site uses a valid TLS/SSL certificate.
Uninstall unused browser extensions.
Configure the blocking of third-party cookies, block pop-ups, do not allow the synchronization of passwords, avoid auto-completion and delete temporary files and cookies when exiting. Also, block geolocation, filter ActiveX and, in general, restrict unnecessary functions.
If the online store offers excessive discounts, it is probably a scam. When in doubt, look for reviews of the site. Be especially wary of sites offering bogus rentals, loans, fraudulent technical support, unreliable online stores and second-hand scams.
Use prepaid cards or services such as PayPal for online purchases.
Observe the watermark on the images or photos. If it belongs to a different company, we should be suspicious. It is also useful to check in Google Images if those same photos appear in other stores, to identify if it is an intermediary or a real seller.
Do not accept a browser extension update if it suddenly asks for more permissions than the previous version. This should be a big red flag.
More information on privacy protection tools is available at: https://prism-break.org/es/.

Privacy is not a luxury, it is a rebellion and a right.

Every time you reject cookies, use an alternative search engine or block a tracker, you screw Google and challenge an industry that bills $600 billion annually with your data.

As Kacper Wojaczek said in Beyond the Firewall:

“Technology should be our tool, not our watchdog.”

Change does not require being an expert. It is enough to make a conscious choice and remember that, on the Internet, resistance begins with the choice of the safest applications, not the most popular ones.