Data Armor - Image by Gerhard Janson from Pixabay
In today’s digital age, our personal information is constantly at risk—whether from data breaches, online tracking, or intrusive ads. Protecting your privacy has never been more important. This guide provides you with alternative browser options for more private online searching. It also suggests a few trusted data discovery tools that help you identify which companies are collecting your information and how they’re using it in hidden ways for profit or other gain. Finally, a list of suggested reading offers tips for assembling your digital suit of data armor. Persistent vigilance is your best protection!
Privacy Protection
Brave: The Brave Browser is a privacy-focused web browser designed to protect users' online activity from trackers, ads, and data collection. Brave offers a fast and secure browsing experience while prioritizing user privacy and control. Instead of bombarding users with obtrusive ads, Brave offers a reward system; it lets users earn Basic Attention Tokens (BATs) for viewing privacy-respecting ads, thereby giving users discretion to support content creators on their own terms.
DuckDuckGo: This tool exists as both a stand-alone browser and as a browser extension for major browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Safari. DuckDuckGo is also a privacy-focused search engine that prioritizes user anonymity and data protection. Unlike traditional search engines, DDG does not track or store personal information, ensuring that searches remain private. DuckDuckGo blocks third-party trackers across the web, helping to prevent advertisers and other entities from building profiles based on browsing activity. Its search results are unbiased and not influenced by user data, offering a clean and straightforward experience.
Privacy Badger: This free browser extension was developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties and promoting privacy, freedom of expression, and innovation in the digital age. Privacy Badger is an install-and-forget browser add-on that stops advertisers and trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. It automatically blocks third-party trackers that monitor online activity without user consent.
Ghostery: Ghostery is a privacy-focused browser extension and standalone browser designed to help users understand and control who is tracking their online activity. It identifies and blocks trackers, advertisements, and other web elements that collect personal data, enhancing privacy and speeding up page load times. The extension is available for popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, while the standalone Ghostery Privacy Browser is available for mobile devices. Ghostery also integrates its own private search engine, offering ad-free, non-tracking search capabilities.
Data Discovery Tools
Experian Personal Privacy Scan: As on organization, Experian is “dedicated to helping consumers improve their financial well-being,” and the Personal Privacy Scan is part of that commitment. This free tool searches the web for publicly available personal information, such as names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email accounts. It identifies potential risks by detecting listings on data broker websites and provides insights about mitigating such risks to reduce harmful exposure.
Optery: Optery is a privacy management tool that helps users identify and remove their personal information from data broker websites. These brokers often collect, aggregate, and sell sensitive details like names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and more, often without explicit consent. Optery provides a proactive way to reduce exposure to identity theft, spam, and unwanted solicitations.
Permission Slip: This app from Consumer Reports, the trusted guardian of marketplace truth and transparency, is designed to help you manage and protect your personal data online. It also simplifies the task of navigating digital privacy rights. With Permission Slip, users can identify which companies are collecting their data and send requests to the offending companies to delete or stop sharing that data. Users can also track the status of their requests in real-time.
Additional Reading
How To Dox Yourself on the Internet (NYT Open — February 27, 2020): A step-by-step guide to finding and removing your personal information from the Internet. (See also: New York Times Digital Security Education Hub.) This resource is a bit dated—you’ll see that the social media site, X, was still named Twitter at the time of publication—but the tips for not getting doxxed are, nonetheless, good suggestions for anyone wishing to safeguard their privacy, identity, and security online.
Every Simple Step to Online Security (New York Times Wirecutter - April 1, 2022): Simple steps to drastically reduce your risks online. Includes: Secure Your Web Browser, Lock Down Social Media Accounts, Search the Web as Privately as Possible, and much more.