Tag Archives: Chrome

Best Chrome Extensions that Protect Your Privacy

From blocking ad trackers and password management to connecting to the Tor network, the right extensions can turn Chrome into a dream machine.

Privacy-related extensions are some of the most popular extension downloads out there. And with good reason. Chrome is the leading browser right now, but in terms of advanced privacy features it leaves much to be desired.

It’s time to stop passively allowing corporations, questionable websites, and shady third parties to feast on all the private data they can grab. Now that you’re on to them, arm yourself with some of the following privacy-enhancing extensions for your browser.

AdBlock

Insights into browsing habits and personal data are hot commodities to advertisers. Data allows the ads you see to be more relevant. So that gas barbeque you showed a fleeting interest in will be showing up again in banner ads – haunting you for days. Changing your privacy settings on the most common offender’s websites gets the job done, but who has the time?

Adblockers are the most popular extensions available and AdBlock continues to be the dominant force in this arena. The big boys in tech have devised methods to force their ads to display even when AdBlock is enabled. However, it’s still a great way to generally declutter your online experience.

LastPass

The days of using the same easy-to-type password for pretty much everything are long gone, but the bad habit remains. According to Exploding Topics, 32% of internet users reuse the same password across 5 to 10 websites and apps.

Nowadays, a strong password that is unique to one particular app or website is a must. It’s your first line of defense, followed by two-factor authentication. The only challenge is remembering all those passwords, and that’s where LastPass comes in.

LastPass’s Chrome extension allows you to access all your passwords in Chrome without the need to switch to a separate app. LastPass has a reputation for being easy to use, but having all your online accounts handy in Chrome takes this to the next level.

Click&Clean

Managing the local privacy of your web browser such as cache, cookies, downloads, and browsing history can be a chore in Chrome. And it takes more time than people realize.

Click&Clean gives you an easy-to-use interface for clearing private data with just one click. The ability to automatically clean your browsing data when you close your browser is particularly useful for people who share a computer with others. It even includes a privacy test to see if there are any holes in your online privacy practices.

Ghostery

Almost every major website out there uses cookies and tracking technology, and it builds a profile of you based on your activity. Worse, there are suspicious third parties with malicious agendas far worse than just attempting to sell you the hottest fragrance.

Ghostery finds every instance of trackers embedded on the sites you visit. It then gives you the ability to tailor how you handle these trackers depending on the level of trust you have for the site in question.

Proxy SwitchyOmega

Proxy SwitchyOmega provides an alternative to digging through the advanced settings section in Chrome, and the chore of filling in and clearing proxies in the config dialog of your OS. This is a powerful, time-saving extension for proxy power users. Just one proxy server often won’t get you very far, especially of the free variety. Enter all your proxy server’s IPs, plus port, and protocol, then switch between them quickly with a mere click.

Kronymous

Formerly called KroTor, this extension allows you to access the Tor network. Tor is one oldest and most trusted names associated with anonymous online browsing.

Kronymous is a more advanced alternative to the easy-to-use Tor Browser that requires no configuration and works out of the box. Tinkerers will love the extensive options it provides, plus the ability to continue using their preferred browser, Chrome.

Cupcake

Cupcake aims to make Tor aka “the onion router” tastier by giving it a pathway into your most used web browser. A plain, happy, or sad cupcake is displayed depending on the status of the proxy, signifying not in use, in use, or disabled respectively. Chrome users who don’t need the extensive options found in Kronymous may prefer this cute, user-friendly approach.

Tor Browser

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, not to mention the least likely to break. The Tor Browser extension is perfect for Chrome users who occasionally want to switch to true anonymity with Tor Browser when viewing sensitive content.

GoodExtensions has made the power of Tor available to Chrome users by bundling everything that is needed in one download without the need to configure anything. The only catch is this isn’t an official extension published by the team at the Tor Project. This is likely because the Tor Project wants you to use their browser also called Tor Browser rather than a Chrome extension.

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Graphic: Sean MacEntee

The Best Web Browsers for Privacy

Ever noticed an ad for a product you just talked about appear while you were browsing the internet?

Once ads for the same thing follow you around the web, you start to wonder what caused it. And you wonder if tech companies know more about you than you’re comfortable with.

Often the easiest way to boost your online privacy is simply to switch your browser. Today there are privacy-focused browsers that don’t require tweaks or extensions to block trackers.

Mainstream browsers are a mixed bag. Some have adapted well to people’s growing concerns about being tracked online. Understandably it’s challenging for big companies to make changes that might hurt their bottom line, even if it’s in the short term. Apple’s Safari and Mozilla Firefox are two examples of well-known browsers that have managed to put the privacy needs of their users first.

Now that we’ve covered the primer, let’s dive in! Here are the best browsers available today for people that value online privacy.

Brave

If Brave isn’t one of the first browsers that come to mind for the best online privacy features it should be.

Mozilla Firefox has been around for quite a while and most have heard of it or used it. Well, guess what? There’s a connection here. Brendan Eich is the CEO of Brave, and he was also one of the co-founders of Mozilla.

By default, Brave blocks display ads and trackers. The concept behind it is unique as its purpose isn’t to eliminate all ads. Rather, it displays its own native ads that look like browser notifications and it rewards its users with Basic Attention Token. And yes, BAT is a token built on Ethereum with real value. Suddenly, ads aren’t a nuisance because internet users are compensated for their attention.

If you rarely want to see ads or don’t want to see ads at all regardless of the rewards, there are settings for all of that.

Brave is a great everyday browser for people that value privacy, but you can’t use it for everything. Some websites are set up to require certain data and important functions might refuse to work with Brave. In this situation, it’s best to launch a mainstream browser like Chrome or Safari for the sake of convenience.

Tor Browser

Many online privacy aficionados haven’t tried Tor Browser yet, but they’re probably used Tor at some point in their journey. Tor, which is short for “The Onion Router,” is free software that enhances privacy and hides your online activity from prying eyes.

Tor Browser takes the unique privacy technology established in Tor and builds it into a web browser. It sends web data through a multistep encrypted route that includes at least three nodes.

The downside of Tor has always been speed. It’s the price you pay for its thorough approach to anonymous browsing. Thus, Tor Browser is a good choice for tasks with privacy of utmost concern, but it’s not going to replace your go-to browser.

VPNs also encrypt your data like Tor. So, if you’re looking for a good balance between anonymity and browsing speed a VPN is the best option. Check out LetMeBy’s reviews of the top 3 VPNs.

DuckDuckGo Browser

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t collect or share private information about its users. Other search engines have tried to find their niche and have faded over the years, but DuckDuckGo is stronger than ever because it promises a benefit people actually care about.

Its latest offering is its web browser. Its looks and most of its basic functions will look familiar to users of Chrome and Edge. And it’s based on the same idea as the DuckDuckGo search engine. The browser blocks trackers and ads that follow you around the web.

People that visit YouTube frequently will appreciate its unique video feature called Duck Player. It opens YouTube videos in a view free from distractions such as recommendations.

It removes ad targeting and tracking, but it doesn’t remove YouTube ads altogether. Rather, the ads won’t be based on your activity and browsing history.

Firefox

Mozilla is a not-for-profit Foundation that aims to put people before profit and fight for an internet that’s accessible and open to everyone. Although that may sound idealistic Mozilla has proven over the years that it can make software just as good as big corporations.

These days nearly everyone uses Chrome or Safari. Back in 2009, Firefox was at its peak with over 32% browser market share. Many stuck with Firefox for years but once they switched to Chrome, they never looked back.

We can speculate about all the reasons Firefox lost popularity over the years. One thing is certain. Google preinstalls Chrome on its Chromebooks. Apple preinstalls Safari on its devices. And Microsoft preinstalls Edge in its operating system. People always needed to make the conscious decision to download Firefox, and with so many good options most stopped bothering.

It’s time to give Firefox another look.

Firefox has privacy features mainstream browsers don’t have such as automatic DNS over HTTPS and cookie blocking.

Blocking everything that tracks you doesn’t always lead to a good user experience. Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection allows you to block or allow certain types of cookies and content.

Network settings are integrated right into Firefox, which allows you to use a proxy with it without affecting other apps. Other browsers such as Chrome and Safari approach this differently. To use a proxy or VPN you have to apply it system-wide.

Safari

Apple disrupted the tech world when it first released App Tracking Transparency in iOS. For the first time ever, Apple users could easily opt out of being tracked. And given the choice, most people did.

Although it’s less talked about, you can also prevent cross-site tracking in Safari on Mac OS. You merely go to Safari’s privacy settings, select “Prevent cross-site tracking” and you’re done.

Most popular browsers have a private browsing mode. Safari has an edge over many because it uses DuckDuckGo by default. With it enabled, beyond your browser not remembering the sites you visited, the search engine itself won’t collect data based on your searches.

Another handy feature in Safari that encourages good habits is its password generator. It suggests strong passwords, saving you time and confirming that your passwords are keeping up with current standards.

Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention limits the amount of your data that’s sent to Apple and third parties. This means that long-term cookies are only stored on your device for sites you use regularly.

Chrome with Privacy Extensions

If you prefer to deploy online privacy features a la carte, don’t mind tweaking settings, and enjoy Google’s ecosystem, this could be the right option for you.

Google Chrome is by far the most widely used browser and that means it’s one of the best when it comes to customizing its features with extensions. Simply put, Chrome isn’t a privacy-first browser out of the box, but you can make it into one.

Want to block trackers? Add an extension such as Privacy Badger or Ghostery. Don’t want to see ads? Install Adblock Plus or uBlock Origin.

There’s a slight catch. Extensions can break, lose their support, or lose their effectiveness as technology progresses.

One of the biggest pluses is that you can experiment and find the extensions you like the most. You’re not married to built-in features that may not offer the approach to privacy you want.

Why Companies Want Your Data

Data is a huge industry, and it’s a growing one. The global big data market was estimated to be worth $162.6 billion in 2021. It’s forecasted to reach $273.4 billion by 2026.

The concept is simple. You more businesses know about consumers’ likes, dislikes, interests, careers, hobbies, and a multitude of other things, the more they can sell.

Many people don’t think marketing works on them. But the evidence says otherwise. Clicks on targeted ads can be as much as 670% higher. Additionally, 80% of users actually reported to prefer tailored ads. People notice what interests them, and data makes it possible to serve people both the content and ads most likely to be relevant to their interests.

The Tug of War Between the Wants of Advertisers and of Users

Some of the biggest tech companies are in a challenging spot. If users aren’t happy their business is in jeopardy. And if advertisers aren’t happy it’s in trouble too.

Apple’s move to allow users to easily control if they wanted to see targeted ads or not was part of a big shift in the industry.

It’s become standard practice to collect data about users and also to give them tools to manage their data on different platforms. In other words, if you want better privacy you typically have to drill down into the settings to make it happen.

Conclusion

As more become aware of the importance of online privacy, more are taking another look at the web browser they use every day.

For too long popular browsers have been synonymous with good. And while the most used browsers are excellent, they’re usually not the top choices in terms of privacy.

Any browser’s privacy can be leveled up significantly by enabling a VPN. If you take the time to choose a browser with robust privacy features as well those ads that follow people around will be far behind you.

How to Hide Your IP Address in Chrome

Ever wonder how it’s possible to hide your IP address? Technically, it isn’t. In order to hide your real IP, you must replace it with a different IP address.

To do this, you need to use a VPN or proxy server. Either one assigns your device with a new IP so nobody can see your true IP address online. And that’s the basic idea behind achieving anonymity in Chrome.

Unlike browsers like Firefox which allow you to enter settings proxy settings natively, Chrome refers you directly to your OS network settings. Thus, you actually have to change the settings in your operating system.

Whether you use Windows or a Mac, this guide has you covered.

Step 1

Locate the options icon to the far right of the Chrome browser window and click on it. The icon looks like three dots stacked on top of each other.

A pull-down menu will appear. Select “Settings” near the bottom.

Step 2

The settings page will appear directly in the browser window. On the left, you’ll see a tool icon with “System” next to it. Click it.

Step 3

Under the “System” settings you’ll see an option that says “Open your computer’s proxy settings.” Click it.

Step 4

In order to complete the next steps, you’ll need the info associated with your VPN or proxy server.

The VPN Route

VPN services provide you with a domain name or IP address, login, and password.

The Proxy Route

To use a proxy server, you need a domain or IP, and sometimes a login and password are required as well.

Which Should You Use?

Proxies and VPNs both hide your IP, but only a VPN will encrypt your data being sent and received from the internet.

If you’re looking for a VPN, check out LetMeBy’s reviews of the top VPN services. Or, scroll down to the list below for a quick peek. They’re all fast, inexpensive ($10/month or less), and highly recommended.

Recommended services:

Avoid free proxy services for anything other than testing. They’re almost always unusably slow. Plus, I wouldn’t trust my browsing data with most of the small operations offering it.

Step 5

Windows – Proxy

You’ll be directed to the “Proxy” menu under “Network & Internet” settings in Windows.

You can set up Windows to either detect your proxy settings automatically or you can enter your proxy manually.

To do it automatically, make sure “Automatically detect settings” is switched on. You’re good to go!

If you choose to do it manually, switch on “Use a proxy server” under “Manual proxy setup.” Enter your proxy server IP or domain name, plus the port number if required.

Note that Windows doesn’t support usernames and passwords for proxies out of the box. It requires you to create a two-step proxy in that circumstance which goes beyond the scope of this guide.

Windows – VPN

Click “VPN” at the left of the “Network & Internet” settings window.

Next, hit the plus (+) icon next to “Add a VPN connection.”

The VPN entry options will appear in the window. Enter the domain or IP, login, and password you were given by your VPN service provider.

Mac OS – Proxy

The “Network” window will appear with the “Proxies tab” selected. To use a proxy, check the box next to “Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS)” [preferable] or “Web Proxy (HTTP)” depending on the service.

Check the box next to “Proxy server requires password” and enter the login and password provided to you if it’s required.

Mac OS – VPN

Using a Mac with a VPN varies with different versions of Mac OS. Apple has done an excellent job of outlining the processes here.

Step 6

Congrats! You’re now ready to browse with your true IP hidden from prying eyes. Go back to Google Chrome and surf to your heart’s content.

Brave Browser: Like Chrome with Great Privacy (No Trackers)

After its release in 2008, just 3 percent of people used Chrome for those first few months. It’s been a steady move upwards ever since. Fast-forwarding to today, Chrome browser has obliterated the competition with 80 percent dominance in the market.

The people have voted with their mouse clicks and taps. Chrome is indeed an amazing browser backed by great tech.

So why all this talk about Chrome? Well Brave is a close relative to Chrome. To be more precise it’s built on top of Chromium, which is Google’s open-source web browser project. Most of the code that makes up Chrome can be found in Chromium.

Opposing Views About Trackers

The key difference between Chrome and Brave is philosophy. The founders of Brave believe trackers have overstepped reasonable boundaries.

In short, everything we do online is tracked and saved by corporations. Sometimes that data is sold to other companies too. And no, it isn’t done because they want to get to know us. They want to sell us stuff, and to do so more efficiently than their competitors.

David vs Goliath

Brendan Eich, co-founder and CEO of Brave Software invented the JavaScript programming language and co-founded Mozilla. Eich and company brought us the excellent Firefox browser, and has done it again with Brave.

With established leadership like that, Brave Software has a real shot at converting users to its browser. In fact, it’s already going swimmingly. A website called BATGROWTH is tracking the growth of Brave publishers. This is proving to be a huge year for the browser with no signs of slowing down.

How Brave Gives Back to its Users

Tech companies like Google and Facebook make most of their profit from ads. Traditionally users endure a barrage of advertising messages and in return gain free use of superb web software.

The issue with this model is that we all avoid ads like the plague regardless of the fact that ads are necessary when the service is free. Banner ads were once widely used and are seen less and less due to an effect called “banner blindness.” People learned how to divert their attention away from the noise and focus on the content they came for.

And as advertisers tried harder to grab our attention with videos, texts ads that don’t look like ads, etc., we found new ways to push it all away. Now users have ad blockers to deal with these unwelcome commercial messages.

It’s become an arms race between the user and the publisher.

With no incentive to view and interact with ads, so it’s no wonder the traditional approach is a struggle.

Thus, Brave rewards people with Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) when they opt-in and accept unobtrusive advertising. BAT is a cryptocurrency that can be exchanged for dollars or held if you believe its value will go up. Additionally, Brave has a built-in wallet to store these tokens.

According to Eich, the current internet’s current monetization system is “mature, but troubled,” suggesting that the human attention economy through the Basic Attention Token will eventually replace the need for fund-raising through sites like Patreon or through traditional programmatic digital advertising exchanges.

[NEWSBTC]

Once ads are turned on, by default every two hours a notification item appears at the top right of the browser window. You can choose to view the content or close this notification.

It’s not perfect since people can still tune out the advertiser’s messages. However, since the user is being compensated, the ads are no longer unwelcome. As with Brave’s model, it’s a choice.

Trackers and Ads Get the Heave-Ho

The ads publishers place on their sites are blocked by Brave right out of the gate. So are third-party cookies and trackers used to collect data on your browsing.

It’s pretty amazing to have this built-in to the browser. It works great. Plus, with much less bloat than extensions like Adblock Plus for Chrome. Third-party adblockers are notorious for hogging system resources. It’s good to see Brave addressed this inefficiency as well.

Making the Switch

If privacy is important to you, what are you waiting for?

Download Brave and give it a test run today.

If you’re a Chrome user, you’ll feel right at home. Also, if you like Firefox, it makes sense to check it out as well. Brave carries a lot of the vision over from Mozilla as both were founded by Brendan Eich.

This is a really exciting time for the web. Inspiring new projects that utilize blockchain are reinventing existing tools: in this case the browser. By using Brave you’ll be among the first wave of people to experience the new, improved internet, free of trackers and annoying ads.

Viva la revolución!

5 Hacks to Speed up Streaming

A lot more people are streaming movies today than a year or even a few months ago.

The mass migration from traditional formats to services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video has brought us the gift of convenience but also technical hurdles.

As much as streaming is becoming the way to go, one can only enjoy the experience when they stream without pausing, re-buffering, and other interruptions. Thus, there are two major categories of persons that stream movies: those that enjoy the best speeds and those that struggle with getting decent speed when they stream. This article highlights hacks one can implement to move from the latter category to the former category.

Fix plugins: Current browsers are equipped with plugins for a wide array of different purposes. As much as certain plugins can guarantee a higher streaming speed, other plugins can be a drag when one streams. Here’s how to balance the good and bad effects of plugins.

Plugins still have a cost to performance when not in use. When a plugin is inactive but installed, it could affect the user’s streaming speed. Thus, it is important to uninstall all plugins that are not in use as they can negatively affect streaming speed.

Plugins are best when updated. Thus, to achieve high-speed streaming, it is essential to update plugins. Different bugs are typically fixed with the updated versions of plugins, and this ensures smooth streaming as well as less crashes and time-outs.

Clear caches and temporary files: When a person visits a web page, a lot of activities occur behind the scenes to enable the user to view that page. Such activities include the downloading of temporary files. These files are typically deleted by the browser when the web pages are closed before one exits the browser or shuts down the device in the case of a computer.

However, in some cases, one does not close the web pages properly before exiting the browser, and the files which would have been automatically deleted by the browser are stored. The buildup of these files reduces browser performance, which includes streaming tasks. Thus, to ensure the best streaming speed, one must delete temporary files and clear the browser history. That way, the browser activity is not unnecessarily reduced.

Switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet: As much as Wi-Fi is the go-to Internet connection for streaming movies, slow or spotty Wi-Fi can cause streaming issues. With Wi-Fi, one makes wireless connections to their router, and this wireless connection does not offer as much speed as is available on the router to the user. When the wireless connection is swapped for a wired connection such as with Ethernet cable, a user gets the best speeds possible. Let’s say one uses a 10Mb/s router. With a wireless connection to that router, they may receive about 50% of that speed. A wired connection such as with Ethernet cables gives the user at least 70% of the speed of the router. So, all you may need to do is to switch Wi-Fi for Ethernet cables. Your device will get better speeds when you make that switch.

Turn off auto-update features: The different operating systems on devices, from Android to Windows, offer auto-update options. With this option enabled, newer versions of applications are downloaded as soon as they are available with special consent from the user. Thus, when the auto-update feature is turned on, apps could check for updates or update in the background when one engages in other activities such as streaming. This background activity can impair streaming performance.

To stream high-quality videos, it is thus advisable to turn off the auto-update feature. Alternatively, one can check for updates regularly and download updated versions of the apps at the most convenient time.

Reduce device load: This hack is somewhat applicable to other settings. The more individuals that share a resource, the lesser the quantity and quality of the resource each participant will get. Here’s how this “principle” is related to the quality of movies one streams. When many devices are connected to a router, the streaming speed reduces because of the device load. For faster streaming, it is advisable to reduce the device load on a router. So if you’re experiencing issues with streaming, make sure others in the home aren’t using the internet heavily at the same time.

Finally, everyone deserves to stream high-quality videos, and with these hacks, you’re sure to enjoy a better movie-watching experience.

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Photo: PresidenciaRD