Russ Harvey Consulting - Computer and Internet Services

Web Browsers

Downloads & customization

Firefox | Chrome | Edge | Safari | Alternative Browsers
Don't Use IE | Customize Your Browser

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The icons for current web browsers including Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari
Most people browse the web using Google Chrome without really thinking about their options. Gmail or YouTube or some other site once suggested using Chrome, and perhaps they never questioned it.

 

The truth is you do have options when it comes to your web browser, and you may find one that serves your needs better. Browsers offer varying levels of privacy and security, as well as unique, helpful features beyond merely displaying websites.
— PCMag
For the last two decades, whether you used Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, the fundamental paradigm remained the same: a passive window through which a human user viewed and interacted with the internet.

 

That era is over. We are currently witnessing a shift that renders the old OS-centric browser debates irrelevant. The new battleground is agentic AI browsers, and for security professionals, it represents a terrifying inversion of the traditional threat landscape. In traditional security models, we secure systems by limiting privilege (Least Privilege Principle). However, for an Agentic Browser to deliver on its value proposition, it requires maximum privileges.

 

For an AI agent to book a flight, navigate a paywall, or fill out a visa application on your behalf, it cannot be an outsider. It must possess the keys to your digital identity: your session cookies, your saved credentials, and your credit card details.

 

This creates a massive, unprecedented attack surface. We are effectively removing the "human-in-the-loop", the primary safeguard against context-based attacks.
— The Hacker News

 

About Browsers

Web browsers are multipurpose Web applications that include the ability to view websites as well as interact with other software and services. You don't have to stick with the one that came with your device. Each browser has their own strengths and weaknesses so there are good reasons for choosing a particular browser.

Download a Current Browser

Modern browsers offer improved security and functionality.

Use only browsers that are a currently maintained. These tend to be more secure, run faster and display current web content as it was intended. The most common are:

Firefox   |   Chrome   |   Edge   |   Safari   |   Alternative Browsers

Keep Your Browser Updated

Whichever browser you use, it is important to keep all installed browsers and extensions updated.

Browser Privacy

A private web browser allows you to keep your browsing history, passwords, and other online activity private from others when using a shared device e.g. computer or iPad. Private browsing can also protect you from web tracking.
— Ghostery

Because browsers are generally provided for free, most also compromise your privacy. Surveillance is extensive — your data is collected and profiled to sell to advertisers. Choose a privacy-based browser but be aware that even those often compromise your privacy in some manner. Some privacy measures can be added or configured after installation.

Firefox is probably the most private of the mainstream browsers but Firefox-based alternatives like Mullvad and LibreWolf are available and install with more privacy options enabled by default.

If you require a more private Chrome alternative, Brave is recommended.

Google, for its part, says it's transparent about what data it's storing and why — and in recent years it has made it easier for users to see and delete the information held about them. To really lock down your privacy and security, though, it's best to switch to a browser not made by a company that earns billions of dollars selling ads.

 

Firefox has long been at the forefront of online privacy—blocking tracking cookies across sites by default, for example — and it continues to be one of the best options for making sure you're giving away as little data as possible as you make your way across the web.
— Wired
Firefox outperforms Chrome in efficiency, extending laptop battery life, and offers superior privacy features. Unlike Chrome, it doesn't monitor internet activity for ads and includes advanced privacy controls like container functionality and VPN, significantly improving user privacy and security online.
— How-To Geek

Uninstall Obsolete Software

Uninstall obsolete browsers or those you don't use except where prevented by the operating system (e.g., Microsoft Edge, Safari or the legacy Internet Explorer). Most plugins are obsolete, replaced with HTML5 technologies which are natively supported in all modern browsers.

HTTPS is now very common. My recommendation is to change your browser's settings to load only HTTPS sites.

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Mozilla FireFox

Download Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is the fast, lightweight, privacy-focused browser that works across all your devices with innovative features that are continually evolving.

Firefox is a great Chromium alternative which provides strong privacy settings such as Enhanced Tracking Protection, which can help block various types of tracking.
— Privacy Guides
Privacy isn't just a setting — it's your right. The Firefox Privacy Notice is built on clarity, control and responsible defaults. We believe you should always be in charge of what happens with your data. You can count on us to clearly explain what Firefox does by default and adjust your settings so you can browse the way you want.

 

Firefox protects your privacy by running AI models directly on your device, ensuring your sensitive data remains local. We aim to integrate AI in ways that genuinely enhance your daily browsing while preserving what matters most: choice, privacy and trust.
— Mozilla

Firefox is the only major independent browser. Most of its competitors are based on Google Chrome's Chromium base. While most browsers, including Firefox, are moving to incorporate AI features, Firefox has provided the ability to easily disable AI within Firefox.

Customize Firefox for Privacy and Security

I recommend customizing Firefox for privacy and security. Firefox defaults to Google for search. I recommend adding the StartPage extension and setting it to default. However, Firefox will still check Google for safe browsing.

If you are currently using Firefox, the path to bring Firefox's actual behavior in line with its privacy reputation is well documented, but requires you to actually do the work.
  • Install Ublock Origin from the Firefox add-on store because it is genuinely the most effective single privacy improvement you can make to any browser and Firefox is the only major browser in 2026 that fully supports the original manifest v2 version of the extension.
  • Then go into settings, navigate to privacy and security and disable all telemetry options including the study setting and the technical and interaction data collection.
  • Disable the pocket integration through about.config by setting extensions.pocket.enabled to false.
  • Switch the safe browsing source away from Google by adjusting the relevant about.config config flags or accepting that this connection will continue and consider enabling privacy resist fingerprinting in about config with the understanding that this setting will break some websites and force you to configure exceptions manually.
With all of those changes applied, Firefox becomes substantially more private than the default installation and it becomes a genuinely reasonable choice for users who want a non-Chromium browser without switching to a fork.
— Hardware Details

Troubleshooting Firefox

Saving Firefox Profiles

Mozilla has documentation about dealing with Firefox profiles.

Firefox is a family of browsers including versions for desktop, mobile devices and enterprise. Firefox is more than a browser. There is a whole family of products, including:

Replace Google for Privacy

I recommend installing Startpage.com or DuckDuckGo then replacing Google as the default search engine.

On Windows, as Mozilla notes, the privacy-optimized Firefox stands apart by not relying on the Blink rendering engine that Google developed for Chrome based on Apple's Webkit engine, and which now also powers Microsoft's Edge as well as such alternatives as Brave.
— PCMag

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Google Chrome

Download Google Chrome

Google Chrome combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology. Chrome is the most widely-used browser today.

Despite a poor reputation for privacy, Google's Chrome browser continues to dominate. The web browser has around 65 per cent market share and two billion people are regularly using it. Its closest competitor, Apple's Safari, lags far behind with under 20 per cent market share. That's a lot of power, even before you consider Chrome's data collection practices.
— Wired June 2021

Replace Google for Privacy

It's time to ditch Chrome. Chrome is the only major browser without meaningful built-in tracking protection. I recommend replacing Google with Firefox.

In this modern-day life, it's hard to get a little privacy. You can, of course, make it harder to be tracked. Certain privacy settings can make a difference, if you manage to set them right.

 

And that's an area where Google Chrome falls short. Google is busy trying to find the new and better Internet cookie to track you with, and advertising pays its bills. So the company may want to appear to care about your privacy, but only to a degree.
— Josh Hendrickson

The very least you should do is change the default search engine from Google to Startpage.com or DuckDuckGo. (You must install one of those search engines before you can replace Google search.)

Chrome Breaks Ad Blockers

Google is making changes to their Chrome browser to remove the blocking version of the WebRequest API in Manifest V3 that will break ad blockers on many sites.

One of the most controversial changes of Chrome's MV3 approach is the removal of blocking WebRequest, which provides a level of power and flexibility that is critical to enabling advanced privacy and content blocking features.

 

Unfortunately, that power has also been used to harm users in a variety of ways Chrome's solution in MV3 was to define a more narrowly scoped API (declarativeNetRequest) as a replacement. However, this will limit the capabilities of certain types of privacy extensions without adequate replacement.
— Forbes

Privacy Sandbox

After experimenting with FLoC, Google's launched Privacy Sandbox. By gathering the information about a user's history and grouping them with users with a similar history, the advertiser could reach the intended market, supposedly without breaching privacy. Learn about Google's newest tracking technologies and the instructions for making Google Chrome safer in Safer Browsing.

AI

Google has installed their Gemini Nano AI into Chrome The good part is that the AI is local rather than sending your data to Google servers and it is designed to detect malicious websites. There has been some controversy because Google didn't ask first or wait for you to actively enable AI before the download.

Chrome silently installed a 4GB AI model on your computer. Delete it and Chrome puts it back.

 

The file is called weights.bin. It contains the weights for Gemini Nano, Google's on-device AI model. It lives buried inside a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel inside your Chrome profile.

 

To check if Google did this to your machine. On Windows: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\OptGuideOnDeviceModel. On Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/OptGuideOnDeviceModel. If there is a file called weights.bin, the answer is yes.
— @AIHightlight on X

Security Concerns

Besides the Chrome browser, Google owns a huge range of products, each of which dominate or are very competitive, including Google Search, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Drive, Blogger and YouTube. Chrome is one of Google's most effective collection tools. It collects your surfing data — and Google never forgets. See privacy concerns.

Break up with Google. Use a web browser you have more control over, and which has more plug-ins that you can use for privacy, such as Firefox.
— Windows Secrets

Many Current Browsers are Chrome-based

A large portion of current browsers (including Microsoft Edge) are now based on Chrome, further extending Google's dominance. Chrome also defines the way enhanced text is presented in most email programs.

Independent standards setting bodies like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) once ruled the web, with a collaborative approach to standards that competing browsers had to follow. Today, the standard is simple: Does your page work in Chrome?
— ZDNET

This is a serious problem since one company (Google) is essentially controlling Internet standards.

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Microsoft Edge

Download Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is now Chromium-based. Unfortunately Microsoft continues to use its monopoly operating system to make changes that require Edge rather than respecting user-choice for your browser. IE Mode will remain until 2029.

Microsoft Edge is actually good, way better than the old Internet Explorer — but you wouldn't think so based on how desperately the company tries to shovel it onto your plate!

 

Windows still doesn't wholly respect your default browser choices, either.

 

Basically, Microsoft has used tactics we'd only expect to see from bloatware and spyware developers to promote its web browser, and it stinks.
— The Verge
Microsoft Edge loads all your saved passwords into memory in cleartext — even when you're not using them. When you save passwords in Edge, the browser decrypts every credential at startup and keeps them resident in process memory. This happens even if you never visit a site that uses those credentials.

 

Edge is the only Chromium-based browser I've tested that behaves this way. By contrast, Chrome uses a design that makes it far harder for attackers to extract saved passwords by simply reading process memory.
— Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning, Cybersecurity Researcher

It is not as private as Firefox but a better choice than Google Chrome and can perform better in many cases. Microsoft used it to make changes that require Edge rather than respecting user-choice with your browser. I found that some 2025 privacy tests including one by respected evaluator Brian Livingston placed it at the bottom of a list of 13 browsers.

Since they share the same Chromium base, the two browsers are very similar, making switching pretty easy. Most of the basic functionality is the same, and you can even install the same extensions. However, Edge tends to perform a bit better than Chrome — not only in web browsing benchmarks, but in hardware usage.
— PCMag

IE Mode in Microsoft Edge

Like Internet Explorer before it, Edge cannot be removed from Windows. I recommend using Firefox as your primary browser.

IE mode in Microsoft Edge provides an interim solution for legacy sites that were built for Internet Explorer.

IE Mode in Microsoft Edge will be supported through at least 2029 to give web developers eight years to modernize legacy apps and eventually remove the need for IE mode, officials have said.
— ZDNET

This is unfortunate. Technology should move much faster than this, particularly where security is impeded by obsolete technology kept alive because of poor decisions in the past. IE mode perpetuates an obsolete browser supporting insecure legacy sites containing outdated information. Unfortunately, the need to support it remains:

Companies, large organizations, and even government agencies put millions of dollars into creating complex web applications that ran on IE, but that was years ago when the browser had more than 90 percent of market share. Many of these same organizations haven't had the time or budget to rewrite their systems for today's browsers.
— ZDNET

Hopefully those agencies have learned not to depend upon a single browser vendor. It is unfortunate that Chrome seems to have become the new IE.

Replace Bing for Privacy

I recommend replacing Bing with Startpage.com or DuckDuckGo as Edge's default search engine.

You cannot replace Bing as the default until the replacement search engine is installed into Edge.

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Apple Safari

Download Safari

Safari brings robust customization options, powerful privacy protections, and industry-leading battery life to Apple devices.

We recommend Safari due to its anti-fingerprinting features and default tracker blocking. It also separates your cookies in private browsing mode to prevent tracking between tabs.
— Privacy Guides

Safari uses Apple's open source WebKit framework.

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Alternative Browsers

Mullvad   | LibreWolf   |   Brave   |   Vivaldi   |   Tor

Mullvad Browser

A hardened version of Firefox, the Mullvad Browser was developed in collaboration between the Tor Project and Mullvad VPN.

Mullvad Browser is a version of Tor Browser with Tor network integrations removed, aimed at providing Tor Browser's anti-fingerprinting browser technologies to VPN users.
— Privacy Guides

The connection check will check for the Mullvad VPN, DNS leads and WebRTC leaks.

Fingerprinting is an increasing threat against online privacy. The Mullvad Browser is, just like the Tor Browser, developed with the purpose and ambition for all its users to appear as one.

 

Telemetry is unique data being collected by the browser to improve its performance. We don't believe in collecting data about our users. So, with the Mullvad Browser we have removed all telemetry.

 

The Mullvad Browser has private mode enabled by default. This means no cookies, cache and history are saved between your sessions. The browser also includes a reset button that creates a clean session in one click.

 

The Mullvad Browser has private mode enabled by default. This means no cookies, cache and history are saved between your sessions. The browser also includes a reset button that creates a clean session in one click.
— Mullvad

LibreWolf

A custom version of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom, LibreWolf is designed to incorporate the privacy settings that Firefox forced advanced users to make in about:config.

The connection check will check for the Mullvad VPN, DNS leads and WebRTC leaks.

This project is a custom and independent version of Firefox, with the primary goals of privacy, security and user freedom.

 

LibreWolf is designed to increase protection against tracking and fingerprinting techniques, while also including a few security improvements. This is achieved through our privacy and security oriented settings and patches. LibreWolf also aims to remove all the telemetry, data collection and annoyances, as well as disabling anti-freedom features like DRM.
— LibreWolf

Brave

Brave is a safer than Google Chrome for users that value privacy.

Brave is a private-by-default browser based on Chromium, so it should feel familiar and have minimal website compatibility issues.
— Privacy Guides
Brave is one of the safest browsers on the market today. It blocks privacy-invasive ads & trackers. It blocks third-party data storage. It protects from browser fingerprinting. It upgrades every webpage possible to secure https connections. And it does all this by default.

 

It's also built off the open-source Chromium Web core, which powers browsers used by billions of people worldwide. This source code is arguably vetted by more security researchers than any other browser. In short, not only is Brave safe to use, it's much safer than almost any other browser.

 

Simply put, the Brave Browser is 3x faster than Google Chrome. By blocking privacy-invading ads & trackers by default, there's less stuff to load on every single webpage you visit. That means pages load much faster, saving you time, money, and battery life. It also means you're much safer online.
— Brave

Customize Brave for Privacy and Security

I recommend some customizing to make Brave as private and secure as advertised:

If you are currently using Brave, your privacy situation is meaningfully better than Chrome. And I want to be clear about that because Brave does deliver real protections that Chrome does not. Your specific action items based on the network capture findings are these:
  • Open Brave settings and disable Brave rewards entirely if you are not actively using the cryptocurrency reward system. This shuts down the advertising infrastructure connections that appeared during the idle session.
  • Then go into privacy and security and verify that the aggressive shield setting is enabled rather than the default standard mode because the standard mode permits more firstparty tracking than most Brave users realize.
  • If you are technically comfortable with system firewalls blocking on Brave's advertising endpoints at the firewall level adds an additional layer of protection that the in browser settings alone cannot provide.
With those changes applied, Brave moves significantly closer to delivering what the marketing implies. The default installation no already provides.
— Hardware Details

You might want to be aware of this caveat:

Recently, Brave was caught autocompleting URLs of certain cryptocurrency sites with their affiliate links and profiting from it. A Twitter user discovered this when he tried accessing binance.us, which Brave filled with their affiliate link. This granted Brave commissions for every visit using the link. While this was not technically a grave privacy violation, it raises questions about the transparency of this browser.
— NordVPN blog

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is Chrome-based, fast, but also rich in functionality, highly flexible and puts the user first.

Everything's an Option

You choose how Vivaldi works, how it looks and what features to use. It's freakishly flexible. If you can dream it, Vivaldi can probably do it.

 

And when it comes to options, privacy is no exception — in fact it's a priority, built into every version. So, you have full control of settings critical for keeping your data safe.
Vivaldi lets users choose their default search engine and a wide array of other privacy and security settings. You can, for example, set different default search engines for when you're using the regular and private browsing modes, and create different security settings for both of those search engines.

 

Vivaldi also disables the Idle API by default, so that websites cannot ask for permission to use the API. The controversial API can be abused for behavioral tracking and can create opportunities for keyloggers.
— NordVPN blog

Tor Browser

The Tor Browser was designed to provide maximum privacy while using it. It was intended for use by people where surveillance can lead to arrest or similar risks.

Tor Browser (Desktop & Android) is the top choice if you need anonymity, as it provides you with access to the Tor network, a group of volunteer-operated servers that allows you to connect for free and improve your privacy and security on the Internet. Individuals and organizations can also share information over the Tor network with ".onion hidden services" without compromising their privacy. Because Tor traffic is difficult to block and trace, Tor is an effective censorship circumvention tool.
— Privacy Guides
We, at the Tor Project, fight every day for everyone to have private access to an uncensored internet, and Tor has become the world's strongest tool for privacy and freedom online.

 

Tor Browser isolates each website you visit so third-party trackers and ads can't follow you. Any cookies automatically clear when you're done browsing. So will your browsing history. Tor Browser prevents someone watching your connection from knowing what websites you visit. All anyone monitoring your browsing habits can see is that you're using Tor.
— The Tor Project

TOR Privacy and Security

Endorsed by Edward Snowden, Tor is arguably the best known privacy-focused browser. It prevents unauthorized snooping with the help of its built-in hidden relay servers, comes with pre-configured security features, and can run from a USB flash drive.

 

Among other things, Tor is an excellent choice for avoiding fingerprinting. As long as you use the standard settings, don't add extra add-ons, and stick to the default window size (not the full-screen mode), one Tor Browser looks identical to another. Tor also protects you from tracking and automatically clears your cookies and browsing history.

 

Tor encrypts your internet traffic three times for three different nodes, which are decentralized and operated by volunteers. Every node removes just a particular layer of encryption, so the full message cannot be accessed in any of them. As the system is not concentrated in the hands of a single company, it is also difficult to shut it down or intercept internet traffic. However, due to this complicated connection procedure, its connection speed is quite slow. Due to security and privacy reasons, it does not support the vast majority of plug-ins.
— NordVPN blog

Browser Archives

These archives are useful primarily to researchers, web designers and others wishing to see how older browsers display current content.

Installation of these unsupported browsers can corrupt Windows settings (such as earlier versions of Internet Explorer) or not work properly at all.

They also lack any security improvements, so using them makes you much more vulnerable to malware and other hazards found on today's websites.

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Internet Explorer: Do Not Use

Internet Explorer is obsolete. Windows 10 now redirects requests for Internet Explorer to Edge using IE Mode.

IE 11 is no longer accessible.

 

You can reload Internet Explorer sites with IE mode in Microsoft Edge.
— Microsoft

IE Not Entirely Removed from Windows

A zero-day vulnerability actively exploited by attackers has been discovered in Internet Explorer — the browser that Microsoft supposedly laid to rest over a year ago.

 

With the "farewell" update, Microsoft didn't remove the browser from the system but merely disabled it (and even then, not in all versions of Windows).
— Kaspersky

A Compatibility Solution

IE was included in Windows 10 as a compatibility solution and was never intended to be used as your primary browser.

You see, Internet Explorer is a compatibility solution. We're not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren't testing for Internet Explorer these days. They're testing on modern browsers.
— Chris Jackson, Microsoft

IE Vulnerable

Internet Explorer (IE) reaches deep into the Windows operating system, so it is more vulnerable to security issues than any other browser. ANY Internet Explorer vulnerability is a Windows vulnerability.

Internet Explorer has been long known to be vulnerable to the covert downloading of software from malicious Web sites…Merely visiting the corrupted site is all it takes.
— Business week

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Customize Your Browser

Modern browsers usually provide for customizations. Be selective.

Choose Your Startup Page

The startup page (or home page) is what is launched with your browser. Browsers default startup pages usually include a search engine which may display other popular links. Startup options can be changed in the browser's settings. There are hundreds of options. Most ISPs, news services, search engines and domain resellers provide a portal. I recommend choosing a simpler startup page.

Use a Simple Default Page

Do you really want to load all the news, weather and gossip every time you start your browser? Most browsers allow you to modify their default startup pages, at least to some degree. Most users only need the basic search interface.

Watch for Unexpected Changes

Be wary of downloads and installations that automatically change your default startup page. This is called browser hijacking.

Search Engine Privacy Settings

Check your browser's settings rather than accepting its defaults including its default search engine. A search engine can leave behind a history that can last for years. I recommend StartPage to preserve your privacy such as the StartPage Firefox extension.

Maintain Extensions

Extensions can add features or simply customize what is already present in your browser. Adding third party extensions can either improve your privacy or expose you to malicious information gathering.

Addons to your browser can impact your privacy. Frequently check to see if your addons have been deprecated or banned. Disable or remove them to improve performance.

Uninstall Plugins

Plugins are legacy 32-bit applications once required to view and hear multimedia content on the Web. They should be uninstalled because they have been replaced with HTML5 technologies built into modern browsers.

Be Selective with Software

Carefully review the options both when downloading then when installing software from the Web. Options may be preselected on the download page or during the installation that add software you didn't ask for. This is how the vast majority of users first switched to Chrome.

Choose 64-bit Software

Most users should now install 64-bit software where possible since very little 32-bit hardware remains. 64-bit software is faster but requires 64-bit hardware. 32-bit browsers were once required to allow for 32-bit plugins — legacy applications that are unnecessary.

Security & Privacy Concerns

All browsers have known security issues that vary by browser. However, it is strongly recommended that you select a browser like Firefox that protects your privacy.

Both websites and apps can access your location as well as your camera, contacts, photos and much more — if you let them. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are designed to collect information about you (although Edge is probably safer).

Moving to the Cloud

Google and Microsoft browsers and operating systems run much of their functionality in the cloud rather than on your computer (called Software as a Service). When you sign in to your Google or Microsoft account (including on the respective browsers) you are providing a lot of detail about yourself that can be collected and resold.

This can have serious privacy and security implications since you have no control over what is being done with your data once it leaves your computer.

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RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/browser.html
Updated: July 16, 2026

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