I’m starting a new series of articles called Dragon Hacks. They’re short and to the point, with a fun, common format. The idea is to find one thing you can do right now that will make you more secure and/or private. In each article I will introduce a problem, give you a solution, and show you how to verify that things are better. Here goes…
Meet Your Foe: Google Chrome
I’ve written about how Google tracks you and why the Google Chrome browser is particularly bad – and just got worse. Google is rolling out Manifest v3 which will neuter ad blockers. Ads themselves aren’t the problem – it’s the tracking and data collection. Blocking ads will greatly improve your privacy and even your security. (Microsoft’s Edge browser is based on Chrome, so treat them the same here.) Chrome tracks where you go and what you search for, hoarding your data like a dragon hoards gold and jewels. The ads you see on these browsers are served up using your profile info. And the real-time bidding system used to auction off that ads space for your eyeballs leaks that information to literally hundreds if not thousands of data brokers. These ads also seriously clutter up your view and slow your web page loads. If you haven’t surfed the web with an ad blocker, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Wield Your Weapons: Firefox + uBlock Origin
Firefox browser isn’t perfect – but it’s way better than Chrome. Couple Firefox with a killer ad blocker and your web surfing will be much safer and easier. Please, just give this a try. Note that while you can install Firefox on iOS (iPhone), you can’t install plugins. It’s still better than Chrome for privacy.
- Download and install Firefox browser.
- Launch Firefox. (If it asks, make it your “default browser”.)
- Install the uBlock Origin add-on for Firefox by going here.
- BONUS: Change the default search engine to DuckDuckGo or Brave Search.
If this is going to be your new default browser, you may need to transfer some data from Chrome to Firefox. For example, you might want to transfer any passwords saved in Chrome or your saved bookmarks. This article will help. If you use a standalone password manager like BitWarden or 1Password, all you need to do is install the corresponding Firefox add-on – all your passwords will automatically be pulled in when you log in to your password vault from the new add-on.
Bask in the Glory
To compare how much better life is using Firefox with uBlock Origin, you just need to try a few popular websites. Try this on both Chrome and Firefox, side by side. The uBlock Origin add-on has a handy indicator to show how many things are blocked on a given website (see below). On the worst sites, you’ll actually see this number increase while you’re just sitting there because it’s trying to load more ads.
Here are some of the worst offenders, but I’m sure you can find more.
Try tweaking the privacy settings on both Firefox and uBlock Origin. And if you really want to see the amazing power of uBlock Origin, check out this article (skip down to the ‘third party’ section).
Continue Your Quest
If you want to learn more…
- Related Tips in my book: 8-1 through 8-5
- It’s Time to Quit Chrome
- How and Why to Block Ads
- Which is the Most Private Browser?
- Treat Extensions Like Apps
- Privacy Badger – another great add-on for privacy
- Privacy Guides browser recommendations: desktop, mobile
- My interview on real-time bidding
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